It’s National Give Something Away Day, a perfect day to share this month’s decluttering update. The idea behind the day is to encourage people to be thoughtful and generous while helping others. But, what if someone doesn’t want the item you’re trying to give away? And how should you respond when someone tries to give you something you don’t want? Those tricky scenarios are the focus of this month’s update.
52-Week Decluttering Challenge
At the beginning of this year, I decided to go back and start the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge from the beginning. Each month, I share a decluttering update with my progress and any tips and learnings from the month.
If you missed last year’s challenge, here are some links to help you get started.
- 52-Week Decluttering Challenge – Free printable
- Week 1 – Easy decluttering checklist
- Looking back on a year of decluttering
- And, if you just want to jump in and declutter a specific area, you can find links to all the weekly tips and posts on the main Decluttering page.
What I decluttered in June
In June, I revisited weeks 23 to 26 of the decluttering challenge. Here are links to last year’s posts if you’re looking for tips and ideas for these areas:
In total, I decluttered 26 items last month. Here’s a sampling of some of the items I got rid of.
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When it’s good to give something away…and when it isn’t
One of the difficult things about decluttering is deciding what to do with useful items you no longer need. I hate the idea of sending a ton of trash to the landfill, so I always try to be thoughtful when decluttering.
In 5 ways to turn your junk into treasure, I shared alternatives to filling garbage bags and simply tossing useful items aside. One of the options is to give things away to family and friends. But is that really a good idea?
Decluttering expert Marie Kondo says you should never pawn your clutter off on other people. This is one of the few areas where I agree with Marie’s approach…at least in principle.
Over the years, I’ve had lots of well-meaning relatives give me stuff they wanted to get rid of. Sometimes, they were doing their own decluttering. Other times, they tried to give me something they picked up at a garage sale, found in the laundry room of their apartment building, or received from someone else.
Occasionally, I was grateful to receive something useful. More often than not, though, I really didn’t want the item, but didn’t want to offend the person by saying no, so I awkwardly took it.
In most situations, the giver has good intentions and really thinks they’re being helpful. That awkward, guilty feeling we’ve all had, though, is a reminder of the importance of being thoughtful and gracious when offering items to family or friends.
Ask but don’t force
If you have something useful you want to give away, and you have a family member or friend that you think could use it, by all means offer it to them.
They may gratefully, or even excitedly, take the item off your hands. In that case, feel good about helping them out. However, be prepared that they may say no. If they say they don’t want something, don’t force it on them. Above all, don’t make them feel guilty for saying no, or they may just take the item off your hands to avoid hurting your feelings, and then put it out to the curb on the next garbage day.
Ultimately, be respectful when trying to give something away. Let’s face it, if you’ve decided you no longer have a use for an item, there’s a good chance the person you’re trying to give it to will feel the same way. You’re far better off to sell the item, post it on your local Buy Nothing page, donate it to a local charity shop, or simply send it to landfill yourself.
I plan to celebrate National Give Something Away Day by dropping this box of useful items off at my local thrift store.
And, if someone tries to celebrate the day by giving me something that I don’t want, I will politely say no and offer to drop it off at the thrift store for them.
How do you respond when someone tries to give you something you don’t want? Tell me your thoughts below.
I love decluttering. Seems I’m due a trip to a Goodwill drop off. 🙂
Decluttering is so satisfying, isn’t it? I am just about to load my box in my car and head to the thrift store.
Very much so. We do a full house purge every New Years Eve, but it can happen more frequently! 🙂
Yes to this post! I think the best thing we can do if we have a pile of items we THINK a friend might want is not to give but to ask. This way, the potential receiver can say no. I do this all the time with my friends and they with me. It works wonderfully and no one ends up taking a pile of things they will just get rid of. 🙂
Totally agree Jaya. There’s nothing wrong with passing things along if they are wanted and needed!
We have a friend who can’t visit without bringing a gift, or bag of gifts. Usually they are treasures she found at a thrift store. We had a box of K’s Gifts and donated it back to the thrift store when we moved away.
Oh I can relate. We have family members who, despite agreeing to a no gift policy, can’t resist giving “a little something”. I don’t like to be ungrateful, but I don’t need more stuff.