The trend of trashing things vs. donating them

You might have noticed a spike in advice to trash usable things in good condition so people can feel less stressed in the now--they don't feel they have enough bandwidth to drop things off at the thrift store, so they trash the items and get the instant gratification of less stuff. Proponents say that self-care is more important in the moment. I can understand the desire to decrease stress and prioritize mental health. This trash-it philosophy is touted by author KC Davis, and her advice has been cited and picked up by declutter gurus I like (such as Dawn Madsen). I don't personally follow KC Davis, but her advice has sure had a ripple effect. 

I don't find this advice ethical due to the environmental impact and taking away from thrift stores. Yes, trashing things produces a very instant result by getting things out of the house. But if people go grocery shopping and get gas, go to various appointments, and run other errands, then they are pretty capable of donating items in most cities. It must be a mental block. If people struggle with procrastination and/or mental health, the environment should not be unnecessarily impacted in the name of self-care. Not donating also takes away from thrift stores, their workers, and their shoppers who want low-cost items. I know there are mental health professionals who would disagree on this topic as well. We can take good care of ourselves and also work on taking steps to get to thrift stores or arrange pickups. If you live in a city (like I do) where charities or thrift stores will pick up your items, take advantage of the free service. Pickups can be arranged online or by phone. 

Because I think not donating items in truly good condition is a type of task avoidance, here is a link to procrastination advice from Dr. Timothy Pychl, who specialized in procrastination research. He says procrastination is a way to manage feelings and cope, but of course it can cause problems. You can also find various podcast interviews with him online.

Timothy A Pychyl Ph.D. Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where he specializes in the study of procrastination. www.psychologytoday.com

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As the Fly Lady says, you can bless others with your stuff. Best wishes with your decluttering! 

Free Local Shred Day

I am not familiar w/ this location, but it might be time to venture out and get the shredding done. 

Info below:

The Austin chapter of ARMA along with Balcones Shred are sponsoring the 8th annual Free Fall Shred Day on Sat, Nov. 6, 2021 from 8am – 1:30pm.  The event will be held at the Balcones Shred Facility (9301 Johnny Morris Rd, Austin TX). https://www.austinarma.com/Shred-Day

 

Local and CDC Covid guidelines will be followed during this event, including masking and social distancing. This will be a drive-thru event and no member of the public will be allowed to stop, exit their vehicle to witness the shredding as they’ve done in the past. This is to limit interaction with others. The safety of our partners, volunteers, and the members of the public coming to the event are a priority and we will do everything we can to ensure everyone’s safety. This event is subject to cancellation depending on the situation with the Covid pandemic. Please be sure to check our website for the most up to date information.

 

Only dry paper packed in cardboard boxes no larger than 24 x 24 x 36 inches with fitting lids will be accepted (securely closed box flaps are also acceptable). Please do not bring hard plastics, plastic bags, electronic media, batteries, or three-ring binders.

 

All the shredded material and cardboard boxes are recycled.  Monetary donations will be accepted at the event with 50% going to the Austin ARMA chapter and 50% going to Operation Turkey, an organization that provides warm holiday meals to families in need.

 

For additional information about Shred Day, what can be shredded and how it should be prepared, please visit www.austinarma.com.  If you have any questions, please email Austin ARMA at austinarmachapter@gmail.com or leave a message for a return call at (512) 937-3347.

Some recommendations for your current decluttering...

 I haven't posted in ages--hello, pandemic!--but I definitely saw how when things got stressful, my clutter became all the more visible. I've found some positive and kind declutter experts to recommend if you're reading this. 

The asynchronous Take Your House Back Course gives you a year's access to three ladies' videos, and they know their stuff! I most relate to author Dana K. White who runs her own site, A Slob Comes Clean. They also do Facebook Live events if you want a sense of interaction or live events. I also found minimalism scary or judgement for years, but their resident minimalist Dawn Madsen makes it understandable and not scary. I'm not at that level of decluttering, but she definitely helped me get rid of a lot of random stuff in my kitchen--I had a pressure cooker I never fully used but inherited, along with a random silver tray that went with an already-departed bacon press (?!). 

I just started a good read on Kindle that deals with emotions and guilt--it's called 
Decluttering as Yourself: A Book for People Who Feel Guilty About Their Clutter (The Declutter Bits Series) by Wendy Wiseman. 

It has a bit of colorful language, but so far I really like how she addresses that being tidy does not make one morally superior, etc. (I've met a couple very judgmental tidy people and got why she addressed that.)

I hope you are healthy and well! 💜

Upcoming Free Shred Days for Paperwork

FREE local shred days are coming up this spring for your confidential documents! It's a safe and free way to part with those papers--just drive on through with your boxes. Check out the websites below for the next free shred days:

March 7th Shred Day at UFCU
https://www.ufcu.org/about/educational-events

April 17th Austin ARMA Shred Day--Cancelled given the COVID-19 stay at home order
http://www.austinarma.com/shred-day

Welcome to the Blog--Again!

If you're visiting this blog for the first time, welcome! Please check out the archives for what you might be looking for. I spent years decluttering all kinds of things from multiple late relatives, two who grew up during The Great Depression. Post topics range from green decluttering to forgiveness to grief to facing your own clutter. At one point, I hired a professional organizer to help with a garage full of my relatives' things plus some other rooms full of their boxes I inherited. (It was worth having help--her brain worked in a way mine just didn't.) I've tried a lot of things and hope you'll find something helpful here. Some people come here from the Children of Hoarders site, which looks like it has an amazing wealth of information.

These days, I am mostly in the mode of dealing with my own items and trying to find sustainable routines to keep my own things from becoming disorganized. I still have some weird items hanging around, waiting for me to deal with them, like an antique family farm scythe (pretty sure it's from a grandparent's childhood farm) that I guess can go to Goodwill if not to some happy recipient at a family reunion. I have a collectible Edgar Rice Burroughs book (SO not feminist) that I mean to sell for maybe $10, yet I keep putting it off. I will need to let Half Price Books give me a piddly bid and just be done with the task hanging over my head.

As far as resources, I've been enjoying some videos and podcasts by Dana K. White at A Slob Comes Clean. The way her mind works makes sense to me, and she shows cluttered areas that look familiar.

Last night I heard a great 2016 interview on the Psychology in Seattle podcast with an expert on hoarding, Dr. Jennifer Sampson. She had some great insights about why the hoarding TV show's processes usually don't work long term; she also provided a lot of information that I hadn't already heard, and she seemed to have a lot of compassion for those who suffer from this disorder. I loved her and host Dr. Kirk Honda talking about her wanting to hold on to good boxes and packaging--I get it!

Hearing her interview reminded me that I needed to put up a welcome post for anyone stopping by my blog for the first time. One of the most powerful things she said was that hoarding disorder is much like an addiction--people are in recovery long term. I hope you are finding lots of help and support if you are on the journey, whether you had/have relatives facing this disorder and/or struggle with it yourself. As Dr. Sampson pointed out, more people than we realize have too much stuff, and it affects our lives in ongoing and sometimes major ways.