Thinking "Out of the Box"
Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah and Happy Every Day to all!
I certainly hope that the holidays brought light, laughter and joy into your lives along with special meals and special foods with beloved people.
Gift giving and receiving is a wonderful thing, to be sure, but now where are you going to put everything, especially if your spaces are tight to begin with?
What To Do With Gifts That You Really Don't Like, Want or Need?
1. Clearly, donating unwanted gifts to a shelter or a needy person/family gets the first slot in my list of suggestions. There are charity events, like Tricky Trays that would also love extra items.
2. If you don't want to donate, then consider re-gifting but with caution!
On a post-it on put the name of the person who gave you the gift and the year. (These things can hang around and you just forget who gave it to you).
It is a VERY awkward position to be in. Make sure you give the gift to someone outside of the same circle of friends you share with the person who gave it to you. Nothing like going out to dinner with a bunch of friends and one is wearing the sweater that your common friend gave you and they realize it!
Here's a funny recycling gift incident that really, truly happened.
My mother-in-law, of blessed memory, was a woman with a quick wit and quicker tongue.
She told me about a beautiful silver plated chafing dish, (popular "back in the day") that a relative had gifted her.
I commented, "How lovely and generous!" Well, she replied, "It certainly was. But she should have washed off the string bean that was stuck on the underside first!"
3. Make a designated shelf, or a nice basket to place in a closet and label it "GIFTS TO GIVE". (Make a note of where the gift basket location is.)
On each gift, again, post-it the name of the giver and possible recipients. You may not need or want it but it could be great for several people.
I Love the New Sweater But There's Really No Room Anymore!
Getting something new that you really love is exciting but can also bring a little stress...and mess. (My sweater drawer is already squashed; There's no room for one more hanger...etc).
This is the opportunity to clean out and weed out what you do have. Remove what you haven't worn in a year or so, or is out of style, or you truly just can't wear it anymore and find an appropriate home for it.
Your new item will have the space it deserves and you will feel uplifted for making room.
A note from experience: If you are the sentimental type and can't bear to give away the T-shirt that you wore that Aunt Minerva bought you, (and it doesn't even fit anymore), toss it!
Take a photo of it and make a new album in your photo app on your phone: "Sentimental Clothes That I Gave Away." It's easier to buy more storage on your phone that find more room in your closet!
Contact me so together we can manage your space better!
