Relieve the Clutter of Your Home by Throwing a Downsizing Party
One of my New Year’s promises in early 2019 was to start giving out things. I grew up in a family where if something was of any value, even in part, you would keep it because you “might need it” in the future.
The result of this upbringing is that my apartment is full of “quality” things that I don’t really use. While I’m pretty good at donating things like clothes and books to charity, things like mugs, candles, bags, and Bluetooth speakers (which were free for a while at every press event) tend to pile up. These are great items. I could definitely use them. However, the reality is that I don’t need 100 different glasses with different brewery logos or events I attended.
Earlier this week, I came across a story about a couple who took an interesting approach to getting rid of things they no longer use : they threw a layoff party.
The couple, who lived in Washington, moved from the big house they had lived in for 45 years to a smaller one where they had to get rid of their belongings. To do this, they threw a party and encouraged guests to take some books from their bookshelves or objects from the table they had set. They also asked guests to leave with glassware from which they drank their drinks during the party.
This is an interesting idea.
In the case of the Washington Post history couple, they were eager to get rid of most of what they had. They put aside what they had planned to take with them to their new home, and then encouraged the guests to take whatever they wanted. So Sally can get this decorative pillow she has always admired, and maybe Bob can take home the lamp you bought when you two went on a trip.
You kind of give your friends an edge over what you plan to distribute.
Maybe you received a bottle of expensive perfume as a gift just to realize that this is not the scent you like to wear, or you have twenty different sets of these amulets that identify the guest’s wine glasses, but never really hosted a wine party where they were used.
I’m definitely not suggesting not donating items to charity, but there are definitely a lot of items that charities are overflowing with, or won’t accept at all, that might be better to give to a friend. For example, my pint glasses would be a difficult pass for our local charities, but a big win for some beer friends. It’s the same with fancy toiletries that I bought or received as a gift and used them once only to find myself hating them.
At a downsizing party, you can enjoy the company of your friends, have a good time, and hopefully cut down on the unnecessary “junk” that can be a friend’s “treasure”.