Organizing Clutter - Part II

Part I was about organizing paper clutter, so I thought in Part II I would address how I manage and de-clutter my closet and beauty products. Has anyone out there ever seen Peter Walsh on Oprah? He's the guy that comes on her show and helps hoarders get their homes and lives back in order. He is amazing. Well, I bought his book "It's All Too Much" and it really changed the way I view my possessions and helped me with some great tips.

I'm constantly cleaning out my stuff, but it is not overwhelming because I do it in little ways on a daily basis. I keep a shoe box on the ledge at the stop of my stairs. In this box goes anything that I realize I don't want anymore. Right now that box contains mostly paperback books that I've finished reading and beauty products that were not quite right for me. If I put on a lotion or a foundation and the smell drives me crazy it goes in the box. If I put on a lipstick that is just not the right color for me, it goes in the box. When the box gets full, I put the lid on it and put it in the garage. When the next garage sale comes along, I pull all my boxes off the shelf and price the items. Of course there are items you will just want to toss in the trash, or maybe you want to give your boxed items to charity. The important thing is to get rid of the item right when you decide you don't want it anymore. Don't wait! If you keep this up, there will be no overwhelming task of going through all your things.

I also do this with my clothes. If I put on a skirt and it is too small, it goes in a guest bedroom closet. If I decide I don't like a particular shirt anymore, it goes right into the guest closet. Shoes too tight? Tired of your handbag? Put it in your "reject closet." Never put it back up in your closet!!! Once your "reject closet" is full, go through it and decide what you want to do with the items. I send many of my nicer, newer clothes to a local consignment shop because they can get more for it there than you will get by selling it at a garage sale. Of course they will keep a commission on what they sell, but it is still worth it. My items that are not so new are typically put in a garage sale. I also give many items to charity.

Be aware that consignment shops are very picky, and understandably so. They only want clothes that are in season and clothes that are still in style. Your items will need to be clean and pressed and on hangers. I would recommend calling ahead before you take items in because many of them accept consignments only on certain days of the week or at certain times of the day. Also find out what the commission will be. They usually take 40%-50%. Sometimes they will mail your checks to you, and sometimes you will be expected to pick them up.