How Swapping Your Household Items Can Simplify Your Life

Contributing article from Janet Conroy, owner of Go Simple

Go Simple, a professional organizing service and consignment shop, is all about the 4 R’s: Reorganize, Recycle, Reject, Resale. We love the fact that the world is going GREEN, which is also why we love sites like Swap.com as a way to help our clients streamline their organization process.

Janet Conroy, founder of Go Simple

I work with clients who have lots of clutter, and they are so consumed with the piles of paper and stuff around them they don’t know where to start. Organizing your space and letting go of unused items will allow you to enjoy your home and life. Sometimes, the clutter is what holds us back from life – we don’t extend invitations to friends because we are embarrassed with the condition of our space. The piles sitting around create stress, because you just can’t stop thinking about those piles. Every day you say to yourself, “I need organize these DVDs,” or “I need to get rid of all the baby books!” When you start to let go of unused items you can focus on your future goals and things that really matter.

In today’s society less is more, but for many people it is hard to let go of something you’ve treasured for years. Maybe it wasn’t yours; maybe you inherited something from a fried or departed family member. What we have learned, however, is if you can’t use it, sometimes knowing it is going to good use or to someone who is less fortunate brings the same joy you once had when you first took ownership of the item. The act of letting go of unwanted items can set you free of guilt, grudges, and other emotional garbage.  Why are you hanging on to an item that reminds you of a bad memory out of guilt, when you can let if go and make room for good memories?

If you have a house full of unwanted items then you may want to think about turning your unwanted items into cash. Have an Estate/Moving/Yard Sale or go online and swap out your unwanted items for things you’ll use.  I encourage my Estate Sale clients not to throw anything away – you never know what shoppers are looking for while shopping at a sale. After the sale we decide what to do with the leftovers. Should we donate to charity, send to consignment, or is it really trash. Thankfully, there are many websites for recycling, clothes, cell phones, computers and everything else. Use websites for swapping or trading, it saves money and the earth.

There is a quote by Steven Covey that states “What does it matter what you do, if what you’re doing isn’t what matters most?” I use this quote every time I teach a Time Management class because it is so true. The lesson: let go of the old CDs, DVDs, and books and fill your space with something that matters to you at this point in your life. The answer: RECYCLE! Swap.com is one of the top resources for my clients – what better time to trade in dusty CD’s for a book you have been wanting to read.

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