Goodwill Donations | Clump A Day

Clump #259: Bring bags to Goodwill; day seventeen of National Blog Posting Month.

I have to confess that yesterday’s clump was a rough one, not only to do, but also to write about in a way that wasn’t a total bummer. I felt like the pumpkin above. But prying off such long-neglected clumps has given me a new confidence and toughness. How much worse can it get? If I can dispense with ancient girl scout relics, I can handle pretty much anything, including a cute toy crane, below, doing its own heavy lifting. This was part of a donation to Goodwill.

Keeping the endless paper flow under control is relatively easy, even with the holiday catalog blizzard, compared to those bedroom clumps.

I had a funny moment today when looking through this week’s The Week magazine. One of my favorite sections of the magazine is “Best properties on the market.” Every week a different category of real estate is featured, such as properties with ponds, or properties in the desert, etc. This week it was “Castles in Europe.” Ooh la la! After perusing the castles and dreaming dreams, I turned the page and thought, ‘No, I’m not interested in any of these.’ Ha! Like Darcy (who actually lived in a European castle) in Pride and Prejudice, “…not handsome enough to tempt me.”

Just think of all the clutter I could fit in one of those things … there would be no end to it.

Clump #103: Take “give-away” items from yesterday’s clump to Goodwill.

A clump like yesterday’s out-of-control cabinet consists of two phases. First, clearing and sorting into keep, throw away, and give-away piles. Then, getting the give-aways out of the house. All the items pictured below are now at the Goodwill, and with any luck, will be of good use to someone else.

Kind of a dreary picture for the last day of my 30-day, 30-clump, 30-post challenge. Mission accomplished! Heartfelt thanks to everyone following along … your support has kept me going. I must commemorate the occasion with some prettier photos.

Today is Small Business Saturday, a day to shop at local, independent businesses. I learned that by patronizing locally owned businesses, “52 percent of what you spend stays right in your community, supporting local organizations and services.”

I became enchanted with this florist shop while walking in Chicago one night (not our local store, but a Chicagoan’s):