Weekly Shhhout-Out

The long dark hours of winter spur my industrious side; I spend less time outside and more time inside gazing at the piles of clutter I keep meaning to organize once and for all. Many folks find themselves in the same situation and even retailers push “home storage solutions” at this time of the year. MCPL has plenty of help and inspiration for you.  We have a good selection of titles that not only offer suggestions for getting and staying organized, but also for blending storage into your home décor. Browse the catalog using keywords “storage in the home” (without quotation marks) or head to your local branch and browse the non-fiction stacks in person, starting with 643.7’s and 648.8’s.  Pictured below are some of the titles you might find:

 

                      

                       

For items you can’t organize into submission, consider selling them and earn a little extra cash. Selling Online 2.0 by Michael Miller describes the various online retailers where you can set up an account to do the selling yourself. You could also pack things into boxes and wait for warm weather to have a yard sale (but that means keeping the clutter, neatly packed though it might be, in your home for another few months). Consignment stores accept items for resale and pay you a portion of the proceeds. These stores generally have strict standards for what they will accept and the terms for selling, so it is best to contact them for the details before you go. Another option is donating the items to a local thrift store.  Many thrift stores use profits to support local charities or non-profit organizations and will supply you with a receipt so that you can count your donations as a tax deduction.

 

Are unwanted books part of your clutter? (Can a book really ever be unwanted??) Many MCPL branches can accept small quantities of books (the rule of thumb is one grocery bag or smallish box) but check with your local branch first to see if they will accept donations. The Friends of the Library have several used bookstores and these stores can accept larger donations. Visit FOL used bookstores web page for more information and to find a location near you.

 

Another option for unwanted books is to create something new from them. Artist Brian Dettmer does really incredible things with books. Or you can buy a book about repurposing your books.  You can search Pinterest for “repurposed books” for inspiration to create your own projects. Pinterest, if you have not already discovered it on your own, is an online bulletin board that lets you collect groups of images and the web links to which they lead.  (Warning: be prepared to spend a lot more time than you expect on Pinterest… it is addictive!)