Continuing from the previous article:
1. With all of the items organized in boxes, look in the Give Away, Recycle, or Sell box. If you have a mix of items in here, such as items you want to give to your kids, items to give to charity, items for your church, and items to give to parents, you’ll likely need additional boxes to sort it out.
a. If you plan to give items to charity, tape up the box, and circle the words Give Away with your marker. Write the name of the charity or church on the box. Immediately put the
box in your car and drop it off at the appropriate place on your next outing, or immediately call your favorite charity for pick up.
b. Put things that can be recycled into the proper recycling bins, or contact the proper company to donate.
c. If you’re going to sell the items at a garage sell, bazaar, on e-Bay, or even on Amazon, make a date to do that now. Box and seal the items and label them appropriately. Move them out of the house into the garage or other storage area. For now, you can let the garage be your holding area. If you really plan to have a garage sale, it’s OK. If you’re just putting off getting rid of the stuff, be honest, and reclassify the items you’re keeping.
2. Look at the items in the Move box. Drag or carry the box from room to room, closet to closet, and put everything where it belongs. Although these areas may be pretty cluttered, and you may feel you’re adding to it, it’s OK. You’ll tackle these problem areas soon enough. The issue still remains; everything does have a proper place, and it’s your immediate job to put them there.
3. Look at the items in the Store Long Term box. Put this box in your current long term storage area. This may be a shed, your garage, or basement. At least you’ve put the items where they belong, and later, in Chapter 9, you’ll learn how to create working, long term storage areas, and organize the mess.
4. Take the Throw Away box to the curb or to the outside trash bin to avoid the temptation to open the box and drag stuff back out, or to allow family members to.
Tip:
You’re going to have a lot of items in boxes for charity and such, and you’re going to find a lot of items you want to keep and store long term. It may be in your best interest to clear a space in the garage or basement for those boxes before continuing.