Out with the old......

Many people clean out their homes for the new year and some people even do it because of cultural reasons or just because of the symbolic idea of "out with the old, in with the new."

Now for whatever reason you are find yourself cleaning out your closets, the important thing is that you are. Whether you live in a huge house or in a small apartment, if you don't purge things once in a while it can lead to some major clutter problems and  your home will seem smaller than what it actually is. I also personally think its a nice to symbolically rid yourself of things you don't need or want and focus on the things in your life that a far more important than a cluttered closest.

So here are a few options on what to do with all of your things after you are done decluttering:

1.  DONATE. Simply call your local church, school, or shelter and they will take your items off your hands happily. Some places are a little more specific about what they need. For example, some places only except clothes-not toys, housewares etc. Some places are shelters for certain genders, so only men's clothes or baby items to a women's shelter. I donate clothing at least once every six months or more to a local church. Try it, it's always good to help others out who are in need.
2. YARD SALES. If you have a private home or access to a private home-just simply advertise around the neighborhood and have a yard sale. I do yard sales in front of my home. I usually advertise around the neighborhood and on Craigslist as well. My husband helps me out by making the flyers and a week before the sale I begin posted them and putting them in mailboxes. It can be a lot of work but last summers yard sales helped pay for half of my photo shoot with Viva Van Story. I have met lots of nice people to. Depending on your neighborhood do it early in the morning for a few hours on Saturday and Sundays and you should sell quite a bit!
3. CRAIGSLIST. Another way you can sell your items is through Craigslist. Like I said before, I usually use it to advertise my yard sales but you can also post just about anything to sell or even donate to others. One summer I made $300 off of items selling through Craigslist-mostly baby items. It helped us get what we needed for the birth of our first son. Just be careful not to post your email address or phone number. If you do post your address, after the sale is done, erase the post permanently.
4. EBAY. Ebay has been around for a while and I used to sell on ebay years ago. At one point I even had an Ebay store! It was a fun was for me to purge my things and make a few dollars. Those were my single days when I had a lot more time on my hands. Ebay can be quite time consuming with posting items and also packaging and mailing them. Lately their fees have also been quite high as well, but it does get a lot of attention. So, if you have some really valuable and unique items, Ebay is a great place to sell your things.
5. ETSY. Etsy is a great place to sell but you can only sell vintage or handmade items. So if you have a bundle of vintage things or are very crafting, Etsy is the place for you. The fees are super low but the only negative I can find with Etsy so far is that it doesn't seem to get as much views from people as Ebay does. But both sites are fabulous places to sell your purged items.
6. SWAP. I love swapping! I have swapped before on various other sites, craft items or baby items. But after a few years of doing it on and off there are a few things I have learned about it. The most important is to swap with people that you trust a great deal. It should be with someone who will always send you good quality items and ship on a timely fashion. I have a swapped a few times with friends in the past few months. I think its a great way to give your items a new home and get  things in return that you really need!

There you have it! A few great ways to find a new home for your purged items. And just don't purge once a year but do it as often as you can. Like I said before, clutter makes your home feel smaller than what it actually is and it also creates a sense of clutter in your life. Purging your items will make you feel great-trust me!

Happy cleaning, purging, and selling (or donating!)!!!

xox