Clearing out the Christmas Clutter
I always honey watching our boys open up gifts. The expression on their faces is priceless…a mixture of sheer joy, excitement, and appreciation!
My second thought after seeing their many gifts (given mostly past loving grandparents, aunts, and uncles) is, "Where in the world are nosotros going to put all these toys??? The toy box is already flood!"
Ataxia stresses me out. A bazillion toys littering the floor of my living room stresses me out (unless the kids are really playing with them at that moment…that I love). I similar for things to exist simple, bang-up, and clean, although accomplishing this task is a bit overwhelming to me (call up this post?).
So yesterday afternoon and evening, Prince Charming and I worked really hard to become through toys, clothes, and decorations that we no longer desire. I was in a major purging mood! Ane rule of thumb I've recently adopted is everytime we bring home something new, we donate something old. A new toy? Go rid of one they no longer play with. A new sweater? Merchandise out the hanger of one I don't habiliment very ofttimes.
Many people have garage sales, but we've found information technology is more beneficial for our family unit (and my stress level) to keep a record of the items, status, and approximate value of items we've donated and deduct it from our taxes. Plus, nosotros don't accept a lot of "big" items to sell that would lure anyone to the garage sale in the first place. This may or may non be the correct decision for your family unit…yous might be interested in reading this article to decide whether to donate your items or take a garage sale.
And then…if you suffer from organizational woes like I do, peradventure these tips will help:
- Recruit a helper. This task is no fun to practise on your own. Grab a friend or family member to assist and the process will get much faster…and it volition be WAY more fun.
- Brand a list of donated items with 3 columns: description of particular, condition, and gauge value. I like to do this in Excel with my married man'due south laptop. He pulls out the items while I type the info on the spreadsheet.
- Use this valuation table or this valuation table to judge the approximate value of your items. They're provided by the Salvation Army and Goodwill and are very useful in determining how much your stuff is actually worth (at least according to them).
- Utilise numberless and boxes to transport the items correct away. Nosotros've put clothing in trash numberless and more frail items in boxes. If you wait very long to take the items out of your house, you lot'll forget nearly it and the clutter will continue to pile upwards.
- Ask for a receipt!!! The rest of your hard work will be in vain if yous fail to become a receipt. When you drop off your clothing at Goodwill (or similar thrift store), ask for a receipt. Make sure information technology is dated and signed.
- Reorganize toys with material numberless and plastic containers. My mother-in-law made a drawstring textile bag with animal fabric that we use to put all of our brute toys in (I might have to recruit her to make some more for the other toys). I also put a plastic tub within our toybox for all of the cars. Nosotros keep the balls in a separate basket. Does it stay similar this??? Not for long…but I'm in the process of grooming Big Brother to put the toys away in their respective containers.
- Rotate the toys you keep. We have a big bucket where we keep about half of the boy'southward toys. Every couple of months, nosotros pull out the bucket and "trade out" the toys in the toy box for the toys in the bucket. That style information technology feels like the kids get new toys every few months! And since both of our boy'south birthdays are within a month of Christmas, this is a corking mode to bring some "new" toys out in the middle of the summer!
And since the end of the yr is quickly budgeted, now is a great time to clear out the clutter and deduct information technology from your taxes for the yr!
What ways do you keep your home clear of unnecessary ataxia?
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