You guessed it. Today we are going to let go of 17 toys. I am having two of my kiddos tidy their rooms today, and I am going to ask you to do the same. Easter is right around the corner and lots of kids are given some new things from family members, egg hunts, and the bunny himself, over Easter weekend. Does your child have room for these new things? If you don’t have kiddos, I still wouldn’t be surprised if you had toys. For some reason these are things that people like to hang on to!
Here are the four main reasons you are hanging on to toys you don’t need.
- Toys can be expensive. – So painfully true. You also seem to get what you pay for. Start by letting go of the cheapy ones. Toys that come with the meal, cereal box, or birthday party are usually easier to get rid of for most folks.
- Toys last longer than their use. – I’m not talking about an heirloom toy like a good set of blocks or a wooden kitchen set that can be used for babies until they are embarrassed to admit to playing with toys. I’m talking about the toys that are connected to a fleeting childhood whim – ones that are marketed to a particular tv show (PawPatrol) or fad (Shopkins). The toy will still be in useable shape and your child will be done with it.
- Toys are sometimes able to link us to a memory of someone little playing with them. – We all have memories of a cute little kiddo playing with a particular toy. You will not lose the memory if the toy goes away. Think of another family that will be able to make memories if you sell or donate that toy. No one is going to remember a toy sitting in storage.
- Toys are held on to for the next generation. – With the exception a few very high quality wooden/ natural toys, no toys should be held on to for this long. Old toys are not as safe and sometimes chemically hazardous to our children. Taking pictures of the toys will sometimes give you the connection to the toy without having to keep the toy itself.
Please include your child in this process! It is a life skill to be able to look at possessions and let go of the ones that are not serving us. Teaching this young is so important to growing emotionally stable, mentally healthy adults. If a child is ready to let something go, don’t guilt them over it. If you are NOT ready, that is your problem, not theirs. Move that item out of their personal space and into yours.
Kids are often able to make these decisions easily. If this is not an easy process for your child, make limits on the space for items (you can keep whatever cars you want as long as they fit in this container) or (this shelf can hold 5 puzzles, which ones are your favorites). Honoring their decisions is very important. They WILL value things differently than you. This might make you feel sorry for the money you spent on these toys. That is okay. Forgive yourself and learn from your past mistakes.
Toys R Us did close and for reasons you might not expect. We didn’t stop buying too many toys! To hear Dave Ramsey’s take on why Toys R Us closed watch this video.
And for help with your personal financial situation, keep watching his videos. I think they are very easy to understand and helpful in most every financial circumstance. We are on baby step number 3 in our house.
In an upcoming post, I will share my kiddos Easter baskets, like I did last year. I want to give you permission to live within your means and provide your children with minimal, high-quality items. (The ones you don’t have to throw away!)
The AMAZINGLY SIMPLE way to help your kiddos declutter their toys.
simply,
bridgette
AMAZINGLY SIMPLE 