13 Lesser-Known Places to Donate After Decluttering

January 1, 2023
by Brittney Morgan and Trisha Sprouse
from apartment therapy

Decluttering your home is just plain good for the soul. For starters, getting rid of any superfluous items tends to bring more harmony into your space, since it leaves you with a more curated collection of belongings that you know you need. But there’s a more meaningful benefit as well.

That purse or bag you no longer want could be the very same one somebody else has been coveting but couldn’t afford. Same goes for the blazer that helped you ace an interview in the past. Purging your possessions presents you with the opportunity to pass your belongings onto someone else who may need and appreciate them more.

decluttering, donations

15 Things to Purge From Your House Before the New Year

The end of December is an excellent time to do some decluttering and purging. Work is generally less frantic, and many folks take time off between Christmas and New Year’s. Some workplaces just close during that week and give everyone paid time off (lucky you)! Kids are home from school and can be recruited (read: bribed) to help out. Presents have been opened, possibly creating a need for something to be stored (e.g., a new kitchen gadget), as well as rendering duplicate, older, or not-working versions useless. Set up three bins or boxes, and label them DONATE, RECYCLE, and TOSS. You could spend 2-3 hours and do it all in one day. Or break it up into smaller, daily time increments spread out over the week. Once you’ve filled your bins and placed them in your car, your house will definitely feel less cluttered and you can begin 2023 with a lighter load!

decluttering

7 Things to Get Rid of Before Moving

Moving to a new house presents a perfect opportunity to remind yourself of what you have accumulated over time. Some people unknowingly accumulate several identical pairs of shoes, hoard unused clothes, or fill their closets with half-finished crafts. Basically, these items are non-essentials, and you shouldn’t take them to your new home. Unfortunately, because of the sentimental value of these items or other reasons, most people find difficulties choosing what can remain and what they should throw out.

Why You Should Declutter Before Moving

Decluttering before moving is important for the following reasons:

Reduce moving costs – professional moving companies charge for moving services based on the total weight of your items. The more items you have, the more the cost. Decluttering can save on your moving budget.
Saves on packing supplies – fewer items mean you will need a few packing supplies, such as boxes, wraps, and duct tapes.
Better for the environment – fewer items to pack means few packing materials and minimal landfill waste.
Less time spent packing – eliminating non-essentials before packing saves on time and effort used when packing.
More space in the new house – moving to a new home with reduced closets translates to more storage space.

moving

‘The Best Thing You Can Do Is Not Buy More Stuff,’ Says ‘Secondhand’ Expert

by Terry Gross
December 4, 2019
on NPR.org

Author Adam Minter remembers two periods of grief after his mother died in 2015: the intense sadness of her death, followed by the challenge of sorting through what he calls “the material legacy of her life.”

Over the course of a year, Minter and his sister worked through their mother’s possessions until only her beloved china was left. Neither one of them wanted to take the china — but neither could bear to throw it out. Instead, they decided to donate it.

Waiting in the donation line at Goodwill, Minter began wondering what would happen to the dishes: “It occurred to me this is a very interesting subject,” he says. “Nobody really knew what happened beyond the donation door at Goodwill.”

donations

Goodwill Doesn’t Want Your Broken Toaster

from NPR.org
May 6, 2021
by Todd Bookman

Cars begin lining up outside the Goodwill donation center in Seabrook, N.H., around 10 a.m. most mornings.

Well-intended patrons are here with truckloads full of treasures.

“We hope everyone brings great things that help our programs, but we know some people make some questionable judgments about what is good to donate,” explains Heather Steeves, spokesperson for the 30 Goodwill locations in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

She holds up “a lampshade, which is stained and disgusting and literally falling apart.”

There’s a small table missing a leg, cracked purple food-storage containers and a used sponge. They’re just a representative sample of the useless stuff dropped off the day before.

Along with simply being gross, these items cost Goodwill money.

“All this trash adds up to more than $1 million a year in a trash bill, and it’s been growing every year for the past five years,” says Steeves. And that’s just for the 30 stores she oversees.

Read the rest on NPR.org.

donations, home organizing

Donations