Days 237 and 238 – Let the Guilt Go

6 Oct

Some of you readers that come back again and again may know my level of discomfort with doling out advice, but I have no qualms about putting this out there:let the guilt go already.

You already bought whatever it is that you feel guilty about.

You probably can’t return it at this point.

It keeps staring you in the face and making you feel guilty every time you see it.

LET IT GO!

And here’s why you should feel good about it.

Do you donate to charity?

Do you feel guilty about that?

If you donate  clothing, housewares, electronics, toys, pet stuff, a frog band, or an impulse accordion that you don’t use, you are making a contribution two-fold. The charity that runs your thrift store makes money. Most clothing items at my store run between $1.00 and $8.00.  So if I average them I can say I am making approximately a$4.50 donation every time I give an article of clothing. Imagine what that adds up to in a year.

Secondly you’re giving a chance to a person (probably on a limited budget) who needs whatever it is that you don’t.

If you want to feel guilty, feel guilty about leaving something unworn hanging in your closet or stuffing your drawers doing nothing.

If you don’t believe me, believe this.

Watch out, it’s a little bit addictive.

Pretty cool, huh?

By the way, here is what I donated.

a children's book about yellow fever...I bet that one's going to fly off the shelf

The Dream Is Dead...Turns 0ut I am not going to be a Belly Dancer

And that’s it.

Happy Friday.

I’ve linked this post to Orgjunkie.com and

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13 Responses to “Days 237 and 238 – Let the Guilt Go”

  1. Anne @ Domesblissity October 7, 2011 at 3:08 am #

    Hmmmm? Yellow fever and belly dancing. Now there’s 2 topics I didn’t think I’d read about in your blog. I love the calculator. I guess with the prices one of my stores charges they will be able to provide meals and stylists for their counsellors! LOL

    Anne xx
    Anne @ Domesblissity recently posted..Guest Posting: The Queen of Hearts made Strawberry TartsMy Profile

  2. Mimms October 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm #

    Less guilt = I like it! In your honor, I’m going to have a guilt-free weekend. That’s right, all because of you!
    Thanks for doling BTW

  3. Julie @ mamamash October 7, 2011 at 10:03 pm #

    I’ve never though of it that way! Wow!
    Julie @ mamamash recently posted..Sometimes you have to shareMy Profile

  4. The Bearded Iris October 8, 2011 at 9:19 am #

    I read this yesterday in carpool and couldn’t comment without possibly decapitating a child, but from the first sentence, I knew you were writing this for me. Thank you, friend.

    That impact calculator is WONDERFUL!!! Focusing on the positive impact I can make with my donations on people who might not have as many opportunities as me: brilliant. It might just be the bump I need to get over my frustration at myself for wasting my money on clothes that don’t look great.

    Now if only I had enough fashion sense to SHOP at Goodwill and put together cute outfits for next to nothing. Can you help me with that too? xoxo
    The Bearded Iris recently posted..What a difference a day makes.My Profile

  5. Megan October 8, 2011 at 3:44 pm #

    It’s funny, I almost didn’t publish this post, because I thought it had a preachy tone. I’m glad I did. Happy Decluttering!
    Megan recently posted..Days 237 and 238 – Let the Guilt GoMy Profile

  6. Ban Clohting October 12, 2011 at 12:38 pm #

    Are there other blogs similar to yours? I definitely enjoy your humour and your justification for getting rid of stuff certainly helps me tackle my home.
    Ban Clohting recently posted..Thrifty FindsMy Profile

    • Megan October 12, 2011 at 12:52 pm #

      Hmmm.. there is http://www.365lessthings.com. She is very motivating. She is full of real, professional advice, not my amateur ramblings. There ishttp://unclutterer.com/. They have a really funny feature once a week about useless gadgets. I think they have done the corn cobber, and the portable s’more’s grill to name a couple. They also have a forum for lots of people who do what I do. I used to read http://www.daliydeclutter.com , but he is finished. It is still available to read though. There are a few others, but those are the ones I have enjoyed. I don’t go for the hard core minimalist sites, but there are plenty of them out there. I also like http://www.smallnotebook.com . Her site is about simple living and it is so well written.
      Megan recently posted..Days 239 – 241 – While I was there… My Profile

  7. Becky @ Decluttering Diva October 18, 2011 at 6:41 pm #

    I agree with you on the letting guilt go thing. We’ve already spent the money, and can’t really get it back, so why let the item continue taking up space?

    Give it away or donate it. No hassle, and you’ll feel better too.

    By the way, I love your sense of humor too. I always enjoy your blog. :)
    Becky @ Decluttering Diva recently posted..Cat nip, Cheerios, and Cool Whip tubsMy Profile

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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    [...] only could these items help clothe someone on a limited budget, but according to the kickass charity impact calculator my friend Megan posted at Declutter Daily last Friday, my donation will be providing 4.1 hours of [...]
  2. » Day 267 – 271 – The Wardrobe Issue Declutter Daily - November 8, 2011

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