Has your home space become more of a storage space?

By ANNETTE JOYCE

Let’s face it, if you’re like most people, you’re pretty attached to all your “stuff.” But realistically, after accumulating so much of it over the years, you probably have a whole lot more than you need.

Just take a few minutes to look around.

Did you somehow manage to collect three or four sets of dishes? How about all those duplicate kitchen utensils? Still have outgrown kids’ clothes in the closet that never got passed on? And what about all those books that you’ll never read a second time? Got some worn out or unused electronics?

In the words of Shakespeare, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” However, the joys of an uncluttered living space are well worth the effort of sorting through and letting go of all that unused and unneeded “stuff” that surrounds you.

If the list of unnecessary items surrounding you goes on and on, it may be time to take a deep breath and ask yourself a few questions (which you must promise to answer honestly). Let’s start with this one: do you find it difficult to relax in your home because of all the clutter?

And here are a few more: are you constantly moving the same items from one location to another without ever using them? Do you spend an unreasonable amount of time cleaning – or just simply find the task of navigating around so much stuff too overwhelming to even start?

If so, a clutter clean-out can bring your home back to an orderly state and make it a more enjoyable place to hang out.

The idea of decluttering can be daunting for many people because they not only don’t know where to start, but they’re also at a loss when it comes to knowing what to do with the items they’re willing to part with. Family members often aren’t interested in our possessions, and yard sales are time-consuming and usually not worth the effort, at least in terms of the dollars collected for the items sold. Discarding items that still have value can be especially hard. Or maybe you just don’t have time to take them to a place where they can be sorted and prepared for reuse.

With that in mind, we talked to readers and did some research of our own to find out how you can reduce your clutter and even put it to good use. And along with clearing out your living and work space, you may also be able to make a few dollars. Regardless, ridding your home of unwanted and unneeded items can help other people and help the environment by keeping them out of the landfill.

Clothing

Start by taking a close look at your closet. Are there clothes still in style, but you’ve only worn them once or twice, and maybe not in a few years? Do some still have the price tags on them? And what about your kids’ clothes – are you holding onto outfits that your child wore as a toddler, but she’s about to finish elementary school?

It’s time to let go and possibly make a few dollars in the process. Selling clothes – and just about anything, for that matter – online has become a popular pastime, and even a side business for some people.

Online sites such as Poshmark, Depop, Mecari and eBay offer a forum for people to buy and sell their new, gently worn or vintage fashions.

Oak Ridge resident Val Kepley has been successful using eBay and Poshmark for years to not only sell her items, but get some incredible bargains as well.

“Lately I’ve been selling a lot of stuff on eBay, but I’ve done well on Poshmark too,” Kepley said. “Once I’ve gotten tired of something or actually haven’t used it, selling online is a great way to recycle and make a few dollars at the same time.”

If you’re not interested in selling online, donating to a charitable organization not only gets rid of the overflow in your home but helps others as well. While Goodwill is a popular choice, there are a multitude of other nonprofits that accept second-hand clothing and other items and use the proceeds from sales to support specific causes.

For instance, Next Step Ministries’ thrift store in Kernersville helps provide funds to assist victims of domestic violence. Hannah’s Haven thrift store in Greensboro raises money to help women dealing with addiction. And in Summerfield, proceeds from Tabitha’s Closet thrift store help provide housing for women who have been released from prison and are working to turn their lives around.

Wedding gowns

After the wedding is over, many brides have their gowns painstakingly preserved with the idea that a future daughter might one day wear those precious garments. Unfortunately, very few modern brides are interested in this option; in the meantime, those boxed gowns sit in the closet collecting dust and taking up space because the owners can’t bear to part with them.

One way to reuse these beautiful and delicate dresses is to donate them to NICU Helping Hands’ Angel Gown program.

The program, which started in 2013, provides support for bereaved families who have lost a baby, by providing them with a dainty, custom-made gown for final photos and burial services.

Angel gowns are made by a team of about 180 seamstresses across the nation. According to the organization’s website, “our garments are a gift of love from both a bride and a seamstress to honor not only a precious baby but their family as well.” continued on page 22

Gowns are accepted on an as-needed basis and there is currently a waitlist. For more information and/or to add your name to the waitlist, visit nicuhelpinghands.org/programs/ angel-gown-program.

