Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out

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#Cleaning#consumerism

Like most of us, I do a lot of my shopping online, which means a lot of stuff showing up at my house overpackaged in big old boxes that sometimes hold smaller boxes with then another box inside.

My concerns about over-packaging aside, the reality remains: I have a lot of boxes in my house.

For the new year, I’m trying this new idea:

Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away.

This is just a version of “one in, one out” … but on a very tangible, practical level.

What am I going to do with this box that my new teapot came in?

I am going to fill it with clothes I haven’t worn in years, and send it right back out the door to be donated!

My house is small, so this is part of keeping it from getting cluttered… a box with something new comes in, the box is filled with old stuff, and sent back out into the world to find a new home.

But I’m also taking care of my recycling… just on a very large scale.

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About the Author: Ariel

@findyourafterglow

Author of three editions of the Offbeat Bride book and its sequel (From Shitshow To Afterglow, the ultimate offbeat breakup book) Ariel Meadow Stallings is the publisher of all the Offbeat Empire web properties. She lives in Seattle with her son. To read her latest work, follow @arielist.

Comments on Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out

  1. This year is also my year of decluttering (I’ve called it the “Purge”). I’ve been meaning to do a whole house inventory for my insurance and I’m hoping that the act of having to take pictures and updating spreadsheets will help me downsize by halfish.

    I’ll be graduating this year and my next job would likely require me to move from my 2-bedroom house in the middle of nowhere to a tiny apartment in a big city.

    Here’s to the year of decluttering!

  2. Yeah, we’ve been doing that with paper grocery bags – we forget to bring reusable bags to the store sometimes. Bag gets popped behind the door and filled with things that we are ready to move on as they are discovered. Once it’s full it goes to the donation center. It’s small enough volume it doesn’t linger too long, isn’t too stressful to fill, it’s an easy trip with just one bag and won’t trigger too much re-evaluation at the drop off.

    Our place ain’t big. If it doesn’t have a space, it goes.

    • Great point about the paper bags… Smaller size keeps things sustainable and easy.

      Then the question becomes where to donate. I still do Goodwill, even though I know they’re a bit questionable.

      • I personally donate to a thrift store near me that donates all 100% of proceeds to our city’s local Transgender Resource Center. I always recommend to people to somewhat do their own research on where to donate because they may find a thrift store or group that donates to a favorite organization or charity of theirs.

  3. It is a great idea to follow the best practices to give away the old stuff. Usually, we are storing the old stuff and after a few years, those become useless. Great idea “Whatever packing enters to the house must go out to charity with your old stuff which is no longer relevant to you”

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