Box Up the Seasons Including the Clothes

Seasons come and go.  Now it’s winter and before too long it’ll be spring.  You may be considering what to do with the items that you use during the winter months.  Why not box up the seasons, including the clothes that are no longer needed?

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll have a special place where you store Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanza decorations.  When the seasons change, you’ll probably be packing those decorations up and putting them back in storage.  What about the other things in your home that aren’t used all year long?

You may want to purchase some plastic totes, boxes, or other storage units in which to store off-season items if you don’t already have them.  There are so many things you can put away that could help you get more organized.

[nmslink:Holiday decorations,Holiday decorations] are an obvious choice of things to put away until the following year.  If you’re currently using boxes, you may want to look into getting some plastic storage boxes for storing ornaments in.  These types of boxes will keep your ornaments, especially glass or fragile ones, safer than a regular cardboard box.  Since you won’t be storing them until after holidays, why not wait until the after-holiday sales before purchasing one.  You may be able to save as much as fifty percent or more off the regular cost if you’re willing to wait.

Out of season clothing is something else you could store away until needed.  Of course, before you store clothing away, you want to make sure it’s clean and in good repair.  It would be terrible to take clothing out of storage only to find it dirty and having split seams.

Wash all clothes that you intend to put up, but also check to make sure someone in your home is going to be able to use them next year.  If you have children that will be able to use the clothes, be sure to sort the clothes into sizes and clearly mark the outside of the box or tote with the size.  If no one is going to be able to use the clothes that have been outgrown, consider giving them to charity or to someone you know that could use them.

Salvation Army, Good Will, or a homeless shelter would be glad to take gently-used clothes off your hands.  And, if you itemize everything that’s being given away, you can also get a tax write-off for your taxes.  That’s a win-win situation – your house is minus some clutter and you have a tax deduction for the end of the year.

When you’re trying to clean up after the holidays, you may want to box up the seasons – including the clothes that your family has outgrown.  If they can’t be worn next year, be sure to pass anything that is usable to someone else.  Not only will you clean away some clutter, you’ll feel good about helping others in need.