Backyard Chickens

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The family collects about eight eggs a day, some of which wind up scrambled for breakfast as well as ingredients in baking recipes prepared by the children.

“It has turned up their cooking skills,” Cody said.

As with most chicken-raising families, the birds’ security is a primary concern for the Kampens. Their 10 hens and rooster live in a backyard coop with doors on two sides.

One opens to the fenced area where the chickens roam during the day. It is covered by lightweight bird netting to discourage hawks and possums from attacking the birds.

On the other side of the coop is an enclosure made of heavy wire where the flock gathers at dusk when the risk of predators increases. The birds are closed up in the coop at night.

The rooster also protects the flock, keeping an eye open for hawks when the hens are roaming in the yard and making sure they have entered the enclosure at dusk, according to Andy.

Despite the precautions, the Kam- pens have lost chickens over the years. They came close to losing another bird a few years ago after a hawk swooped down and nearly decapitated it. An emergency medical procedure saved the hen, but not all have been so lucky. The family maintains a chicken cemetery in the woods behind their house.

“We’ve had a lot of turnover,” Cody said, echoing the experience of other families who’ve lost chickens to a range of predators, including foxes and coyotes.

As he starts his flock, Oak Ridge retiree David Laird is taking precautions as he reconnects to his Mississippi childhood when his family raised chickens.

One afternoon last week, Laird emerged from Summerfield Feed Mill with a water dispenser in one hand and a feed dispenser in the other for his young flock of Jersey Giants, a breed valued for both eggs and meat.

“We’re going to use them for eggs until they stop laying and then probably eat them and start over,” Laird said.

Until the birds’ final days, he said, they’re going to be safe from predators.

“I jokingly say I didn’t build a chicken coop; I built a chicken vault,” he said. “No critters are going to get in there.”

The 8-by-7-foot coop is elevated, with the wire enclosure underneath and extending out front, according to Laird. The wire is secured at the ground by treated lumber set in a trench and covered by dirt.

“I don’t think a mouse can get inside of it,” Laird said.

The flock’s safety isn’t the only concern when raising the birds. For health reasons, people should limit their interactions with chickens.

“Backyard poultry specifically can have salmonella germs in their poop and on their bodies, even when they look healthy and clean,” said Dr. Kathy Benedict, a veterinarian epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) who was quoted in a CNN article in January.

The CDC urged parents to prevent their children under the age of 5 from touching the birds, while also supervising the interaction of older children with the animals.

In Summerfield, predators have been the biggest threat to Joshua and Brandon Daughtry’s flock. The owners of Pecan Grove Farm are raising about 70 hens on about three acres, along with an assortment of animals including Kunekune pigs, rabbits, ducks, two cats and seven dogs.

The chickens are no longer allowed to roam freely in the backyard after some died from being snatched by hawks, taken up in the air and dropped back to earth.

“That made for a pretty gruesome and unfortunate situation,” said Brandon, explaining that construction of a “chicken tunnel” in the yard allows the birds to roam without risk of predators.

Running for about 100 feet, the tunnel is actually located above ground. It consists of wire rolled in the shape of a half-moon secured to the ground. Chickens enter the tunnel from the fenced enclosure, allowing them to wander away from the coop, then turn around and come back inside.

The chickens produce as many as 50 eggs a day, enough for the Daughtrys to set up a stand at the end of their driveway to sell via social media. Aside from the eggs they eat, they’ve sold some eggs sporadically and given others away in the past.

Nick Robinson, 15, of Summerfield earns $20 a week caring for his family’s dozen hens and a turkey named Tammy. Aside from feeding and watering daily, he hooks up the coop to a tractor once a week and pulls it 10 feet across the yard to provide fresh grass to the chickens.

“We tried free ranging, but they laid eggs all over the property and roosted in the barn,” said Nick’s mother, Janelle.

Nick said tending the flock is a mix between “a chore” and “fun.” Through the experience, he’s learned some lessons – such as generosity.

“We get so many eggs that we give many away,” he said.

want to learn more?

For more info about raising chickens, search online for “backyard chickens” at N.C. Cooperative Extension’s website, guilford.ces.ncsu.edu.

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Books, music, games and more

As you’re inspecting your home for clutter, do you notice items like books, CDs, DVDs, video games –and heaven forbid, VHS tapes – are taking up an outrageous amount of space? Unless you just like having your own library, or you read books more than once, it’s a good idea to pass them on once you’ve read them. Same goes for those CDs and DVDs that have been replaced by streaming services.

