For most Americans, the month of December coincides with the addition of new items to their homes. Holiday gifts are a wonderful tradition, but not when you don’t have room for that new stuff! Thus, I encourage you to create some welcome room for new items in your home by participating in my 12 Days of Giveaways Minimalism Challenge.
You might have some questions about this challenge, such as…
How does it work? On December 1st, give away one thing, on December 2nd, two things, December 3rd, three things, and so on and so forth, until you reach December 12th and give away 12 things. If you follow the challenge each day, you will be 78 items lighter at the end of it!
Who do I give this stuff to? That’s up to you. The easiest thing to do is to make a donation box or bag for all your giveaways and take them to your favorite charity or donation center at the end of the challenge. However, if you have specific folks in mind for some of your giveaways, by all means, use this challenge as an excuse to give them those items!
What counts as an “item”? Again, up to you. Although, since this is a challenge, I encourage you to push yourself a bit. Instead of considering a t-shirt one item, you could bundle together an entire pile of t-shirts you don’t wear and call the entire set one item. Your call here. But if you are looking for a reason to get rid of some excess stuff, go wild with your donations!
I love all my stuff! How do I part with it? I hear you. Some good questions to ask yourself to help decide if these items are good giveaways are:
- Does this item bring me joy?
- Have I used this in the last year?
- If I lost this item, would I need to replace it?
- Would I take this with me if I moved?
- Would I buy this again?
- Do I have a similar item that works/I like better?
- If I really ever needed this in the future, how much would it cost to replace it? (If I’m unsure about needing something in the future and it would cost less than $20 to replace, I think it’s pretty safe to let it go.)
It is the season of giving, so think about giveaways that could really make a difference to your community’s neediest citizens. Did you stock up on toothpaste the last time it went on sale? Homeless shelters are always in need of toiletries. Does your stack of bathroom towels rarely dwindle? Towels and linens are another excellent shelter donation, as are hats, gloves, and coats. Most homeless shelters only house residents at night, so they must be outside during the day–even in freezing conditions. Do you really need all those gloves, hats, and blankets for your family? I bet you have a few to spare.
I will be posting pictures and updates as I go. Here’s my day 1 pic: 1 bag of my daughter’s outgrown clothes that I am dropping off at a friend’s house. (Again, the definition of “one item” is up to you!)
If you join me in this challenge (and I hope you do!), I’d love for you to post pics and comments on my Facebook page. I’ll repost some pics here on my blog, too. Happy giving away!
Rose Lounsbury is the Dayton, Ohio area’s up-and-coming professional organizer. After blogging about her own journey toward a minimalist lifestyle, Rose was inspired to start Less, a minimalist-minded professional organizing company. If you’d like Rose’s help with an organizing project at your home or office, please call her at 937-626-9030.
