National Clutter Awareness Week — March 17-24. Time to clear your clutter and help disaster victims. They’ve lost everything they own. You own a lot of stuff you don’t use and it’s cluttering up your home. Feng Shui Diva! Robyn Bentley (robynbentley@fengshuidiva.com) suggests Americans transform their clutter into cash to help hurricane Katrina victims.

Open your eyes and look at all the stuff that’s cluttering up your home. Now think about what you actually need and what you could live without like CDs you don’t listen to, books you’ve finished, DVDs you don’t watch, video games you don’t play anymore, software, cameras, jewelry, clothing, collectibles, etc. You can take the things you don’t use or don’t really need and turn them into money to benefit the American Red Cross or other relief organizations. So even if you’re strapped for cash you probably have some valuable things cluttering up your home that can be used to help disaster victims.

Clearing your clutter will help you too. After you clear your clutter, your home will feel more positive and so will you. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Make A Date With Your Clutter — Be serious about getting rid of clutter. Set a day to start. Be reasonable with yourself about just how much you can accomplish. Give yourself a set amount of time to accomplish it.
2. Start Small — A big room might be too overwhelming so start with something small, like a drawer. Take it easy and do one thing, finish it, and then do another small thing.
3. Organize Your Stuff — Divide the big project of clearing clutter into smaller, more manageable clutter projects. Make a to do list and check items (2) things to sell for hurricane relief (3) gifts you’ll give to others (4) garbage.
4. Transforming Your Clutter Into Cash — There are a couple of ways to use your clutter for hurricane relief. You can sell your items on eBay and donate the proceeds to the American Red Cross or other relief groups. eBay has a special Giving Works program for charity listings where people can buy items that support nonprofit organizations. The items you auction will be grouped with other items that are specifically being auctioned to help charities. And shoppers can search for items that are being auctioned to help charities. But if you are unable to auction items online you can help out the old fashioned way by having a yard sale and donating the proceeds to the Red Cross or other relief organizations. You can also combine your items with friends and family and have a neighborhood, civic association or church sale.