Legend had it in my hometown that a boy named Joel wrote the band The Dead Milkmen a fan letter in the late 1980s, and a few weeks later the band sent him a package in return. His fan letter allegedly requested that the band send him some mementos from their homes that he could have and value as keepsakes. Not wanting to let down their “biggest fan,” as Joel’s letter had proclaimed, they put together a box full of goodies for him to treasure.
The box was filled up with some of The Dead Milkmen’s clutter — a random dirty sock, the plastic wrap off of a pack of cigarettes, some bottle caps, a magnet, etc.
I don’t know if the story is true (20 years does weird things with history), but I like to think that it is. I like the idea of being able to box up things that I no longer need (quality goods, that is, not cigarette wrappers) and give them to someone who can appreciate them. Although I don’t have a fan club to happily receive my clutter, I can have a similar experience by donating my lightly used goods to charity.
Throughout the United States there are thousands of charities that accept goods for distribution or to sell. About a year ago, the Real Simple television show did a roundup of many of these national organizations. If you missed the episode, view the exhaustive five-page list here. It is a nice collection of groups that are always looking for donations.
For our neighbors to the north, Charity Village has a list of Canadian organizations that also accept used items.
Yes, I love waffles. Who doesn’t? But am I going to run out and buy an appliance to make waffles a handful of times a year? The answer for all of us trying to unclutter their lives should be, “No.” For those of you that already own a waffle maker when is the last time you used it? If it isn’t in the last month or two you should probably get rid of it.
If you’re looking for a modular storage system for a home or office environment, and you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg for industrial quality, you should definitely consider looking at 
Always remember: the key to keeping a home uncluttered is to never let anything cross the threshold of your home unless it’s something that you know you need or that you know you will love and cherish for a long time to come. Before you buy a new knick-knack, ask yourself whether you need it and, if you don’t, whether you’ll love it and use it.
A way to keep clothing from cluttering up your life and taking over your bedroom is to have only a basic wardrobe. Stocking your closet with essential pieces limits frustration and saves you time and energy. A 
If one were going to make a reductio ad absurdum argument in opposition to the tenets of sustainable architecture, the result might manifest itself in the form of 
My friend recently renovated a previously unused area in her home and kept her dog Jenny in mind when she was making plans for the room. One of the many things that she did was create a clutter-free eating area for her puppy.
In her book 
A way to keep clothing from cluttering up your life and taking over your bedroom is to have only a basic wardrobe. Stocking your closet with essential pieces limits frustration and saves you time and energy. An upcoming post will focus on the elements of the basic wardrobe for a woman, so watch for it in a few days. This post targets the items for a man’s closet.