Do you love the idea of decluttering but find it too hard to let go of things? Maybe you find yourself making a start but every time you pick something up you think ‘it’s too good for the op shop’ then put it down again. If this sounds familiar, our staff at Meier Paul suggest a Gifting Party might be just the thing to get you (and your friends!) inspired to declutter…
What’s a Gifting Party?
A gifting party is a low-stress way to let go of your possessions — and what makes is so much fun is that you invite your friends to join you on your decluttering journey. Here’s how it works…
- Pick a time of the week that works for you and your friends, allowing about 3 hours.
- Invite your girlfriends over and tell them to bring everything they don’t need any more. You know… the stuff that you move out of the way when you open a cupboard to get to something behind it… the stuff you keep but you never use? That stuff.
- Invite your friends to bring drinks and nibbles as well — because it’s a party!
There are 2 simple rules for a Gifting Party
- Everything your friends bring, they need to be ready to let go of, freely.
- Nothing is to be left at your home at the end of the day — after all, you don’t want to end up with everyone else’s excess stuff when the idea is to get rid of your own!
What sort of things can people bring?
Just about anything and everything! Clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, jewellery, artworks, nick-nacks, kitchen items, books, tech stuff, small furniture, kids toys and more. And don’t forget the beauty cupboard! After all, we’ve all got shampoos, perfumes, hair and beauty products we’ve bought that weren’t quite right for us but that we didn’t want to just throw away. Here’s the chance to pass them on to someone who will use them.
3 tips to help you make your Gifting Party a real success
- Having between 5 and 10 people there on the day is a good number – enough to create good energy and to bring a good variety of items, but not so many that it gets overwhelming. (Of course, if you have a huge home, feel free to invite more friends!)
- Allocate different areas of your home for different types of items, e.g. clothes in the bedroom (set up a mirror), kitchen items in one spot, books in another, etc.
- At the end of the day, have people volunteer to take away excess items to donate to their favourite op shop, church or charity. Remember, nothing is to be left at your place.
A Gifting Party keeps on giving!
There’s something really nice about visiting a friend and seeing one of your pre-loved nick-nacks decorating their home. Or maybe they’re wearing an item of clothing or jewellery that came from your party. It’s quite heart-warming. One warning though — gifting parties can be addictive so don’t be at all surprised if some of your friends take it on, host one of their own and spread the word.
Let us know how your Gifting Party goes
At Meier Paul, we’d love to hear from you if you have a Gifting Party. Please send us your photos to admin@meierpaul.com.au and we’ll post them on a blog. Who knows who might be inspired by you to have a Gifting Party of their own!
