Sponsored Post: I am being compensated by Value Village for this post. All opinions on their new donation drop offs in Seattle are my own. :)
A couple of months ago, I picked up The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. This is probably one of the most hyped up books I think I’ve ever heard about. It seems like everyone, their mom, their grandma, and their cousins are talking about it. Posting to Instagram about it brought a lot of comments like “it will change your life!” and “I’m so curious, let me know how it is!”
So, I thought I’d tell you how it was. Spoiler alert: It didn’t change my life. It did, however, reaffirm a lot of what I’d always known about tidying but didn’t necessarily always follow.
Overall, the book was 200+ pages of pretty much the same sentiment: keep only things that bring you joy. If you pick up an item in your house and it sparks anything but joy, you probably don’t need it. There was also a lot of information about how to fold items in your closet so that you can best store your items, which I did find interesting but I’m not sure if I’ll be implementing. I kind of like my lumpy potato socks, thank you.
I think the KonMari method is a good baseline, but I think you need to apply it to your own life. We don’t all need to live minimistically. For me, that just wouldn’t work. My stuff brings me joy, even if it is messy and overwhelming sometimes. I’m not sure that I would feel more joy from throwing away half of my closet and half of my makeup collection. I would probably miss a lot of it.
However, I do think it’s important to think critically about each item you do own and find out if you’re only keeping it because you might use it someday, or it might fit someday, or it might work better with something else you’d need to buy. I have a lot of those items in my closet and I don’t need them. They don’t spark joy. I will donate them.
Which brings me to my next point: there was a lot about “throwing away” items, not about donating them. Your “stuff” has the power to do good, even if it doesn’t bring you joy anymore. Thrift stores will happily accept your gently used items and sell them to provide funds to local charities. Value Village is one of them, and they’ve recently opened seven new Donation Drop Spots in the greater Seattle area to benefit Northwest Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and The Arc of Washington State! Value Village pays these organizations when community members donate their goods to those organizations at the Donation Drop Spots, whether the items make it to the sales floor or not.
I recently dropped a few of my KonMari-ed joyless items there in hopes of them sparking joy for someone new, and hope you’ll join Value Village and I to create a better world through reuse! With the help of the community, Value Village has become one of the largest recyclers of used goods in the world, keeping more than 650 million pounds of reusable items from landfills each year. Pretty impressive!
For those of you who are local, here are the brand new Value Village Donation Drop Spots to take advantage of:
Benefit Northwest Center
3202 132nd Street SE, Mill Creek, WA 98012
1201 North 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98133
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
405 Butler Avenue, Monroe, WA 98272
23632 Highway 99, Edmonds, WA 98026
Benefit Big Brother Big Sisters Puget Sound
630 – 228th Avenue NE, Sammamish, WA 98074 *This is the one I went to – it’s located behind Safeway!
Benefit Arc of Washington State
4141 Martin Way East, Olympia, WA 98516
Have you read Marie Kondo’s book? What were your thoughts about it? What did you do with your unloved items? I hope you’ll join me in recycling them if you haven’t already! :)
I was interested in the book too, but since everyone’s reviewed it and basically said the main point is to only keep things that bring you joy…I feel like I’ve already taken that to heart and implemented it so I don’t feel the need to read the book!
I thought Value Village was closing for good because my husband mentioned it last night but since I saw your post I had to Google it and see that only the Cap Hill one is closing. Phew! I was so sad!
I would say that’s pretty spot on. I thought there must be something more, which is why I bought it. There are definitely other little things that are interesting, but I don’t feel like I actually needed to read the book to be able to tidy my house.
Yes, just the one on Capitol Hill! Such a bummer to see that one go, but I assume it must be related to the rising cost of doing business in that neighborhood, or the building is being repurposed. :(
I am confused on why anyone would push throwing away items verses donating. We need to be able to bring joys to others as well.
Totally agree! My guess is it must be something lost in translation (it was originally written in Japanese) or a cultural difference. Either way, I’m always hopeful my items are going to someone who will treasure them!
I’m kind of glad to see you think this way… Haha. I haven’t read the book yet, but I really don’t care to. I mean, I feel like I’ve read enough on the internet to know what she says… And basically it’s what I do, anyway! Ha. I love this post though, I love being able to donate to different thrift stores to help those in need!
Thanks Britt! I think you’re right. It’s a great concept and it’s a good reminder, however, I’m not sure reading 200+ pages of mostly the same thing was worth it.
I love this post Jenn. The biggest thing that hit home for me is that minimalism isn’t for everyone. I keep trying to declutter my life, but we’re kindred spirits in that my stuff brings me joy too. I love the clean look of all the minimalistic style I see on Pinterest and around the Internet every day, but that’s probably not realistic for me. Plus white everything + the pets = furball of an apartment. ;)
Liza
http://creativelp.com
Aw thanks Liza! You’re right about the pet problem. I love the all white minimalist look too, but I can’t imagine the maintenance of such a space!
What an awesome concept! I have never heard of this book but I’m very glad that you have brung it to my attention! I hope to try this soon! :-D
Awesome, hope you love the book! :)
I have yet to read this book (however it’s on my list!) and just recommended it for my mom (who struggles with keeping too many ‘things.’) She absolutely loved it and it has given her such peace of mind! Great post!
So glad the book was helpful to your mom! I think the message of the book is a great reminder to only things that are most important to you.
Interesting. I have never heard of this book, but would be interested in reading it. I can see how it would really help those suffering from clutter and not being able to let things go. Donating to thrift stores is something that I love to do at least once or twice a year. Such a relief letting go of things.
It truly is! Definitely a great read if you need a little decluttering inspiration!
Thanks for the outstanding advice, it really is useful.
Thanks Felix! Glad you found it useful!