I’ve been in major purge mode lately. I think it’s because we’re settling into the cadence of our family life and so as we change seasons, it’s time to get rid of the stuff we won’t be needing anymore.
It started with boxing up my maternity clothes. Then the newborn equipment and supplies. A few weeks later, I was doing it again as I brought out clothes I fit into again and rotated my boys clothes.
Short interlude: Can we talk about how obnoxious this task actually is? First, it’s super emotional to rotate the clothes because it’s a physical reminder of the passage of time and that my little babies are no longer my babies. Second, there’s a four phase storage arrangement: clothes that don’t fit Cameron yet, Cameron’s clothes, clothes that no longer fit Cameron but don’t yet fit Tyler, and Tyler’s clothes. Thank goodness for storage bins.
What I realized is when the moment strikes to get rid of something, I didn’t have a system to receive the items. Let’s be frank, I can be pretty lazy. So if I don’t want to keep a shirt anymore or Tyler has outgrown a onesie, I’m much more likely to shove it back into the drawer than run it down to the donation pile in the garage.
And that’s where the box in the closet comes into play.
We keep boxes in our and the boys’ closet so we have somewhere to place items we no longer want or need in the moment. The system is simple… I decide the item no longer works for us and I put it in the box. When the box is full, I close it up and take it down to the donation pile in the garage. Once a quarter, we take all the boxes to our local charity.
To add an extra layer of organization, in our closet, we use large boxes from online deliveries while in the boys’ closet we use empty diaper boxes. This way, without having to open it, we know the plain boxes contain adult clothing or household materials and the diaper boxes contain kid stuff.
Not good at purging stuff? Make quick decisions and train yourself not to review the contents of the box. That will allow you to second-guess your decisions. After a while, you’ll forget what you even put in the box.
Trust me, this trick is game changing to moving items out of your house!
What other techniques do you use to ensure unnecessary items aren’t building up? I’m always looking for new ideas!
xo,
Jen
