Remember when the house was remodeled, 10 years ago? Do you still know what is in all those boxes? You lumped all the junk and trash into whatever box or bag was available, now, it’s time to go through it.
Try not to get frustrated with the thought of how long it’s going to take to sort through every container. Start by getting rid of all the certain garbage. Once the trash is taken care of, open one box at a time. Opening all the boxes at the same time will be chaotic.
Now to sort the junk. Grocery stores are one of the best places to get empty boxes from. They have nice sturdy boxes that eggs come in; not too bulky or flimsy. The market places are more than willing to give you boxes. It beats having to buy some from a shipping supplier.
It’s best to have a different box for each type of junk. Be sure to not tie up the trash bag just yet, wait until you have finished with the entire box opening. Don’t make excuses for everything; “This broken cup is from my first year at college, so I have to keep it.” Really? Why? You can only keep so many items that carry sentimental value before it becomes utterly ridiculous. Who’s going to want it when you’re no longer on this earth?
Each box should be labeled as well. By listing the contents on each box, you will save time when it comes to knowing what is in the box. It’s going to be simpler to read the list taped to the box, instead of opening each one over and over again.
Place the stuff you absolutely must keep in a separate location from where you are sorting other junk. The different boxes can be for toys, clothes, shoes, books, kitchen ware, etc. Having these individual boxes categorized will save time when you are about to distribute the goods.
Be sure to place up the junk items you are saving. You wouldn’t want to accidentally give away your collection of lava lamps. Now you can focus on dividing up what is left. There could be a box for strictly shoes, or one for toys. Sort out the clothing into men’s, women‘s, and children’s. Try not to make all the boxes full of miscellaneous stuff.
Doctor’s offices and daycares will usually accept toys and books to place in waiting rooms. Some clothing can be resold, either on-line or in a store that buys clothing to resell. Humane societies and veterinarian offices will sometimes accept ancient clothing to use as bedding for animals. Goodwill has been known to take unusable clothing and use it for rags.
Ancient gold can be sold for scrap to get some cash, and some jewelry is accepted by pawn shops as well. There are various organizations that accept nice jewelry and clothing for people who can’t afford them on their own.
Jewelry can be sold to pawn shops or melted down, both ways bring you a bit of money. A nice thought would be to find a place that accepts jewelry or clothes to give to people for business purposes. A few organizations give business attire to women out job hunting. There are also groups that collect ancient prom dresses for girls who cannot afford to buy one.
There are so many options for the piles of what you call ‘junk’. After sorting out the trash and seeing what you really have tucked away in all those boxes, it just takes a bit of time to find groups who will get the most from your donations. Your sharing can make a world of difference to someone.