The Power of the Purge

Last weekend my DH decided our next home improvement project would be to refinish the basement.  What this meant to me was that my worst nightmare would be coming true.  I would have to clear out the basement! I admit that I am a pack rat (not quite a hoarder...).  I definitely feel a need to keep "things" especially if they hold emotional attachment.  So the stack of bins that hold 7 years of boys and girl clothing was completely overwhelming to me.  It also meant that I had to come to terms with the next step in my life.  My kids are growing up and we probably wont have any more babies in the house. Through tears and sighs, I worked diligently to wade through it all.  My husband was right, once we started getting rid of the items, it really did feel liberating (he would have rented a dumpster and thrown it all out but knew that would surely have sent me to a therapist!) So to help organize it all we put it in several piles: keep, give, sell or pitch.

Keep: The basement is also where I keep my gift stash so I had to find new homes for all my steals and deals.  I knew that giving away ALL the kids clothes would be just too hard for me.  So I went through and picked out some of my favorites.  8 bins dwindled down to 2!  And now my little girl will have a few things to wear on her little girl someday (just like my mom saved some of my clothes)

Give: We had quite a pile of things that we wanted to donate.  I called my local Volunteers of America to schedule a pick up and they came the next day!  Make sure to check if your items are on the accepted donations list.  I also have several friends that have new babies, it felt good to know that someone I know would benefit from my purge.

Sell:  Kristy and I are part of Columbus Mothers of Twins Club (CMOTC).  Twice a year CMOTC holds a huge consignment sale.  So much of the clothing and baby gear was set aside for the sales (look for a Twin Sale in your community, lots of great stuff!).  I also took several loads to consignment stores for books, women's clothing and housewares.  I don't sell to kids consignment stores because of the twin sale.  But kid consignment shops are great.  Sure you probably would get money money on eBay, but you don't have to mess with the posting and shipping.  I used to eBay more often, but now I find it a chore.  So I have re-acquainted myself with Craigslist.  I was pleasantly surprised that most of my Craigslist items were gone in a few days.

Pitch:  So from the picture you can see we were also left with a lot to throw away.  Part of a drop side crib (the other half is being used as a headboard) and out-dates, well worn car seat are not items you can give or sell away.  Once again I turned to Craigslist (you can also try Freecycle) and posted a "curb alert".  By the time the garbage came the next morning, the car seat, booster seat, an area rug and a lamp were all gone.

The big question now is if I will be able to continue to declutter my world.  Jury is still out!  Are you a "hoarder" like me or a "purger" like Kristy?  Share your tips and tricks!  (I could use them!)