De-cluttering and where to donate stuff you no longer use

I've noticed my shelves are getting packed already so it's time to purge and de-clutter.  

Before the purge, it's also important to get in to the right mindset so you'll be more objective and detached as you sift through your items and decide whether to keep or give them away.

So I quickly skimmed through the pages of an old book (which I've had for 10 years already) called "Living the Simple Life" by Elaine St. James.   A perfect read for those who want to scale down - whether you want to free up some physical space in your home or free up some time in your life so you have more energy to do the things that you really want to do. 

Here's how the author puts it -

Source

"Getting rid of clutter is not about letting go of things that are meaningful to you.  It's about letting go of the things that no longer contribute to your life so you have the time and the energy and the space for the things that do."

One of the hardest things when you're de-cluttering is holding on to some things with the thought that we might need them someday.  What happens is we put them in the back shelf and on the next purge, guess what?  They are still there and they still have never been used!

Here's the author's advice:  If you ever find yourself tempted to put on something on the back shelf just because you think that you might need it someday, remember that replacing it (and all the other things on the back shelf you think you might need) is probably a lot easier than maintaining the space required to store it all.  

So keep that in mind the next time you're torn and about to keep something again for future use.  :)

The other 2 books which help me get in to the right de-cluttering mindset are “It’s All Too Much” by Peter Walsh and “The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life” by Francine Jay.  Here are my favorite guiding principles from these books:

• Just because you have the space doesn’t mean you have to fill it with stuff.

• Everything in your home should have real function or one that you can explain without making excuses.

• When you’re not sure whether to dispose an item or not, ask yourself – Do I use this? Will I use it again? Is it worth the space it takes up?

• If you bought something and regretted getting it, don’t force yourself to use it or keep it. Accept your mistake, sell it, or pass it on to someone else who may find good use of it.

I particularly like the last principle - when we buy something we regret buying, most of the time, we hang on to it especially if it's expensive.  But just like any mistake, we could move on by selling it or passing it on to someone who may have good use for it (instead of the item just gathering dust, left underutilized or worse, left unused inside the shelf).

So after all the de-cluttering, where could you donate your old and excessive stuff?

I recommend Caritas Manila's Segunda Mana Project especially if you have assorted stuff and some of which may not be suitable to give away to beneficiaries (e.g. specialty books, high heels, fashion accessories, winter clothing, home decors, etc.) because the last thing you want to happen is to give away stuff that would also end up as clutter in someone else's home.

How does Caritas Manila's Segunda Mana Project work?   Donated items are sold in Segunda Mana stores.  This way, people who have a real need for the items buy them.    The cash proceeds from the sale of the goods are then used to fund programs of Caritas Manila like educational programs for the youth, health care for the poor and ministry for prisoners. 

How can you donate to Caritas Manila's Segunda Mana project?  It's very easy.  Just contact them and give them your phone number and the address where the goods should be picked up.  They will then advise you when the Segunda Mana truck can pass by your area to pick up the stuff.   On the day of the pick-up, please also prepare an inventory of the items you're donating to save on time so the staff doesn't have to inspect all your items when he issues an acknowledgment receipt.

Here are Segunda Mana's contact details:

DonorCare Team, Caritas Manila
2002 Jesus St., Pandacan, Manila
Email:  donorcarecaritas_manila@yahoo.com
+632 563 9311
+632 564 0205
+63 999 7943455
+63 905 428 5001
+63 929 8343857

If you're based in Makati, there's also a Segunda Mana drop box at the Greenbelt Chapel so you can easily drop off your donations.  However, the drop box has a limited opening so if you're donating big-sized items, breakable items, bulky items or in big volume, better arrange a pick-up with the Segunda Mana office.  But if you're donating small items like books, accessories, a few pairs of shoes or a paper bag of clothes, they should fit in the drop box.

Segunda Mana drop box at the Greenbelt Chapel

De-clutter when you find the time.  It does feel liberating when you have more freed up space and fewer stuff.  :)