{My House Mondays} Here's the skinny on de-cluttering.

Let's be real, mkay? I have a lot of stuff. I like my stuff, but occasionally I have to purge it. So here's the skinny on my de-cluttering method. It's scientific if you think about it, or not...

About twice a year I get my Martha Stewart on and I deep clean my house. In the past I have decluttered by either shipping stuff to the thrift store or chucking it in the garbage can. This system has failed me because I end up keeping things that I will never use/wear again.

Sooo, I changed my de-cluttering system. Now, when I do my semi-annual purge I have five boxes handy: a consignment sale box, re-spunkify box, friends n' family box, thrift store box, last chance box, and a big, big garbage box. I have found that by having more options I am now able to get rid of a lot more stuff.

Here's my method....

Consignment Sale: In our community we have a semi-annual consignment sale. When I am de-cluttering I usually put items in this box that I want to get rid of, but only if I can make some of my money back. This box usually has new or slightly used clothes (baby clothes and high quality adult clothing), furniture, appliances, toys, holiday decorations, and sporting equipment.

Re-Spunkify: This box is full of shirts, towels, blankets, and sheets. It's basically all the stuff that I know I am going to cut up and make into different things, it's overflowering...

Family n' Friends: If I don't think an item will sale in the consignment sale, but I know someone in my family can use it, I will then put that item in the friend n' family box. This box usually has clothes, toys, books, blankets, linens, and toys.

DI (Thrift Store): My thrift store box is usually full of things that I know I won't be able to sale or are of no interest to my family. This box is  full of random dishes, old bedding, clothes that no wants, and a lot of random crap treassures.

Last Chance: The last chance box stays in my basement year around. If I have an item that I just can't part with then I put it in this box. If during the following year I pull out and use it then I will keep it. However, if it never leaves the box by the time the a year rolls around then I get rid of it.  If I didn't use it in the past year, the best bet is that I probably won't use it ever again.

Garbage: Some things just have to be chucked folks. seriously. dolls missing eyes, oven mitts with holes, puzzles missing pieces, clothes with pit stains, really these things need to just go. Nothing is more frustrating then buying a puzzle at a thrift store only to find out it is missing five pieces. flip.

Trust me this system is tried and proven by a true hoarder, that would be Hunk....

Okay, I lied, I am the Hoarder. Here is a brief glimpse of my consigment sale pile (I had to take it out of the box crate to sort it).

Now, I guess it is time I do  declutter/deep clean  my desk, any takers on helping me?

I'm hookin' you up with the downlow at Spunky Junky this week...

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