So it's only been a few days since I last posted about decluttering, and I've hit it head first :) Since my post, I've discarded three bags worth of recycling and garbage, found a way to get rid of my magazines, a bunch of old towels, and even did away with my sister's wedding dress!
How??
Magazines: This is what I found in my magazine pile: 23 Fitness magazines, 18 Weight Watchers magazines, 1 Oxygen, 5 Women's Health, 3 Cosmo and 1 Canadian Family (I've never even HEARD of this magazine, why do I have it?!?!). This totals a whopping 51 magazines! Whoa.
I actually have more than this, but I'm keeping the current year issues because I do like to go back and look at them. I'm keeping about 8 magazines, all WW and Fitness.
I hated the idea of just chucking out 51 perfectly good magazines, especially those that are full of awesome recipes and fitness plans. So, I headed out to find them a good home. I tried to give them to my local hospital for their emergency room/waiting rooms, but sadly they wouldn't take them, saying that they are already so overloaded with other magazine donations that they would just end up tossing them too. How unfortunate :(
I then discovered that people actually look on Craigslist for old magazines. Seriously?? Yes! Teachers, caregivers and other crafty people looking for arts and crafts supplies, and I even found a person who was looking for women's and fitness magazines to keep her motivated on the treadmill. PERFECT!!!!! I've sent an email offering up my stack, and just waiting for a response!
Towels: I had a little pile of towels that have been collecting under my bathroom sink. Last year when boyfriend moved in, he brought along an insane number of towels. I mean really, why would one person have thirty towels??? We gave a lot of the less used ones away to the yoga studio where we teach, as they have a big stack that they lend out to students/teachers. The others have been floating around ever since, including some not-so-nice looking/ratted up ones. I finally packed them up and took them to the Toronto Humane Society, who appreciate them to make bedding for their dogs/cats/other creatures, and also need rags and small cloths to clean cages. The puppies seemed pretty happy to get them - then again, I was also fawning all over them and oogling them to pieces, wishing that I could take them home in exchange for a bag of towels :)
Wedding Dress: This one is my favourite thing so far that I've gotten rid of. My sister got married a couple of years ago, and has been trying to sell her dress for at least a year or so with no luck. Unfortunately, she's just a ridiculously small person, and not too many brides will fit into this teeny tiny dress! She has moved away (out of the country) now, and in the cleanup of her own clutter/rest of the house, she gave me the dress and asked me to find a new home for it. She gave permission to give it away for free if it couldn't be sold.
That's when I discovered The Bride's Project.
How??
Magazines: This is what I found in my magazine pile: 23 Fitness magazines, 18 Weight Watchers magazines, 1 Oxygen, 5 Women's Health, 3 Cosmo and 1 Canadian Family (I've never even HEARD of this magazine, why do I have it?!?!). This totals a whopping 51 magazines! Whoa.
I actually have more than this, but I'm keeping the current year issues because I do like to go back and look at them. I'm keeping about 8 magazines, all WW and Fitness.
I hated the idea of just chucking out 51 perfectly good magazines, especially those that are full of awesome recipes and fitness plans. So, I headed out to find them a good home. I tried to give them to my local hospital for their emergency room/waiting rooms, but sadly they wouldn't take them, saying that they are already so overloaded with other magazine donations that they would just end up tossing them too. How unfortunate :(
I then discovered that people actually look on Craigslist for old magazines. Seriously?? Yes! Teachers, caregivers and other crafty people looking for arts and crafts supplies, and I even found a person who was looking for women's and fitness magazines to keep her motivated on the treadmill. PERFECT!!!!! I've sent an email offering up my stack, and just waiting for a response!
Towels: I had a little pile of towels that have been collecting under my bathroom sink. Last year when boyfriend moved in, he brought along an insane number of towels. I mean really, why would one person have thirty towels??? We gave a lot of the less used ones away to the yoga studio where we teach, as they have a big stack that they lend out to students/teachers. The others have been floating around ever since, including some not-so-nice looking/ratted up ones. I finally packed them up and took them to the Toronto Humane Society, who appreciate them to make bedding for their dogs/cats/other creatures, and also need rags and small cloths to clean cages. The puppies seemed pretty happy to get them - then again, I was also fawning all over them and oogling them to pieces, wishing that I could take them home in exchange for a bag of towels :)
Wedding Dress: This one is my favourite thing so far that I've gotten rid of. My sister got married a couple of years ago, and has been trying to sell her dress for at least a year or so with no luck. Unfortunately, she's just a ridiculously small person, and not too many brides will fit into this teeny tiny dress! She has moved away (out of the country) now, and in the cleanup of her own clutter/rest of the house, she gave me the dress and asked me to find a new home for it. She gave permission to give it away for free if it couldn't be sold.
That's when I discovered The Bride's Project.
This is officially my favourite place ever. Basically, they accept donations of gently used wedding dresses and other wedding things (including bridesmaids dresses, jewellery, accessories and veils, suits, etc etc etc), sell them for a lot less than they were originally worth, and give the proceeds to cancer charities. Wicked! I took the TTC out to their store, looking like a bag lady/crazy person (really, who takes a wedding dress on the TTC!? lol!) and delivered the goods. They were very happy to receive it, and I was very happy to be giving indirectly to a cancer charity, plus get the dress out of my closet at long last. They will put my sister's dress up for sale for about $400, about half of what it was originally worth.
Best wedding dress store ever.
How have you creatively decluttered?
How have you creatively decluttered?
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