In our home, we celebrate the Lent Season before Easter. I was raised celebrating Lent and have carried on the wonderful tradition with my children.
As a family, we always choose one thing to give up and one thing to add to our daily routine. We usually choose extra prayers and extra chores we can do around the house. It can also be a good time to declutter your closets, fridge, or pantry.
Lent can help you create a new habit of decluttering for the future.
I recently saw a really great idea on Facebook – a preacher gave each member of his congregation a black trash bag. He instructed them to add 1 thing from their closet each day for 40 days. By the time Easter came around, they had chosen 40 things to donate to someone in need and they had a cleaner closet!
Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you are choosing what to give away:
When is the last time I wore this?
- If you have not worn it in a year or two, I say give it away!
Does the article of clothing fit anymore?
- If it’s something you are hanging onto, thinking maybe one day I will fit into again…DONATE IT. Again, if you haven’t worn it in years, it’s time to give it away! If you do go back to that size, you can get something new!
Is this something I will want to wear soon?
- If it’s not in season, question whether or not it will be something you will wear when it is. If not, donate it!
Be honest with yourself about your clothes and know that it might have a better home with someone else. This will help you give things away!
I tend to experience guilt when giving things away. I’ll admit, it’s a challenge for me. I will think, “Nope, my mom bought me this” or “My sister let me have this and I can’t get rid of it”. Instead, we need to focus on the good of decluttering and donating the items to someone who needs them more than you do!
You can also use this trash bag idea for decluttering your kitchen cabinets! If your home is anything like mine, we have a ton of Tupperware and cups! I mean, where do they come from?! Declutter by donating items you never use – maybe any chipped china, extra coffee cups you…things like that.
Organizemyhouse.com has great tips on how to declutter for Lent. She even provides a printable PDF page that has a check list of things you can do around the house to declutter. And who doesn’t love a check list?
It can take 21 days to create a new habit and what a great habit to have. Taking time to not only clean and declutter your home, but also to give to those in need. It’s a great idea for a family activity!
If you celebrate Lent, what are some of your family’s traditions/ideas for this season?
Susan Ingram, OWL Blogger
