Since D comes from a "less is more" type of background and I have a "nesting" type of personality, the name of the game in our household is compromise. And that's difficult for me - I like to have fun, beautiful and useful things all over the house. But now, before I buy random things I ask myself if we really need this whatsit or thingamajig and what purpose it will serve in our lives. So we still have leftover random stuff around, but it seems to be getting better.
Stuff we can live without gets shuffled off to a few places, depending on value:
- eBay -- lets you reach a wide audience, but must deal with no bidders (or non-paying bidders) for your item and schlepping boxes to the post office. I have a little 30# scale in my craft room so we can print postage from home.
- Craigslist -- woohoo, this site is awesome! Through Craigslist D and I found tenants for our rentals, sold furniture, got rid of the awful original cabinets in the kitchen, unloaded scores of small items and overall found some great deals. Just be prepared for people to flake out. And NEVER hold items -- say first come, first served. Otherwise you'll be waiting at home for a buyer to show up and when they don't, you will kick yourself for telling everyone else the item has already sold. And cash is king, people. There's also a free section on Craigslist -- it's surprising to see how many people will drive across town for a free item worth $5.
- Consignment stores -- my nicer clothes get dropped off here. It's a 50/50 split and the store sets prices. This place is Sarah Palin's favorite Alaskan consignment shop.
- Salvation Army / Big Brothers, Big Sisters / Value Village / SPCA / Goodwill -- call these places to pick up big pieces of furniture or lots of bags - drop off smaller items yourself, it saves the charity time and gas. Make sure you know what to drop off -- for some reason the Salvation Army in AK will not take exercise equipment. Go figure. Don't forget the slip -- new IRS rules dictate that taxpayers must have evidence of their tax-deductible donations.
- Clothing exchange party -- also called a Naked Lady Party! It's not risque, I promise. The girls and I have done this once so far -- you get together with your friends and bring clothing, accessories, shoes, purses, etc. to exchange with each other. Make sure everything is clean and neat - no one wants to take home dirty or stained stuff. If at home, serve drinks/snacks -- we held ours at a dessert bakery and were able to enjoy pastries and coffee.
Honestly, an organized home makes you feel better -- call it Feng Shui or common sense, but it's all good. If you can, clean everything out of a closet and go through all items one by one. OR try this technique -- turn all of your hangers backwards. After you have worn a piece of clothing and are ready to put it back in the closet, put the hanger back the right way. After 6 or 12 months you will see the clothing that hasn't been worn. That stuff should probably be sold, given away or burned -- your choice.
I know that Martha can be a bit annoying, but that woman knows her stuff. Some good ideas here: Organizing Tip of the Day.
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My friends with babies swear by these SmartWool booties -- apparently they are the only footwear that manages to stay on a little one's foot. And they have traction on the bottom.
