3 Keys Thursday: L is for Lent -- and Let it Go!

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

The "L" in STYLE - "Let it Go!" is probably the hardest step, especially for those with an I love stuff personal style. But if you, like me, make Lenten resolutions, this is a great time of year to tackle all that stuff and see if there's anything you can let go of. What better time to simplify life?

Here are a few ideas on ways to make that happen. And, in honor of my I love stuff friends (and others among us for whom parting is not sweet sorrow), all of these ideas focus on ways to reduce your stuff without resorting to throwing things away -- unless you want to.

• Put that number 40 to work. Yesterday, I once again mentioned the 40 bags in 40 days decluttering challenge, and then last night on Facebook, I saw something that might be more manageable for my I love stuff friends. I'm not sure where it originated, but its focus is simple: get rid of one item of clothing each day for 40 days. Less painful than 40 bags in 40 days, it can easily be extended to things besides clothing (40 books, perhaps?). Just be sure you have a destination in mind so you don't end up lugging those bags around in the trunk of your car for 40 more days. Not that I've ever done that.

• The maybe box. This one is also not original (I got it from a show on HGTV), but I love it, so I'm sharing it.

1. Find a box, preferably one with a lid or one that can be closed completely (nothing showing).
2. Put all of those "can't quite get rid of it" items inside (by category, if you wish).
3. Close the box and put a sticky note on the top with today's date. 
4. In an amount of time that you determine (I typically use 6 months, but if you're making this a Lenten resolution, why not use March 25, which is Good Friday?), get rid of the box and whatever remains inside without opening it. 

          Again, keep a destination in mind (unless you plan to throw the box away) -- this time, so the 

          box and its contents don't end up creating clutter for someone else. This way, as you add to    
          the box, you know whatever goes inside is suitable for its destination.

• Consign or resell. Can't quite give away things you paid good money for? Get them into the hands of someone else who can use them via yard sale or consignment. Then, in the spirit of charity, consider donating your proceeds to charity.

For more ideas on ways to Let it Go!, check out these three posts from last spring:

If You (Don't) Love it, Set it Free

New Life for Old Things: The Three Rs

Let it Go: The Second R