#76/100... Simplify your furnishings

Do you have any lonely furniture in your house that doesn't get used? Is your home crying out for a little elbow room? Would you like to free up a little psychological space in your life? Have I got a deal for you!

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (where I volunteer on Thursdays) is always in need of donations of gently used furniture items for the many people we assist. More often than not, furniture that is donated to us has been spoken for long before it actually arrives.

So why not help out someone else as you free up your own energies by decluttering? Just think, you won't have to move that furniture around to clean the rug/floor anymore if it's been given to someone who needs it. I think it's time for me to pass along a couple of extra chairs that seem to be getting in the way in my laundry room. There are many agencies that rely on community assistance and gladly accept furniture and small appliances in good working order.

So, here's a link to the City of Edmonton Reuse and Recycle Directory where I live. It's pretty cool. Punch in the item you would like to donate, and find out who needs it. If you don't have a website like this in your area, check with a local church or community centre, as the folks usually know about people in need. It feels good to give when you know what you're giving is going directly to someone who needs it. And it feels simply great to have more space.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Simple Suggestion #58... Donate all clothing you haven't worn in the past year

I believe that whoever invented the walk-in closet should be made to wear every item in one all at once, for a week. Closets that hold too many clothes cause us to take their contents for granted and create waste. Even our 1950s closet (six feet wide, three feet deep, or 2 m x1 m -- 1 m of which is my space) can hold things that rarely get worn -- and why bother keeping rarely worn things unless I'm planning on wearing them again? And why bother buying clothes that I'm not going to wear on a regular basis?

The trick is to have just enough clothing for daily wear, and a few items for special occasions. Then, when something wears out, it's a pleasure to buy and appreciate something new. If we keep our clothing to a minimum, it becomes obvious that a walk-in closet is excessive. Maybe it could be converted into space we can use for a more enjoyable activity than storing clothes?

The beginning of the school year is a great time to donate those extra items to agencies that help the less fortunate (like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, where I spend my Thursdays) so that our needier inner-city families can find clothing for their back-to-schoolers. They'll soon be needing winter clothing, too, so don't forget to donate the too-small snowsuits and winter boots! But please... and any clothing volunteer will echo this sentiment a thousand times... don't donate anything you or your family wouldn't wear yourself. If in doubt, throw it out!

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Simple Suggestion #52... Donate, trade or recycle at least one thing for every new thing acquired

Imagine if you lived in a ten by ten foot room (3 m by 3 m, give or take a few cm). What would you keep in that room with you out of what you presently own?

Thinking about a scenario like this is a good exercise now and then, because it helps us to nail down what's really important and what's fluff. And following today's Simple Suggestion is one way to keep the fluff stuff down to a dull roar. If we get rid of a bit of stuff every time something new comes into our lives, by the time we have to downsize (and we all have to downsize to the point where, if we're good, we don't leave much stuff for others to have to deal with when we're gone), it won't be that hard. So why not start now?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

#31... Give extra possessions to people who need them

Not long after I first heard about Voluntary Simplicity, the art of living with less in order to live more abundantly, I decided it was time to take a serious look at what was in my crowded kitchen cupboards. I discovered that somehow, I owned eight sets of salt and pepper shakers. Somehow, I also had three more coffee makers than I could use, and quite a few too many coffee cups. Fortunately for me, I work as a Volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which provides necessities for new immigrants, the homeless, and people down on their luck. I put together three boxes of kitchen ware, took it to SSVP, and it found new homes with people who could really use it.

Most North Americans have too much stuff. I'll admit that I do, too. But more and more, the extra things in my home are going to where they are needed, and it feels good to know that they are being used and appreciated by other people rather than rarely seeing the light of day in my cupboards. Why keep things that I don't use? In the next few weeks, I plan to get into some closets and corners that haven't been looked into for a while, to see if any gently used items are hiding in places I've forgotten. It's time to clear some clutter, free up some mental and emotional space, and share a little wealth with people who need it more than my closets do!

Who can you share with in your community?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.