What To Do With Items That Don't Have A Place Anymore?

Maybe you have items in your home that really don't have a place anymore. We often hang on to things for reasons we may or may not understand. Maybe hope that your past had turned out different than it did, maybe an item provides a connection to a loved one, it has a memory attached to it.

Like an old wedding dress from a previous marriage or clothes that your kids no longer fit into, a compilation of kids art work that continues to collect dust on your shelf, even though the kids are older, and maybe out of the house. Are you storing items for a loved one that have been forgotten and left behind? These are all examples of items that have presented themselves as not having a place anymore in the home.

I heard the saying that "houses don't have memories people do". This could apply to any material objects within your home, or the home itself. We as humans carry the memories in our hearts and our minds. It is the object that sometimes triggers these memories. Not all memories are good ones, ones we want to keep thinking about, so keeping those items around that trigger those negative memories are not always a good thing.

Fill your home with kind, loving memories, surround yourself with things that encourage and celebrate you and your home and weed out those things that don't have a place in your home.

As the New Year approaches many are creating New Years resolutions. This is the perfect time to think about parting ways with some of these items that do not have a place anymore in your home.

Here are a few examples of things that may not have a place anymore in your home.

Wedding Dress

In this case the wedding dress was from a previous marriage. Sadness and regret accompanied this dress every time it was looked at. It took up space in the closet. Since this item did not spark joy and it took up space it is a perfect item to release out into the world for someone else to enjoy.

Ways in which you could create new memories..............

Transform into a christening gown or a garter belt.

Donate to an organization that recycles wedding dresses.

Take to a vintage shop.

Sell on e-bay

Art Work

If your kids are grown and you are still hanging on to their art work, it is time to let it go.

You have a few options here.................

Give them the entire collection and let them decide what they want to do with it. Don't take offense if your children do not find as much joy in these masterpieces as you do. They may end up in the garbage or act as kindling for a warm and cozy fire.

Pull one or two pieces out of the collection and frame them, you are being intentional in the sense that you are putting some value on the object by caring for it in a loving way, rather than keeping it buried at the bottom of a box. Have one or two pieces framed for your kids in which they can display in their home. Discard the rest.

Stored Items For a Family Member

Do you have items sitting in your basement, garage or other area in your home that belong to someone else. They have been taking up space in definitely and have no plan of leaving. Have these items over stayed their welcome? If this applies to you and you want these items gone.............

Inform the person that the items belong to, that you will keep them for a few more months. Be specific give them an exact time frame with reminders. Usually three months or so gives them plenty of time to pick up the items. Tell them that if these items are not picked up by that date an organization will be called to pick up for donation. If hard circumstances require you to hang on to them a bit longer like medical issues or job loss than create a contract in which both parties agree upon a mutual time frame.

Old Clothes

If you have old clothes laying around that no one will wear in the near future, release them and let them go. Maybe your kids have out grown them and there is no one left to pass them down to in your family. Find a family who needs the clothes and who could currently wear the clothes.

Turn the kids favorite old T-shirts into a quilt.