Many of the items that cause clutter in our lives are items that we are
saving because they need to be fixed. When you are going through the
decluttering process, it is almost inevitable that you will come across
items that are broken, but you just can’t part with them. This can be a
difficult choice. If these items were that important to you, you surely
would have fixed them already, or would have had them repaired by a
professional. Think of the reasons why you haven’t done so, and then
consider if you really still cannot let go of the item.
Create a fix-it pile for the items that you insist on keeping, but give
yourself a time limit in which you will complete the necessary repairs
on the items. It can be a week or two, or even a month, but if that
time passes and you have not yet fixed the item, get rid of it.
When you bring home your latest find, and it needs to be repaired, mark
it with an “expiration date”. If you have chosen your fix-it time
period to be one month, place a piece of masking tape on the item and write
the date it will be one month from the time you brought the item home
on it.
Items that need to be repaired by a professional should be taken out
and placed directly in your car so you can drop them off at the fix-it
shop when you are out running errands.
Other Helpful Ideas For Clutter Busting
If you plan on having a garage sale rather than directly donating items
that you are getting rid of, schedule a pick up time with a local
thrift store that is an hour after your garage sale will be over. This
eliminates the temptation to invite some of the clutter that you didn’t sell
back into your home.
If you plan on giving specific items away to family or friends, place
them in marked bags and load them immediately into your car for
delivery.
Hats, scarves, gloves, and other warm winter items that have been
outgrown can be dropped off at your local school. They come in handy when a
child has forgotten theirs at home and playtime is outside on a cold
day.
Books can be donated to your local library, but campgrounds, nursing
homes and hospitals can also use books for their library collections.
Art supplies can be donated to scout troops, and yarn, fabric or other
sewing supplies can be donated to a local craft guild. Many women and
men that are involved in craft guilds work on charity projects each
year.