Give Your Stuff Away Days

Photo Credit: Sandra Cohen Rose & Colin-Rose

There are many ways to practice Shaucha (cleanliness) in your life.  If you haven’t yet begun to practice the reduction of stuff, be warned, the freedom brought by having less stuff is strangely addictive. When packed closets turn into simple well-organized spaces, it is a lot like taking a deep breath of fresh morning air versus hyperventilating into a stale paper bag.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help let go of your stuff:

• Have I used it in the last year?
• When did I last use it?
• Does it add value to my life?
• How long has it been since I last fit into this?
• How long has it been since I wore this? When do I think I might wear it again?
• Do I really like it or is there an emotional attachment that keeps me from getting rid of it? (e.g. My grandmother gave it to me. Is there value in keeping everything grandmother gave to me or would it be better to keep a few things I really care about?)
• Could somebody else put this to better use than I’ve been?
• Is the space this takes up worth the value I get out of it?
• Where does this sit in my list of priorities? If it is always at the bottom, do I let it go or bump it up?
• Will I ever read it again?
• When will I get around to reading it?
• How out-of-date is it?

May 13th and September 15th are “Give Your Stuff Away Day”s, so get started! Peel off your first layer of stuff and be ready to rinse and repeat. Let me know if cleanliness truly is next to godliness.

Visit www.giveyourstuffaway.com for information to help you decide on what to give-a-way, recycle or trash.