“I like to find the beauty in the ugly. When I’m in a thrift store, I gravitate toward pieces I know I’ll wear a ton, and insane pieces that I’m sure most people would consider gross. But I find them inspiring. Our van is currently stocked with some of my random findings from this tour. Maybe I’ll call my aesthetic ‘van fashion’.” – V. Legrand
We’ve hit mid-way through this year. Winter is here. End of financial year is here. It’s time to take stock of our wardrobes and cupboards and drawers and dressers. Usually, they say ‘spring clean’, but that only means once-a-year. If you do this at the start of every season, then you get 4 shots a year in which to reassess what you own. You have 4 specific seasons in which to take stock of what you have, what you need, what you want to get rid of and what you want to donate. Something that you think is ugly and outdate might just be that treasure someone else is dreaming of. So, let’s tackle this winter clean-out together with these three tips.
1. Start small. Start small with your time, your rubbish bags and your items. Commit to just 10 minutes a day to begin with so that you aren’t overwhelmed by the task of decluttering and donating all at once. Choose a small rubbish bag/shopping bag to fill completely before you move on to another or a bigger bag. See your work physically this way in small and achievable ways. Begin with the smaller items around your home – kitchen wear, jewellery, hair accessories or unused stationary. Once this is done, you’ll feel more confident about moving on to longer periods of time and bigger items.
2. Take it all out. Of your wardrobe, that is. You might have a pretty good idea of what clothes you own, but until you literally take each and every single piece out of your cupboard, wardrobe, drawers and anywhere else you store your garments, you won’t truly know what you have on hand. So grab it all and lay it all out. Take stock of what you have and if you like, pretend Marie Kondo is there asking if it’s bringing you joy. If it’s not – time to donate. If you’re unsure – try it on and then ask yourself again. You might be surprised at the items you locate that you still love, but also the items you locate that you can’t believe you haven’t donated sooner!
3. What do you need? Decluttering and getting ready to donate is usually associated with the idea “what don’t I need anymore?” when in reality, you could ask it the other way too – what do you need? It’s winter, so do you need a new scarf and beanie? Are you freezing in your old, worn jacket and need something newer and warmer? Are you flying through mugs of steaming coffee so fast you’re out of crockery? Maybe you need a new table cloth ready to host that winter warmer dinner with friends. Whatever it might be, ask yourself what you need in this season while you clean away some of your clutter and when you go to donate it, you’ll have a better picture of the things you’re now on the hunt for.
Hopefully these little tips for your winter declutter and donate have been helpful! Don’t forget that we will happily take your finished and full donation bags off your hands and point you in the direction of warm scarves, cosy jackets and sweaters and place a freshly brewed cuppa in your hands as you browse. Come see us this June!
72 Candy Road, Happy Valley, SA
Wed to Fri – 930am to 4pm
Sat – 930am to 1230pm
a place to meet 
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