DeCluttering

How do you know when it is time to get rid of stuff.  My usual rule of thumb is you haven't used/touched/seen it for a year or so.  OR your kid says, "I don't want this anymore," get rid of it!

The other day, my 12 year old just came to me and said, "Where is all my Barbie stuff."  She had forgotten she gladly got rid of it all in our last yard sale in March.  I'm always debating whether to stick that kind of stuff in a box in the closet and keep it or just get rid of it.  I know that my mom kept my Barbie stuff.  It's still at her house, with the little Barbie clothes falling apart with age. 

I do keep a big bag in bottom of my closet, and I'm constantly sticking clothes and shoes in it that I'm no longer wearing.  When the bag gets full, I put it in the attic for our annual yard sale. (At the end of our annual yard sale, everything that is left is given to charity.  I don't even bring it back into the house.  It all goes on the front porch for pick up.  I've donated to The Step Up Society for the last 3 years. http://www.atlantastepupsociety.org/ The Atlanta Step-Up Society is a non-profit that helps the suffering, homeless and hopeless to rebuild their lives and to recover from their addictions.  These folks will come to your house and pick up your stuff.)

Just the other day, I went through the girls' drawers with them.  I help up each item, and we determined if 
a) it still fit
b) she would ever wear it again
c) if she should keep it
(and d) if it needed to be washed!  Gross, dirty stuff shoved in their drawers!)

I bagged up the stuff they don't wear anymore (and was clean) and gave it all to my sister and friend.  How nice to clear out the clutter.

We tackled the art closet, too.  The girls must have flattened 2 dozen shoe boxes for recycling.  I was just throwing shoe boxes in the closet for possible projects and Christmas' Samaratin's Purse.  With the way they grow, we'll have another dozen shoe boxes soon enough.  No need to keep all of them.

Next, we'll hit the screened-in porch.  No only does it need a little decluttering, but most of the spring pollen still needs to be wiped away.