Clear the Clutter & Make an Impact

‘Tis the season of giving. Here’s a simple way of spreading holiday love and cheer to fill your heart and empty your home.

It’s easy to give and make the holidays a little brighter for those in need. Just look around your home. Perhaps, you have clothing, furniture, kitchen items, or even food that’s been cluttering up your home and fridge? Follow this guide of what and where to give and you’re sure to make Santa proud. It is the ideal time to give your household items a new home and make someone else’s holiday brighter.

THE WHAT & WHERE TO GIVE GUIDE

NON-PERISHABLE FOOD

Clear your kitchen of food items you don’t plan to consume and make room for all of the yummy holiday goodies!

What to Donate:

Wondering if your food bank wants your three pound bottle of mustard? Here are the top items that they need:

• Canned Vegetables & Fruits
• Canned Stews & Soups
• Canned Beans
• Canned Tuna
• Pasta & Sauce
• Baby Food
• Dry Beans
• Flour
• Cereal & Oatmeal
• Juice
• Rice
• Peanut/Nut Butters & Jelly/Jams

Where to Donate:

• Your local Food Bank. You can find your local food bank here
• Check with your local fire department, churches, synagogues, schools and grocery stores to see if they are hosting food pantry donations drop offs
• Moving soon? Find a mover who will volunteer to deliver your non-perishable food to your local food bank at no additional cost. Visit Move for Hunger to find a local participating moving company
• Willing to roll-up your sleeves? Start your own food drive. Simply ask local businesses, schools and libraries to put out your colorfully decorated food drive donation boxes and use your social networks to get the word out. It only takes 1.2 lbs of food to provide a meal to an individual in need, so it doesn’t matter how big your food drive is, every little bit helps

CLOTHING

Make room for your holiday sweaters! Sort through your closets and ask: When was the last time I wore or used this? If you can’t remember, donate it.

What to Donate:

• Baby, kids and adult clothing
• Coats (Kids and families are in great need of coats this time of year.)
• Suits
• Belts
• Scarves
• Ties
• Pocketbooks
• Boots
• Shoes

Where to Donate:

Bring gently used clothing to the following charities, go online or call them to see if they will come to your door to pick up your donations.

• Goodwill
• Salvation Army
• Epilepsy Foundation
• Veteran organizations
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• Red Cross
• Check with your local fire department, churches, synagogues and schools, to see if they are hosting clothing donation drop offs

TOYS

Make room for what Santa brings! Sort through old toy boxes in your home. Get your kids involved in sorting through their things so they get to learn the ultimate gift – the gift of giving!

What to Donate:

• Gently used, unbroken toys or new toys that are unwrapped (it depends on the charity if a new toy is required so contact them first.)
• Stuffed animals
• Coloring books & crayons
• School supplies and stationery
• Hand held games
• Children’s books
• No toy guns or other violent toys

Where to Donate:

• Toys for Tots. Find your local Toys for Tots drop off locations here
• Local children’s hospitals & hospitals
• Local Boys & Girls Club
• Many local shelters or children’s charities accept toy donations. Use this Homeless Shelter Directoryto find shelters in your area
• Organizations like My Stuff Bagsand Stuffed Animals for Emergencies offer children a familiar object in times of crisis
• Check with your local fire department, churches, synagogues, and schools, to see if they are hosting toy donation drives
• Other places to check includechildren’s social services offices and often stores have a donation bin at the front entrance

HOUSEHOLD GOODS & FURNITURE

Not only are your old things finding a new life, you’re making room for the new and clearing space for holiday entertaining.

What to Donate:

• Gently used furniture
• Antiques, collectibles
• Appliances (small)
• Artwork
• Bedspreads, blankets, curtains, tablecloths, decorative pillows
• Bicycles
• Books, records, tapes, CDs, DVDs
• Cookware, dishes, pots and pans
• Housewares and decorative items
• Jewelry
• Sporting goods

Where to Donate:

• Habitat for Humanity ReStore
• Goodwill
• Salvation Army
• Epilepsy Foundation
• Veteran organizations
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• Red Cross

CELL PHONES

Clean out the old gadget drawer!

What to Donate:

• Old smart phones & tablets (Make sure to clear your data from it first!)

Where to Donate:

• Visit sites like com and CellPhoneBank.org where you can donate your old smartphone to someone that needs it

GIFT CARDS

Keep your drawers clutter free!

What to Donate:

• Re-gift the gift cards you are given by turning them into charitable donations.

