Holidays are on the horizon and Breezy Mama is ready to make room for the gifts to come! Thankfully, Lan has some amazing tips for decluttering your home!
From Lan:
With School back in full swing, getting the kids properly outfitted for the new academic year and various after school activities takes time, money and, frankly, space. Here are some tips to make room for the new sizes and gear and to turn gently-used items into much needed cash:
In with the new, out with the old
If your daughter is into “collecting,” as mine is, then you know how hard it is to get her to de-clutter her room. A handy trick I learned from a friend is to make a deal: If you buy her something new, she has to find two to five items she’s willing to part with in exchange. She may select insignificant items like a pen or a plastic toy she won at the school Halloween fair, but it’s a start. Once this becomes an established policy, push for items that take up more space.
Highlight the eco-message
Thanks to the green team at our daughter’s school, she’s become more eco-conscious. We’re leveraging her interest in the environment by talking about how items that she no longer uses could find a better home with another family. She may feel better that things she’s collected over the years will be loved by another child instead of ending up in the trash.
Turn it into a family affair
Show how important de-cluttering is by having everyone, even the adults, adopt it. A good rule to follow: if you haven’t worn it within 12 months, you’re not going to wear it three years from now. So don’t hang onto something because you think it’s going to be in fashion a few seasons from now.
Make extra cash
There are dozens of amazing online resources that can help you earn money from things you don’t need anymore. VarageSale, for example, lets you sell everything from children’s clothes to furniture to vetted members in your neighborhood. Tradesy lets you sell new and gently used women’s clothes and accessories by handling everything from the shipping to the returns. Have your kids feel more invested in the de-cluttering process by letting them keep the money from selling their items.
