A few months ago, in my weekly quest to get rid of as much stuff as I possibly can, I always ended up with random piles of items headed to different places outside of my house. A pile in the garage, a pile in the hall, a pile in the back of the Jeep – all waiting to be delivered. But now, I have devised a system in my garage for organizing ALL things leaving my house, which keeps me organized and clutter-free while I continue to dig through the rest of my belongings. This system includes anything and everything that is headed out of my home, and is divided by the following categories:
1. Trash – My trash goes into a metal trash can in my garage until I make my (at most) twice monthly trip to the dump.
2. Recycling now – Aluminum, paper & cardboard only, as my town doesn’t recycle plastic
3. Recycling later – Any plastic recycling is saved here until I make a run down to Santa Fe or up to Denver
4. Goodwill/Donations
5. Consignment shop
6. To be sold on Craigslist, et al.
I have 1 metal trash can for holding trash and 5 big cardboard boxes for the other expendables. Each box stays in the garage now until it is full, to simplify my disposal process and to keep me organized. This way I don’t have piles all over the house, and I always have a place to put anything I want to get rid of. And to be honest, this also encourages me to go through and declutter even more, because I have a place to put anything I find. So if you are having trouble staying organized while you declutter, create a spot where you can put everything until you get around to disposing of it. Trust me, it will help!
wonderful idea!
i have a laundry basket in a closet that collects all things that are being sent to a new home. when it gets full, off it goes!
love the garage idea (but i dont have one of those).
In our house, we also need a library bag for books and DVDs once we have finished with them. It hangs by the door so I can grab it as I go out…
David – I had trouble posting my 10 Things list, even tried twice. Hmmm.
What happened when you posted it? Your comment worked, so am curious. Thanks!
I have to admit, I’ve been doing this for a few years. I have a shelf that I call the “donate” shelf and I can direct any member of my family to put something on the “donate” shelf (which is right next to the “library” bag) by the door to the garage (on the way to the car). It works very well…the stuff is out of the way and on its way…either to Goodwill or waiting for the Charity truck.
For me, I put things in those Glad stretchable bags and plunk them right in the dining room. I can’t stand clutter in my dining room, so those bags are quickly distributed.
I keep a storage locker for storage, and also have set up a section that has tags on the boxes and containers – this is emptied monthly.
Right now, I’ve got five bags in the dining room area – they are ugly; they will be distributed tomorrow.
If I put something in the garage, it tends to be something that ‘can wait’ – so, I decided to push myself to empty those areas where I can’t stand to see clutter. I push myself – it gets done.
Hi David, I just posted 10Things-Week 8 a third time and I clicked on Submit. It disappeared but didn’t not show up in the comments.
Without a garage… 🙁
I tend to put the stuff in my car or truck… as it’s in the way there, it goes fast!
Recycling and tiny grocery sack of garbage goes to the dump once a week – as I work there one morning a week – makes it convenient.
Brilliant idea! I’ve had this floating around in my head for awhile now but you’ve pulled it all together beautifully. We don’t have a garage though, so I’ll have to think of some other solution. We have: stuff we’re saving for a yard sale, stuff to donate, stuff for the Mom and Baby sale (an annual sale where you can rent tables and sell all of your kid-related paraphenalia), garbage, recycling, curb-side compost, books to return to the library, stuff to return to the farmer’s market (egg cartons, maple syrup bottles, etc.), stuff that belongs to other people, stuff listed on Amazon waiting to be sold, stuff posted on Freecycle… Whew! It’s all organized in my head, but scattered around the house because we don’t have a garage. Maybe we need a new house! Any ideas for how to do this without a garage??