Declutter your Memories

Declutter your memories today. I can hear the song now. People hang on to a lot of things, not necessarily for what they are, but for how they make them feel. We are surrounded by so many things in our homes that have sentimental value. What is your most favorite item in your house? Sometimes it is hard to decide. Many times we do not know what we have until it is gone.

Have you ever looked at the old clothes in your closet, and said, “someday I will be able to wear that again.” Me too. I have a hard time letting go of clothes, that I one day hope to lose weight and fit in again. However it is hard to be blessed with new things, when you run out of room clinging to the old things of life.

After working in the private practice counseling field for almost four years, I saw many people like you and I who had a hard time letting things go. We are going to suggest several ideas of creative ways to let it go, or get rid of old things in your home, that you no longer need or use anymore.

1. Donate the items you no longer want or need to local charities. Christmas time is a great time to do this. Have your kids even have fun and wrap old items up with wrapping paper to take as nice, and still usable, gifts to local kids in need of things. For example, with the cold weather an extra coat you no longer wear would be a great idea to give away. Every year at our church, there is a group of people who will take your used, yet nice old elegant evening dresses, for homeless or poor local girls who cannot afford to buy their own dresses for this popular event. What a great way to give back to others and make a young girl feel great about herself in a beautiful dress. By you learning to let it go, the dress becomes a blessing to someone else in need.

2. Turn old CD’s into Christmas ornaments. My brother did this to make a memory ornament and it was beautiful. For the music you no longer listen to on CD’s, all you have to do is click on this photo and learn how to make this today. You can also cut up old CD’s and put the pieces on the outside of a picture frame to make a beautiful border for your picture. If you do a Google search, there are also websites that show you how to make a great looking bird bath out of old cut up CD’s.

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3. Take photos of your items and your house. This is a very helpful idea for all those drawings and coloring pages your child has made for you. Do not feel the mommy guilt and shame when you get rid of them. Simply take a picture of them and save the photo in a picture album for your child. You could even put the photos or old baby shoes, hospital bracelet, or other sentimental items in a decorative Baby Time Capsule. Then when your child is about to graduate high school, or have their own first baby, give them their Baby Time Capsule you made for them when they were little. This is a creative way to let it go and declutter your memories at the same time.

We will expand on this topic more in our next blog. What is one item you need to get rid of in your home? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie