Kate's Take

It's finally starting to feel like Spring in Chicago! In my household Spring is synonymous with Spring Cleaning and the annual elementary school Spring Auction. Lately, both have taken over our lives..the latter more so than the former as I’ve developed some time efficient purging techniques. It only took me a few years! However, if anyone has tips on how not to overcommit myself I’m all ears... but if you’re interested in some Spring Cleaning tips read on for my TAKE.

Clothing

If you're like me and your body has been on a roller coaster for the last seven years your closet may be full of ill fitting clothes. For the past five years I've been ordering "Clean Out Kit's from thredUP as a way to purge my closet and recoup some dinero - it's an extremely easy to way to sell high-quality secondhand clothes! I've used thredUP as a way to get rid of those rarely worn (if ever) impulse buys: clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, maternity... you name it!

If getting rid of clothes can be overwhelming I recommend doing it more than twice a year as it will help with your mindset and makes the entire process less time consuming. With thredUP I order a kit a four+ times a year, stuff it with seasonal items and send it back to thredUP. It takes a couple of weeks but once the bag has been processed thredUP decides what they will sell online and the rest of the items are donated. At that time, you will receive an upfront payment and/or additional compensation for items that sell via consignment. You can either chose to cash out your payment or use to shop their site.

Truly thedUP makes me feel less guilty about the impulse shopping and they accept gently worn kids clothes which is perfect for those dressier outfits they may have only worn once or twice. I wouldn't use it if it wasn't simple - so trust me it's an amazingly easy way to purge your closet! If you're interested in ordering your own "Clean Out Kit" you can find more details here.

Artwork

Every year we seem to amass large quantities of artwork our kids can't seem to part with. I try to streamline the collection throughout the year (ahem toss items when they aren't looking) and display pieces with the DIGNITET curtain wire from IKEA or with these clips on our magnet board. But as the end of the school year rolls around I tend to reach my clutter threshold. This threshold is typically met when teachers starting sending home artwork they collected all year long and I react by having a mild freak out. I proceed quickly to my computer or mobile device and place an order from Plum Print. Within a few days I receive a prepaid box to fill with artwork that will be made into an keepsake book. With Plum Print you can customize the cover, title and title page as well as include a photo of your child. All in it takes about three - four weeks. We're in the process of creating our third book and my daughter loves to look at them and I love to see how her creativity has developed. It's so easy and if you're interested you can get $20 off your order with this link.

Another option I'd love to try someday is to commission a compilation of our children's art work by Jan Eleni. This way I can cut down on clutter and still display their creativity! Of course, I could scan photos myself and create a display but I'm all about time savings and leaving these things to the experts!

Baby Goods

We're pretty sure that we are pleasantly content as a family of five. Truth be told, I waffle on this but we're pretty sure. Actually, it's not just me who waffles. My husband does too as he wishes our son had a brother...he loves his brothers! Despite all this waffling we've collected a lot of baby products over the years and we're ready to have a bit more live-able space.

As I've started to this process I've found that is not as easy to get rid of these items as you may think. Of course, it would be lovely and easy to give items such as a baby walker, swing or jumper away to friends but most of our friends aren't in need.

So here's a rundown of some things that I've tried:

Salvation Army is my donation go-to for many household items but they will only accept baby clothes mostly due to product safety concerns.
Cradles for Crayons is an awesome organization in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia that supports families in poverty and they accept gently used toys, books and clothes for children. Y'all know we have a lot of children's books!
Craigslit is a good place to sell gently used baby equipment like a highchair or 4moms Mamaroo swing.
Consignment sales - Many communities have consignment sales two times a year for kids. Our neighbor frequents one in the suburbs and I sent items with her to sell. Literally, I was able to sell our daughter's 4moms infant tub so I feel like these suburban consignment sales are like winning the jackpot!
Facebook groups - There are many online FB mom's groups that can also be a great resource to sell/trade/donate used baby goods.

Despite all these options if I a one-stop-shop for all baby and kid items, I'll be sure to share. Happy Spring cleaning!