This post was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.
I might eschew the populist notion that there is something called Valentine’s Day and I don’t really acknowledge the fiction that is Father’s Day, but what I DO celebrate is Baseball Opening Day and the perennial tradition of Spring Cleaning. Those are two bandwagons that go hand-in-hand, timing-wise, and I gleefully climb aboard both. These first weeks of spring when the seals of the windows are finally broken and the warm breeze rushes in to fill your house and your lungs with the spirit of renewal, this is the most beautiful time to crank up the music, dust off the ceiling fans, and pull out all the unwanted kitchen equipment, pants that no longer fit, and toys your kids have outgrown, and donate all of it to your local Goodwill. It is so easy, helps you financially, and makes your community stronger — a total no-brainer!
We got two absolutely gorgeous, sunny 60-degree days this week as baseball returned to my heart and TV screen. As I watched games on my iPad, I went through my closet and drawers and pulled out all of the old business casual clothes, t-shirts, and cargo shorts that are now WAY too large for my shrinking frame. I then moved into the kitchen and found a lot of extra gadgets and cookware that I never use. I also remembered that there’s an extra kid’s bike in my shed that is in great condition and a bunch of new DVDs and kindie CDs I don’t need. I calculated the impact of all that I cleaned-out from my house and it comes to over 6 hours of on-the-job training for a young worker in my community. Awesome impact…and easy to accomplish!
The fresh air has joined forces with a less cluttered home and together with the overwhelming feeling of joy that philanthropy brings, is filling me with so much life this spring because I know that my Goodwill donations will help make a positive impact on my community. Yeah, I’ll get a tax write-off, which is sweet, but that pales in comparison to helping hard-working local people land good jobs.
Need help getting organized? Follow Goodwill’s #7DaysofSpringCleaning plan to attack different areas of your home for seven consecutive days:
Day 1) Clear your closet clutter
Day 2) Time to tackle the kitchen
Day 3) Spread holiday cheer (holiday decorations, center pieces, Halloween)
Day 4) Downsize your tech toys (used laptops)
Day 5) Clean out your office supplies
Day 6) Provide quality entertainment (unused movies, video games)
Day 7) Downsize your bookshelf
Then calculate the impact of your donation and drop your goodies off at your local Goodwill!
