Decluttering: Where to Send the Excess

I love the idea that everything in my home would be either beautiful or useful. It's so much fun to look through the carefully curated homes over at Apartment Therapy, or the beautiful vingettes on Design*Sponge or the (sadly defunct) Young House Love. A big part of having that beautiful, clean space is having a small, carefully curated set of belongings, and the way to do that is to regularly evaluate what you own, and whether it deserves a spot in your home.

We're in the midst of a round of cleaning out our bookshelves, and it's nice to see the newly free space. But what do you do with the cast-offs?

* Give them to someone else. I keep a drawer in my bedroom for clothing that I no longer wear, but that I am saving for a specific person. If it's good, but I can't thing of a specific person who I actually think would wear it, it doesn't stay. If they don't want it, it goes into a donation pile. This can easily become another form of clutter, so I try to stay on top of getting the clothing to the person, and not using it as an excuse to hold on to things I don't really need.

* Sell what you can. Used book stores are amazing. First, as a place to shop with tons of character and a unique selection. Second, as a place to set free the books that you're no longer using. We keep a regular pile of books in a storage container by the front door, which will be taken to sell at our local used book emporium. Pro trick: find a bookstore that carries something you really like- you usually get more bang for your buck if you take store credit over cash. Our favorite store has an awesome kids books and toys section. Most of our nephew's presents come from there, and the books we sell offset the cost. I've heard the same about consignment shops for clothing, but never found it to be worth the effort.

* Donate the best of the rest. There are lots of places to donate clothing and household goods, and you can often get a tax writeoff for the value of the items you donate. Many donations go to support charity organizations. I like to find drop sites that support animal rescue organizations, although they can be harder to locate than the typical religious organizations. Be picky about what you give though- they don't want to sort through junk any more than you do.

* Be honest about what is really trash. Yes, it was your favorite sweater. But it's worn through and unwearable. Do you really think someone else will want it? Be honest about the reason you're giving something away, and throw it out if there's really no chance that it'll appeal to another person.