Then & Now: L is for Lent and Let it Go!

 Ash Wednesday snuck up on me this year and now, three weeks into Lent, I find myself (still) wondering what I'm doing differently between now and Easter. While it's never too late to initiate a new habit (my preferred Lenten go-to as an adult), giving something up now feels like too little, too late.

Or is it?

Like initiating a new habit, sharing our time, talent, and treasure with others pretty much works whenever we decide to do it. Today's Throwback Thursday from 2016 focuses on making Let it Go! a Lenten resolution. 

Then: 

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. In the past, I've tried the 40 bags in 40 days decluttering challenge, but my I love stuff friends might need something a bit more manageable. I'm not sure where this idea originated (I found it on Facebook), 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 vintage Organizing by STYLE posts:

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

New Life for Old Things: The Three Rs

Let it Go: The Second R

Now:

My 2022 Let it Go! resolution? Taking that final step and getting those boxes of donations (clothes, books, household items) to their final destination instead of in my basement and -- you guessed it -- in the trunk of my car. 

Have a Let it Go! success? Share it in the comments :-)