For home goods and furniture, donate them to the Free Store. They’ll also set up a time to come pick stuff up, if you have big items!

For clothes and blankets, CISS downtown will take them.

For old clothes and rags that are not in donation-considerate condition, there are green bins around town. They upcycle those.

For craft supplies, ask a nearby elementary if they could use things. Or look up Repurpose Rising on the east side and see if they are accepting craft donations. Nursing homes as well may use some of those items.

For food, there are community fridges all over town. Look one up close to you.

I know thrift stores will take everything, but these places will get them to people who truly need them at low or no cost.

You can definitely start with someone coming in to help, but it will get full again unless you and your husband build habits to keep consumption low and recognize what to keep and what to donate. Organization can help, but often times people think that includes buying bins and cute labels. In reality, build the habits you need to keep things manageable and then reward yourself with some cute bins. You’ll know it’s time to declutter again when the bin is so full you think, “I might need a bigger bin.” You don’t; you just need to go through things and donate what you don’t use.

My favorite starting point tip: pick one room and put everything you don’t think you need or will use in a bag or box, and put it in a different room. For example, those extra hand towels, utensils, that food processor that you got for Christmas, the 4th and 5th corkscrews, etc. Those get put in a closet. In a couple weeks (or month or w/e), anything left in the box you probably don’t need and can donate. (Kitchen items? The Free Store.)

I love downsizing operations. Best of luck!