Getting By
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The annual RECYCLING BONANZA is back this year. It will be held Saturday, May 1, 2021 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Dedman Foundation Animal Shelter at 2400 High Street in Fort Benton. We will be accepting recyclable scrap metal and appliances, household batteries (sorted by chemical type), clothing and shoes (gently used or better), paint (usable condition, all kinds), steel canned food cans (rinsed and label removed), aluminum cans, tabs removed from the aluminum cans, mixed paper including copy/printer paper, newspapers and magazines, cardboard, eye glasses and…electronic waste (computers, cell phones, printers, office equipment, etc). Please be aware fees will be charged for CRT and LCD screens and devices requiring data destruction. If you have items you are not able to transport to Fort Benton, if you give our office a call, we are willing to work out a plan to get those items to the Recycling Bonanza.
If you are looking to tidy up your living space or downsize, the Recycling Bonanza will give you a place to take those unwanted items. If you have some spare moments or the weather forces you inside, consider the below information to help you sort what should go, what should stay and, if it stays, where it goes.
Start by making a list of areas in your home which need tidying up and prioritize these areas. It will be important to finish one area before beginning another.
Next, the purging begins. One suggestion is to use the four-box method by taking three large boxes (labelled “Put Away”, “Give Away/Sell” and “Storage”) and a large trash can. Sort your items accordingly into the boxes or trash can. Take into consideration, if you have not used the item for an extended period of time, are you going to miss it if you decide to give it away or sell it? On the other hand, if it is more easily accessible, you may end up using it much more than when it was amongst other things. You will need to decide the extent to which you want to purge. Even if it is a minimal amount, it is still less than before as long as you do not add something new. Try the OCI-OGO (one comes in – one goes out) rule.
Other suggestions:
- Everything should have its own spot where it belongs.
- Label boxes and containers on all sides so you can easily locate items and know where to put away items you removed.
- Place trash cans in every room.
- Place the “Give Away” box in your vehicle and deliver it as soon as you can.
- For items you decide to sell, plan to have the sale or place the ads in the very near future to get rid of them as soon as possible.
- Turn all your clothes hangers so the hooks are going the same direction. As you wear an item, turn the clothes hanger in the opposite direction when you place it back in the closet. After some time, look to see which items on the hangers did not get turned around. These are the clothing items you did not wear. This may be an indicator they can be removed from your closet.
- Keep a toy basket in every room for quick clean ups—for pets too.
Be intentional about organization and when you have found the system which works for you, make it part of your daily routine. Try committing 10 minutes each day to putting things where they belong.
To learn more, contact Janell at the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3036, janellb@montana.edu or in the green building next to the Chouteau County Courthouse at 1308 Franklin St in Fort Benton.
Follow us on Facebook @ChouteauCountyExtension to keep up to date on what is happening in Chouteau County Extension and 4-H.
Montana State University, US Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.