A new home for these items can be found at Edward McKay Used Books and More, a secondhand store that sells used books, CDs, movies, video games, consumer electronics, board games and more.

Located on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro (with another location in Winston-Salem), Edward McKay gets its inventory by purchasing from people who want to pass along their stuff. All you have to do is take your items to the store’s front desk and stick around for a bit while the employees cull through it and select what they want to keep, then offer you a price for purchasing them.

In return, you have the choice of cash or store credit. And as for items they don’t want to buy, they’ll either offer them back to you, or place them in their free bin for anyone else who might want them at no charge.

There are some items the store isn’t interested in (sorry, you’ll have to find another way to pass along all those VHS tapes) To find out what’s a go and what’s a no, check out the store’s website at mckaybooks.com.

Anything and everything

For years, Craigslist and eBay were the go-to sites for selling almost anything imaginable. In the last few years, that’s changed as Facebook Marketplace and Facebook groups have made the selling process easier and more convenient.

Anyone with a Facebook account can use these formats without paying a fee. Marketplace connects people both locally and nationally, while Facebook groups are local and allow you to be more selective about who you’re dealing with. Merchandise for sale varies widely, and includes everything from houses and vehicles to dolls and vegetables.

Stokesdale resident Casey Stone has been successful on both Marketplace and Facebook groups, as well as on her personal Facebook page.

“I’ve sold a lot of kids clothes, toys and shoes through the groups,” she said. “I list my higher-priced items, i.e., anything over $100, on Marketplace since there’s a larger audience.”

Overall, Stone has had a good experience with this selling process. However, she did mention that she would never post another vehicle. Just a couple of weeks ago, she and her husband, Phillip, posted a car for sale and were bombarded with lowball offers and potential scammers.

They finally gave up and checked out a couple of national car dealers.

“We ended up going with Carmax,” she said. “Everything was online. It was so much better. We made the deal online, dropped off our car and they gave us a check.”

Costume jewelry

Ah, yes, about that costume jewelry. Even though it usually goes out of style very quickly, many people have an extensive collection and they’re reluctant to get rid of it. Unfortunately, this type of trendy jewelry doesn’t sell well on the online sites and sometimes it’s hard to even give it away.

Debbie Crews of Kernersville found herself with an abundance of costume jewelry when her mother passed away, and not many options as to what to do with it. Because of its sentimental value, she didn’t want to just throw it away.

“Mom had a lot of costume jewelry. It didn’t have any value except being sentimental to me,” Crews said.

After poking around a little on Facebook, Crews stumbled upon Bree’s Trees, an artist who converts costume jewelry into beautiful works of art. It takes about 10 pounds of jewelry to create these beautiful pieces, and it provides an excellent way to repurpose the jewelry and have something gorgeous and sentimental to decorate your home.

Buy nothing

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to get rid of the stuff you don’t want is to post it with one of Facebook’s Buy Nothing groups. These are people who are committed to spend nothing on the things they need or want.

All you do is post the items you want to get rid of, then confirm that people interested in them can have them and you’ll place them out for easy pickup.

Kepley is a big proponent of this group.

“It’s a great way to reduce consumerism and waste, help the environment and help someone else as well,” said Kepley, who has given away clothes, books, light fixtures and even a mattress. “You also don’t have to haul anything away or pay someone else to do it.”

Stone has also considered these groups. She likes the convenience they offer, but uses another service, Pickup Please, which is the pickup service for Vietnam Veterans of America, a nonprofit that supports our American service members.

“If I’m not selling the items, I usually donate to the veterans,” Stone said. “I sign up online at PickupPlease.org. They come to my house and I don’t have to deal with driving anywhere, I just put it in my driveway.” will forever be grateful to Phillip, Dawn and the entire staff at A New Dawn Realty for their kindness and professionalism!

Parting with your possessions can be a daunting task, especially when you want to do more than just throw things in the trash. We’ve only touched on a few ideas that can help make the process a little more satisfying – and maybe even profitable. Knowing that you’ve found a good place for some of your unused possessions can be a great feeling, so go ahead, dig in and before you know it you’ll be enjoying the comforts of uncluttered space.

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