Scrap Happy: Purging (File Under Boost Energy)

This entry is part 7 of 66 in the series My Scrap Happy Project

Each Monday, I discuss my Scrap Happy project based on Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.

Today is as Good a Day as Any to Join Me
If you haven’t started your Scrap Happy project, yet, the New Year is a perfect time to get started. If you are like most Americans (I can’t speak for the rest of the world), but January is the time of year when many of us decide to get our lives and surroundings organized. I have talked about organizing my traditional scrapbook supplies and digital scrapbook supplies. Through the process of organizing, you might want to purge some of your scrapbooking materials, too. I’ve talked about purging physical photos and digital photos before, but there is more you might consider purging.
In my original Scrap Happy post on Boosting Energy, I said I would also:

Purge out-dated supplies
Purge supplies that are not my style
Purge tools that I do not use
Throw-away scraps

Purging
Oh, purging…since my daughter was born a couple of years ago, we moved across the country and downsized our home. I purged a lot of items in our house. I did not downsize my scrapbook supplies.
Part of the problem is that scrapbookers (myself included) have a hard time throwing our supplies away. We believe we might need it someday. If I throw out my outdated or ugly Christmas pattern paper, they might stop making Christmas pattern paper. I have a sticker sheet of dogs dressed up in winter/holiday gear. Hideous. I will never use these stickers. They moved with me from Atlanta, GA back to Illinois. Why? I pulled them out and put them in a pile to discard. Where should they be discarded? What are my options?

The trash: I hate throwing things that might be useful to someone. I really can’t do this with most of the stuff I no longer want or need.

Sell: I could put it all in a box and try to sell it at a rummage sale or on ebay. This might work depending on what you are eliminating from your stash. Tools might sell. Unused scrapbook albums and page protectors might sell. Most paper and stickers are not going to sell very well. For me, this is a lot of work, without much return.

Donate: I have heard that social service agencies that are in charge of foster children, assist foster children in creating Lifebooks. This way, these children can have some sort of record of their life. Unfortunately, there is no real easy way to get the materials to the people who need it. You have to research to find the contact person in your area. Another option might be to donate some of your supplies to an elementary school, daycare, or even children’s hospital. I know that some Ronald McDonald’s Houses take scrapbook supplies.

Give to my daughter: The easiest option for me is to just get out a box and toss the stuff I no longer want in it and put it in a closet for my daughter. This is probably what I will do. I love the idea of donating my excess supplies, but at the same time, I feel that donations should include basic supplies (adhesive, paper trimmers, albums, etc.) so that they can actually be used relatively easily. If you are unwilling to include some of these items, include a monetary donation so that the organization can purchase these items. Or include a gift card to a photo processing business, so that they can purchase printed photographs.
Purging is Hard
Purging is often difficult if you do not know what you are going to do with the unwanted supplies. Decide this first. You can always change your mind. You might end up donating and trashing some of your supplies. Whatever you decide, keep your purge boxes handy, so you can do this periodically rather than just once a year.

Are you purging your supplies? What do you plan to do with them? Please comment below!