Date: 21.08.2006
Charity begins at home
After a long, cold winter it takes only a teensy change in the weather and thoughts turn to spring. Which means spring cleaning and de-cluttering. This month your excess possessions can also help a charity.
Preventing Violence in the Home's giant fundraiser Get Organised Auckland invites you to donate unwanted quality used goods to the city's biggest garage sale on November 18 and 19.
Here's how to get started:
- Attack one room, or space, at a time. Start with the place that bothers you the most, such as the cluttered spare room, the garage you can no longer park your car in, or the jammed kitchen cupboards.
Sort out that space and you have your reward: a part of your life that is clean, orderly and under control. Then you'll be ready to start on the next spot.
- Schedule a clean-out session in your diary and stick to it. Start with only half an hour if you must, but you can accomplish a good clear out in two to four hours. Don't let other people's priorities get in your way.
- Get prepared. Before your clear-out session, grab some bags or boxes (wine boxes and sturdy garbage bags are better than small, flimsy supermarket bags) and a marker pen for labelling.
Label bags or boxes as `rubbish', `keep', `give away' and `mend'. Add a timer or alarm clock (you'll see why in a minute) and some upbeat CDs. Don't forget a reward at the end and snacks to keep you going.
- Make it fun. Ring in some friends (you can help them next weekend), put a CD on and work at speed. If you dread the thought of hours of drudgery, set the timer for 30 minutes or one hour, telling yourself you'll stop then. If you're still rocking, keep going.
- Empty and sort. You've seen how they do it on the TV makeover shows. To make a big impact quickly, empty everything out of the cupboard, or room, or garage. Then sort like items with like: all the summer clothes together, for example, or all the tools.
- Purge. This is the fun bit that is good for your soul. Get rid of the rubbish first - anything that's broken or so tatty that you'd be offended if someone gave it to you.
If you think things can be mended, put them in your car to take for repairs. Be ruthless with your keepers: don't hold on to stuff ``just in case'', or keep things that have been outgrown or people have given you that you never really liked.
Be careful with memorabilia: if it is not stored correctly, it will become useless. This is where your friends come in handy: speed sort and allow them to challenge you to let stuff go.
You'll do the same for them. Don't hang on to clothing, furniture and knick-knacks when your tastes have changed - it will be a good seller at the Get Organised Auckland garage sale.
Unfortunately, the garage sale cannot accept electrical or electronic appliances, bedding, glass, used carpet and extremely large furniture.
Unless you have a council inorganic collection, you may need to pay to dispose of these items.
- Allocate a home. Look at what you have left and decide where it belongs. Give everything a place. If you leave things hanging about your clutter will quickly re-build.
Do all your clothes belong in your main closet or could some be kept in the garage (sports gear or out of season clothes, for example)?
Can some appliances that you rarely use be stashed somewhere away from the main kitchen cupboards (the slow-cooker in summer, for example)?
Is it time to create a dedicated home office space instead of letting papers over-run the kitchen bench?
- Find containers that work. This is the groovy bit, and, yes, might involve some shopping - maybe wait until the garage sale to scoop bargains other people are chucking out.
Think beyond bins, boxes or baskets. Hooks and nails, stacks of cubes and shelving, hanging pockets are all containers. Check out a few library books on organising for some clever, no-cost ideas.
- Keep up the system. Challenge yourself every time you buy something new to chuck or donate something old. Throw away junk mail, old magazines and papers the minute you are done.
Put things away when you have finished with them. Keep a charity donation box or bag permanently on the go and drop it off regularly.
- Deliver the donated goods immediately and enjoy the buzz of helping make Auckland a safer place for families and children.
Catherine Smith - House groomer
NZ Herald
18 August 2006
