The following is a guest post about how to purge with success from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
It seems like this time every year, I get that itch to clean out my house. I am a school teacher, so I am usually out for summer break at the end of May or beginning of June. It all depends on how many snow days we had during the school year.
Completing a home purge is always the first order of business for the summer. As a family, we go through closets, cabinets, and even toys. And, we end up with a pile of items to sell, donate, and recycle.
Overall, I do not have a hard time getting rid of things. But, there are those items that catch me off guard and tend to be difficult to release to one of the three piles. They are usually items that I don’t wear or use, but something in me can’t let go of them. My brain will say, “I may use that in the future,” or, “I might want to wear that this year.” And, those times never come around.
So, if I find myself having a hard time parting with something, I will place it in what I call a “holding area.” In other words, the item is removed from it’s original spot, placed in a trash bag, and moved to a different location (usually the garage or back of the playroom closet).
I place the item in a trash bag because I can not see through the trash bag. So, if I glance at it, I will probably not even realize what is inside. I remove it from it’s original spot because it makes it easier to let go of the item. The whole, “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.
If the bag sits untouched for a month, then the bag gets donated. I do not open the bag back up to acknowledge it’s contents because if I open it, then I am more apt to try to keep something.
This is especially true for my kids. If I have a bag of toys in the garage that they haven’t used in a long time and they decide to check them out, then they naturally want to keep everything. The toys all of a sudden become their favorite toys ever.
I know this seems pretty simple, but it has been very effective in my household.
How do you purge hard-to-let-go-of items?
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
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Disney Magic Mommy says
Hmm. Good timing! I was just thinking about my kids toys, and how they have multiplied overnight again, and debating on thinning, but putting them in a holding area. While I wouldn’t get rid of these toys, (Like all those Thomas trains, my future grandkids will love) a holding area definitely has it’s benefits!
Kristin @ The Gold Project says
It has helped me so much. I do keep sentimental toys. Those usually get moved to the attic. But, those toys that the kids aren’t attached to definitely get placed in a holding area for a month to see if they ask for them. 🙂