Unwanted Gifts: How to Let Them Go

Do you find it hard to part with gifts, especially when received for one of these reasons?

• Anniversary
• Birth of a child
• Birthday
• Death of family member
• Graduation
• Holiday
• Illness
• Wedding

Do you hold onto the gift(s) for any of these reasons?

• You might use it in the future.
• It’s hard for you to part with any of your belongings.
• The gift-giver was your favorite family member or friend.
• Your memory of the deceased person will fade without the physical reminder.
• You’re afraid the gift-giver will notice the gift is not displayed in your home.
• You feel guilty because thought, time, and money was invested in the gift buying.
• The gift was expensive.
• It reminds you of a special achievement, event, or occasion (you or your family).

Is it okay to let gifts go? Yes!  My thoughts and those of some clients about this topic:

• The received gift is yours now; you can use, re-gift, donate, or give it away.
• It doesn’t fit; it’s not your style or color.
• You don’t like, want, or need the item.
• It served its useful purpose.
• The used gift has been collecting dust for years.
• Someone else may enjoy and use it.
• You’re downsizing.
• You’ll remember the person without the physical object—trust your memory.
• It will free up physical space and help clear mental clutter.

I’d like to hear your thoughts about letting go of gifts, once they’ve served their useful purpose,..is it  easy for you, or a challenge?

"...The Path of Our Life

Minimalist Joshua Becker said in his e-book, Simplify: “Our actions will always follow the true desire of our heart.  What our heart believes and loves always determines the path of our life.  We can mask our true wants for only a short while.  Without a true heart change, we always return to our heart’s first love. This truth applies to all areas of life: our energy, our time, our relationships, our spirituality, our money and our possessions.”

Organizing possessions, especially mine and those of my clients—warms my heart and is the focus of much of my time and energy.

What warms your heart and where do you channel your time and energy?

Adversity and Opportunity: Action Required!

My daughter-in-law Amy and I purchased coffee from a Honolulu coffee shop during our vacation there in May, 2014.  She noticed that their sugar packets had quotes on the back of them, so we stood there and read them while waiting on my coffee.  Three of my favorite sugar packet quotes are: 

                “Strength is not the absence of weakness but how we wrestle with our weaknesses.”

                “Success is when we turn our stumbling blocks into building blocks.”

                “Time is an orchard; every moment is ripe with opportunity.” 

Inspiring thoughts from Noah benShea for rough patches and opportunities most all of us surely experience on our journey through life.

Scattered Possessions: Piles

I belong to a Mastermind group, and one member said she thought of me when she read this tagline on the side of a ScanMyFiles truck while sitting in traffic: reducing piles, producing smiles.

I love this tagline!  It totally fits my company, Scattered Possessions (Professional Organizer) too, because we help individuals and families decrease and organize piles of:  clothing, collectables, cookware, and more.  Outcome?  Both clients and organizers are happy as well.      

Make a Difference: Properly Dispose of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs

Do you know how to properly dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medications?  A recent client had some drugs that needed to be disposed of, and the FDA.gov site provided the following guidelines:  

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

1.  Read the specific disposal instructions which accompany the drug

2.  Some drugs need to be disposed of by flushing.  

3.  Disposing of drugs other than by flushing: 

       a.  National Take-Back Initiative, April 26, 2014, 10 am to 2 pm; collection site research link provides the nearest city and place to turn in your medication. 

     b.  “Call your city or county government's household trash and recycling service (see blue pages in phone book) to see if a take-back program is available in your community.” 

     c.  Check with your local police department for drug take-back information. 

     d.  Talk to your pharmacist can provide you with disposal information and dispose of some medications for you.   

4.  “If no disposal instructions [are provided] and no take-back program is available in your area, throw the drugs in the household trash following these steps:

     a.  Remove them from their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance like coffee grounds or kitty litter...”

     b.  Place the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the drug from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

     c.  Then protect your identity by removing your personal health information.

     d.  Use this method to dispose of over-the-counter medication as well.

Proper disposal of drugs help prevent harm to others, pets, and our environment.

Letting Go of: Memorabilia

Some life event occurs which prompts you to downsize your possessions in order to live more simply.  You decide to start with your adult son’s childhood-through-college items since he moved out several years ago.  Most of the items you’ve held onto have sentimental value to you. 

1.  I purchased 5 Sterilite 25-quart containers to sort his items into.

2.  I gathered up all of his possessions...left behind when he moved out...from the attic, closets, and shelves.

3.  I decided on his 5 categories and sorted the items into the 5 tubs:  stuffed animals, and baby quilts fashioned by family members;  special toys and children’s books; other books; school-related papers such as certificates of achievement and report cards, etc.; and photos and his baby book. 

4.  The filled containers stacked neatly into one corner of a spare closet until I delivered them to my son a few months ago when he and his small family moved into a larger town home.

5.  My minimalist son quickly decided what to keep for his young son and himself; the rest became a donation. 

Perhaps the moral of this story is to check with your children first as it seems they have a much easier time of letting go of mementos that we held onto for years and years for sentimental or other reasons.  

Do You Have: Too Much Stuff?

Do you have a large quantity of items in your office or home that you do not use or need anymore?  I think about this when I work with my organizing clients (and my family) who have accumulated an abundance of objects. 

Before bringing any more stuff into your home...think about what you’re going to do with that item when you no longer need or want it.  Will it be recyclable or useful to someone else?