Trick or Treat to Eliminate Clutter? You Betcha.

It’s trick or treat day and that means goodies galore. And though my take on this timely tradition does not actually entail a sweet, the results certainly are.

One night this past summer my mom asked for my help in tackling some clutter pockets around the house. Knowing how exhausting clearing clutter can be, I came up with a new game. We each got a paper grocery bag and headed out for some in-house trick or treating.

“The goal,” I said to Mom, “is to fill a bag. Then we get a treat.”

“What’s the treat?” she asked.

“We get to see an episode of Better Things,” I said, a TV show we love to watch together.

Mom was game. We took our bags and off we went. We hit the laundry room, the kitchen, the den, and her office. Opening drawers, looking inside closets, and rummaging in the back of cabinets, we filled the bags with both trash and stuff for donations like receipts, sweaters no longer worn, and cans of food that passed their expiration date.

We even went into the garage where my dad was polishing his car.

“Trick or treat!” we said, encouraging him to scrounge up a few rusty nails, smiling as each one rattled to the bottom of a bag.

Before we knew it, both bags were full and I had to run back to the kitchen for a third. Our game took about an hour and it never felt like work. It’s a simple trick really. By creating a goal of filling a bag, we removed the pressure of thinking we had to clear away clutter. Of course doing it together helped. Buddies bring motivation, a heap of laughter, and the best part? The treat of watching a favorite TV show with my mom about mothers and daughters.

Happy Halloween!