Weekends: Declutter & Create a Donation Bin

Happy weekend! Are you ready to do something for yourself?

Let’s do a bit of decluttering and create a donation bin to help keep that clutter from taking over your life.

Now, I know this doesn’t sound super-creative or even all that exciting, but hear me out.

This is worth all the time and work. You will feel better, refreshed, and much more organized when you’re done. Believe me, I felt pretty good about myself when I finished.

I spent the weekend weeding through my closet and even recruited my husband to do the same.

We ended up with about three boxes full of clothes to donate and another box of clothes that needed recycling.

And yes, we did enjoy ourselves and had some good conversation while we were at it.

Recruit your children to do the same! Freshen up your house or your closets and help others out at the same time.

How do you decide what can be donated and what should be recycled?

Donate anything that is: clean, in good repair, and free of any stains.

If it has holes, stains, or just looks worn out, it needs to be recycled.

Fold it all neatly and pack it in either boxes or bags. Do you really want to donate a bad full of wadded up clothes? No, I didn’t think so!

Now let’s make that donation bin.

What is the purpose of the donation bin? It’s a place where you can put things that need to be donated as you find them.

Instead of putting those clothes that your kids have outgrown into a drawer, add it to the donation bin.

Once it fills up, it’s time to take a trip to the donation center.

I used the donation bin as an excuse to go shopping, that part’s not necessary… but it is fun.

After wandering the aisles of my favorite home improvement store pondering all the cute baskets and bins I could buy, I came to the realization that I was going to have to find something with a lid.

You see, I have a pretty black cat who really likes to sleep in baskets. Her favorites baskets are ones that are big with something soft in them.

So, big plastic bin with a lid… welcome to my house.

Find something cute, but most of all practical, and set it aside for a donation bin.

I labeled mine with a simple sign taped on the top. Make sure the family knows where you are keeping it and what the purpose is for.

I decided to put mine in the laundry room. It’s out of the way, yet easily accessible.

Now that you’ve decluttered and made your donation bin, you’ve got two things left to do.

1. Take a trip to the donation center and drop everything off.

2. Relex, celebrate, go out for ice cream, enjoy your family!

Working together to take care of your home and to help each other is always rewarding. And, your kids are never to young to participate!

How are you planning on spending your weekend?