Nest: Day 58
August 28, 2011 
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Day 58
The garage sale, garbage can, or Goodwill debate.
September, 2008. Kirkwood, Missouri. By William C. Hutton, Jr. Creative Commons.
A year ago I participated in a neighborhood yard sale.
Sad face. It was a huge amount of work, my house was chaos during the previous month, I got sunburned, was limping for weeks after, and I took in very little money (adjusted for expenses and for what I’d already promised in cash to a charity I wanted to support, I LOST money).
Turn that frown upside down! I got rid of lots of things I didn’t need.( At the end of the day, a friend came over with a pick-up truck and carted to charity everything not sold.) And I donated $150 cash to my favorite cause.
Still, I can’t recommend this method for decluttering because it’s time consuming and too easy to put off getting crap out of your house. Planning to sell things on ebay or Craig’s List or giving away on Freecycle carries the same risks. It’s easier to give it away to friends, fill your trunk for local charities, or leave things with a “free” sign at the end of the drive. My sister has occasionally resorted to tossing usable things in the trash when she can’t face the multiple steps of doing anything else.
If you’re an experienced declutterer or a more organized humanoid than I, choose whatever method of repurposing your items will get the most return for you or your favorite cause. If not,,,proceed with care.
As for me, I may again join in on the neighborhood sale simply because it provides a convenient deadline for all this D-Daying. And besides, I think I’ve learned a few lessons for next time, such as if you’re going to buy cases of soft drinks to sell, don’t forget to put a sign on the cooler…otherwise everyone thinks they’re free and you won’t have the heart to charge them.
Photo by William C. Hutton.
Today: toss some towels, lose some linens, and get rid of rags
Tomorrow: grab a trash bag and get throw out what you don’t use from your bathroom cabinets
Day after tomorrow: run around your main living areas (den, family room, living room, great room, whatever) clearing the unneeded, the extra, the unwanted
Final day: make a quick jaunt through one storage or utility area of your home, getting rid of what doesn’t belong
Here’s what to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Do the worst first.
Lead by example.
Follow your BOP until a habit sticks.
Don’t do too much too soon.
Be on time.
Give yourself positive reinforcement.
Recommit to abandoned habits.
Prepare a ShitKit.
Update your BOP.
Add extra D-Days.
D-Day your floors.
On the Ides I’d rather be…
CrapClean.
D-Day your way to mental freedom.
Imagine a clean slate.
Find new uses for unused things.
Improve bad habits; others will too.
Remember: it’s never all done.
Return everything borrowed on Chasing Day.
Combine and quantify to give you a push to purge.
Don’t just read about it…do it.
Keep up with extra D-Days.
Make a delightful D-Day kit.
Mind your p’s and q’s and other special tricks.
Think carefully about what you’ll do with decluttered items.
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