Where to Donate:

• Visit sites like org where you can exchange your retail gift cards for a charity donation. You will receive a tax receipt for the entire full value or residual balance of your card

VEHICLES

Open up a parking space for Santa’s sleigh!

What to Donate:

• Car
• Truck
• RV
• Boat
• Motorcycle
• Trailer

Where to Donate:

• Habitat for Humanity Cars for Homes
• Salvation Army
• Kars 4 Kids
• Wheels for Wishes
• Cars Helping Veterans.org
• Goodwill

Don’t forget it’s the end of the year!

Tidy up those 2022 taxes by making a tax-deductible donation to a favorite local charity or these deserving nonprofit organizations:

• Claire’s Place Foundation: Founded by thirteen-year-old Claire Wineland who was born with cystic fibrosis, the foundation provides financial assistance to families so they can afford to sit bedside while their family member is in the hospital
• Hands and Hearts of Hope: Supports homeless college students, most of whom were emancipated from the foster system and left without resources
• Miry’s List: Provides essential household needs to families who have recently resettled in the United States as vetted refugees from war torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the Ukraine
• My Stuff Bags Foundation: Fills overnight bags with new belongings to provide comfort and hope to children who were rescued from abandonment, abuse, domestic violence, homelessness or neglect

Once you have cleared the clutter and given to those who will actually use and need your unwanted items, your heart and home will be filled with love & joy. Afterall, giving with love is the true meaning of the holidays!

Laura McHolm is a home organization, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services.   www.northstarmoving.com

Staging Tips to Sell Your Home This Spring

Before listing your property, consider that proper staging is one of the most important factors in enhancing your home’s appeal and most flattering features.

Whether on television, at an open house or on the pages of a magazine, we’ve all seen stunningly outfitted estates that deliver a true wow factor – and listing price – that properties without staging just cannot match. Buyers quickly fall in love with homes that have a strong character while wordlessly conveying the lifestyle they would enjoy if they lived there. Before listing your property, consider that proper staging is one of the most important factors in enhancing your home’s appeal and most flattering features.

First Things First

 In order to entice potential buyers, you must think outside the box – but to start, examine what needs to be done to get your home in showplace shape. Check under older carpets for lovely hardwood, survey the ceiling for cracks or leaks to seal, consider having the pool or tennis court resurfaced and focus on boosting your curb appeal. Once your home is a clean slate, you are ready to begin.

 Neutral Rules

When using achromatic tones on painted walls and furniture, ensure that the staging pieces do not distract from the form of the home. When staging for luxury, color psychology can signal buyers that they’re working with a discerning seller who has elevated the home to its full, indulgent potential.

In the world of interior design, fashion and luxury vehicles, neutral colors have always made a recognizable statement of power, sophistication and confidence. Once you’re prepared to stage your home, you’ll want to highlight those qualities with the crème de la crème of design – blacks, grays and whites.

While buyers will always notice houses with splashy displays, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will find them appropriate for their tastes. Staging experts often use furniture, rugs and paint in neutral hues (also consider beige and pale, cool colors) to help buyers overlay their own creations onto the scene and more easily discover the home could be the perfect fit.

Character Is King

Often, a seamless introduction to the home involves pairing décor with architectural personality. Envision how Old-World pillars and stonework are beautifully complemented by gold-framed art and Turkish rugs, and contemporary interiors effortlessly show off leather, wool or velvet furnishings and unique accents as statement pieces. When hiring an interior designer to get the job done, seek out a professional with not only expertise, but also an imaginative mindset.

Now to address spatial issues. For smaller sitting rooms, offices or charming nooks, instead of cluttering the area to make it appear as if much can be done with the layout, take a more minimalist approach to ensue that each individual piece has room to breathe and directs attention to the space itself.

On the other hand, if you have a cavernous room, think about creative ways to section it off and separate it into more manageable areas with rugs or furniture in unique arrangements. The same approach can be applied to unusually shaped rooms.

Attractive Accents

While a visually busy room is an easily avoided faux pas, keep in mind that going completely neutral is not the answer either. In order to strike that oh-so-delicate balance between sensible furnishings and handsome décor, decorate with stylish accents that lend a perfect finish to any lifestyle.

Any artwork on display should be minimal and tasteful, so buyers can easily picture how they will customize the space on their own, and personal items like family pictures, sports memorabilia and other personal items should be stored.

When a buyer enters your front door and explores the home room by room, they’ll be thinking about how they will personalize it with their own touches, and how much of a transformation might be needed to get it suited for them. With beautiful furnishings in place and just the right level of flair, they won’t have to work very hard to visualize their new life – and that gets them one step closer to making your house their new home.