It is simple but not easy to be a resource-conscious American. We have such abundance and ads are continually encouraging us to add to our hoards of goodies. We are also, ironically, warned about the perils of having too much, which sends some of us to container stores to buy yet more stuff to organize our stuff. We’ve got to stop the madness. It is possible to get organized in a resource-conscious manner.
Think hard before a purchase. Whether it is a new notebook, a bottle of aspirin or a new car, take an appropriate amount of time based on the cost to think about whether it is a need, a want, or just laziness and disorganization because you don’t know if there’s a bottle of perfectly good aspirin somewhere in the jumble under the bathroom sink or a notebook buried somewhere in your office.
About 75% of my clients have found multiples of everything they recently purchased when we organize. We stack up boxes of Band-Aids, rolls of tape, pens of every shape, color and type—you name it, most Americans already own everything they need in multiple. Most of my female clients are amazed to see how many black pants, dresses and sweaters they actually own once we sort out the closets. If that sounds like you, spend the time and money organizing rather than shopping.
Before buying new containers, sort through your old ones. You can probably reduce the contents of your storage containers and open some up for use.
Organize and sort before buying containers. It’s good to have a few to sort into—at least have bags and cardboard boxes for donations, shredding and recycling, but wait to buy the amount you need until after you have whittled it down to just the things you want to keep. That goes for file cabinets and boxes for papers to hangers for the closet to containers for the garage.
When disposing of things, take care to put them into the correct stream. Consult your local disposal site website for information about what can go into the recycle bin. Compost whenever possible. Consult donation sites for what they will and won’t take and be respectful of charities. Most of them are overwhelmed with donations, much of which should have gone straight to the landfill. Don’t donate dirty, broken, stained or otherwise unusable stuff.
Reuse items in a creative way. There are all kinds of inspiring ideas on Instagram for reusing things like jars, tin cans and toilet paper rolls for packing, crafts and containerizing supplies. I’ve seen many photos of tables set with Roma tomato cans used for everything from floral arrangements to containers for silverware and napkins on a buffet. Baby food jars are an old school staple for organizing nails, tacks, screws and other little items in the garage.
Go paperless. I don’t run in to too many people who don’t do autopay or paperless billing anymore. Most companies give nice financial incentives for going paperless and the organizing incentives are also good motivation. It’s a pain, but contact catalog companies to opt out, especially those that are monstrously large (like Restoration Hardware) or relentlessly sent out (like The Company Store). Stop buying magazines and use Pinterest and Instagram to create virtual inspiration boards for projects.
Try selling before trashing or donating furniture and clothing. It doesn’t cost anything to open a Poshmark account to sell your clothes and jewelry or to use Facebook Market or Craigslist to sell furniture, tools and other large items. Local consignment stores are a great option too and will often pick-up large items for you. Contact the store to find out their policies and make an appointment if necessary, which will save you tons of time and trouble.