Donation Box in Your Home
One of the most helpful things I’ve done to help us maintain a decluttered home is to always have a donation box going.
Would a donation box in your house be helpful?
What do I use for a donation box?
Anytime I receive something in mail, the shipping box becomes a donation box!
That’s right, most every cardboard box delivered to our porch gets a second-life.
Whether it’s a shipment of diapers and wipes or a package from Amazon, I make sure to put the boxes to good use!
If a box is super tiny, we may go ahead and recycle it, but most other boxes serve a helpful purpose for us.
Where do I put my donation boxes?
I usually always have a donation box going in our laundry room.
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Many of our regular donations are clothes that the kids have outgrown, so this serves as a great spot for a donation box.
I’m able to wash the clothing and then place it in the box for donation.
Where would be a helpful spot for you?
- in a bedroom closet – Some families keep one in each child’s bedroom closet.
- a hall closet – This may be a linen closet or a coat closet or some sort.
- the garage
- a storage space
- in the back of your vehicle – I’ve seen this work really well for some families. When it’s time to drop the box off at the donation center, it’s already in the car!
What comes to mind for you?
It needs to be a spot that makes it easy for you to toss items in as you discover they are no longer serving you or your family.
How long does it take to fill a donation box?
There seem to be seasons when I’m doing a lot of decluttering and then other times when I’m not clearing out as much.
However, I am always on the lookout for items that need to be purged from our home.
The Minimal Mom calls this Maintenance Mode.
She explains that while you’re never completely finished decluttering your home, you do eventually reach a point where you are maintaining your simplified space.
Where do I take my donation boxes?
I try really hard to be creative with where we donate our items!
Over the years, many of the baby/toddler items we’ve decluttered have been donation to our local pregnancy center.
We have also been grateful to be able to donate some of our books, toys, games, activities, etc. to various therapy clinics we have connected with since having our oldest daughter.
A couple of times a year, our church gathers clothing donations for their community clothes closet.
We have a local ministry that collects household items for displaced families.
However, every once and again, we find ourselves with some out-of-the ordinary donations, and the drive-thru drop-off at Goodwill is the most convenient option.
I realize many families have concerns about donating to this particular organization, and I do understand.
Most of the time, we go a different direction, but here in these photos you can see how one of these pull-ups boxes became a donation box waiting for drop-off one day while I was out running errands.
This idea wasn’t original with me!
I’m not the first person to share this idea. I’ve seen many others say they do this exact same thing with their cardboard boxes.
For me, it was born out of frugality.
I would see others decluttering with trash bags in hand.
Me?
I hesitate to use my trash bags unless I have to – because they’re so expensive.
Are you laughing at me?
Or realizing we could be friends?
When larger boxes arrive, it gives me a boost to do a little extra decluttering at that time.
I love challenging myself to fill up the box, and I usually can!
We currently have six people living our house. Our kids are growing and changing by the minute.
There may come a time when I don’t have as much to donate as often, but for now, it’s not typically too hard to fill a large box with items that are ready to move on to a new home.
Need help getting started with decluttering?
Here are a few posts you might find encouraging.
I love decluttering! The box idea is good. It helps decluttering become a routine.
That’s such a good way to word that – I feel like it really has become that for me! I’m always looking for new ways to make it easier so I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys talking about it – haha!