Spring is officially here with the Spring Equinox. California weather has been a little confused but it’s starting to warm up. We’re putting away the Winter clothes and pulling out the Spring/Summer attire. Insert the seasonal Spring Cleaning, since January was too cold to purge the attached storage unit that in our home we call the garage.
How do we tackle this daunting task?
There are several ways and thought processes on how to get to the goal of organized, one may work for your best friend while another works for you.
Your best friend may be one who follows Marie Kondo and her Konmari technique. It’s great and effective. Going through everything and removing the things that do not bring you joy. But, if you’re like me, everything brings me joy. That’s why I purchased it. Although, the clutter and disorganization do not bring joy. Therefore, something needs to give.
I started following Dana K. White blogger of A Slob Comes Clean and author of How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind last year. For me, she is very relatable. So, I am going to share some tips from her book in no specific order.
- Don’t start with the closet no one sees, start with a space that you live in and see all the time. I always start with my kitchen. She encourages you to do the dishes every night and she has specifics on why in the book. I start with my kitchen because when my kitchen is in order, I feel more accomplished in my day. I don’t have to think about cleaning up a mess before I am supposed to go make the next meal. When you tidy visible spaces, you feel immediate satisfaction when you see that space, versus the mess that was behind a closed door.
- Take it where it goes. Where would I look for this if I needed it? That is where you should put it. Don’t put it away where someone tells you it should go. Put it in the first place you would look for it. If this item is not something you would know you own, then maybe donate it. You wouldn’t look for it the next time you need it. I love that with this process I am given flexibility for life to distract me and come back to it later because I didn’t pull out everything I own.
- Keep a donate-able donate box. When you get your next Amazon package, leave it aside and just start filling it with donations. Then when it is filled. Go drop it off. Don’t re-sort the box. Just move on with your life. You put those items in there for a reason.
- The container rule! Your house is a container if your items don’t fit don’t go buy a bigger house. Likewise, if you have a place for something in the house and the container is full, then you can’t put any more in it. You either need to remove something from the container or discard the item that does not fit.
If you are like me and have multiple pick-up and drop-off times each day, easily distracted, and need to do things in bite-size changes. Then I encourage you to grab her book, I listened on audible and she is so much fun to listen to. You could also pick it up at our local libraries, or request they order it.
We asked for places to donate to and here are some of your local suggestions: |
| Snowline Hospice Folsom and Placerville St. Vincent de Paul’s- Folsom- It is in the Helping Hands building next to St. John the Baptist Church on Montrose. The hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9-12. Deseret Industries in Sacramento. Women’s Empowerment -Sacramento - helps women get back on their feet. They will accept up to four donated bags of work/ business casual clothes, shoes, jewelry. Women go through a nine-week training rehabilitation program in job & life skills. Salvation Army- Rancho Cordova Stand Up Placer Thrift -Roseville- saves lives by empowering survivors and educating communities to stand up to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Military bases (if you know somebody with access) have "Airman's Attics" that let enlisted members (and their families) get "x number" of items a month. New Beginnings Thrift – Placerville- Houses men and women re-entering society after leaving prison, jail, and juvenile halls who desire to change their lives! They do not charge them anything and provide food, shelter, clothing, and mentorship through their thrift store donations and sales. 3 Little Birds, Lotus-Children’s Consignment & Resale- Hwy 49- Lotus Chicks in Crisis – Elk Grove There is also Goodwill. |
Unfortunately, you cannot donate car seats, or really anything that a child sits on. Bummer, I know. Also, many will not take stuffed animals.
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