This is a sponsored post that was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.
My friend Christine is the author of a book called Minimalist Parenting, which advocates for acquiring mindfully and includes lots of tips on decluttering your life. I am not at all minimalist, I tend toward hoarder which is why I WANT to be minimalist and have spent the past couple of years striving towards that goal. I’m pretty sure it is something that happens when you have kids, sometime in that first year you look around at all of the accumulation of stuff that comes along with having a baby and you’re like DONATE ALL THE THINGS!
(This also happens after you read Jen Hatmaker’s book 7, just in case you were wondering.)
Christine mentions that donating to places such as Goodwill is helpful for moving items out (rather than keeping them around for a yard sale you might never actually hold.) One of her tips is “Keep reminding yourself of the power of less. The less you have, the less you need to take care of. The less you have, the easier it is to see your options. The less you have, the more your remaining objects will shine.”
Emphasis is mine. Seriously, once I donated most of the stuff in my closet I discovered that I had SO MUCH LESS LAUNDRY. Laundry is my nemesis. And so sure, I wear the same stuff over and over again but A) I LIKE that stuff and B) I’m no longer in junior high and as it turns out, in the real world no one even cares if you wear the same thing week after week! I LOVE BEING A GROWN UP.
I participate in a few consignment sales every year and that is where I both sell and purchase the majority of Scarlette’s wardrobe in an effort to be mindful of our family budget. A couple of years ago I read this post about donating by Angie Smith and it really touched my heart and so I try to hold a few pieces that are in really great shape back from consigning and donate them instead. To be honest, it’s always a little hard to part with the items I know would boost my consignment sales total but I’m do it anyhow because I know a like-new pair of sparkly shoes in the aisle at Goodwill is going to make some little girl as happy as mine is over glittery slippers.
So that’s what I’ve been rounding up for my next trip, gently worn clothes and books and shiny shoes all gathered up in a to-go box on my desk.
Donating to Goodwill creates jobs for people in your local community. I’m sure every location is different but I love our local Goodwill, everyone there is kind and friendly and I may have even scored some awesome fabric in their scraps bin 🙂 You can visit this link and it will calculate how many hours of on-the-job training your donation will help fund, which is pretty cool. You can also take this fun quiz to determine your clothing personality and assess how to best declutter your closet. I’m a sucker for quizzes on account of how I grew up in the 90’s with a room full of YM magazines.
(Also, someone please come hang my pictures frames in a straight line. I’ve already put a LOT of holes in the wall in my failed attempts. Don’t act like that’s not all you see when you look at those photos. IT’S ALL I SEE.)
Disclosure: This post was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.
