#1 Shed Some Stuff
By Betsy Korona
Moving from New York City to the Berkshires with my fiancé and his kids required dealing with decades of family keepsakes in order to make physical—and emotional—space for our blended life. It started out as a daunting task and then, to my surprise, quickly turned into a county-wide adventure: driving scenic roads, meeting small business owners, earning a little extra cash, to say nothing of creating new family memories in the process. So, for the spring cleaners—longtime residents, weekenders and newbies alike—here are a few ideas to help you get rid of your stuff!
Kid Stuff Parting with baby stuff is the definition of sweet sorrow. I get it, the tiny bumble bee costume is impossibly adorable, but when struggling to let go, imagine the joy it will bring to the next family. Kidding Around in Pittsfield and Berkshire Baby in Great Barrington will take consignments of gently used children’s items from clothes to select furniture and toys. At Kidding Around, book an appointment for your first visit and get tips for future consigning. After that, drop off any time. Maternity clothes are also welcome. Berkshire Baby’s guidelines are posted on their website. For both, ensure items are clean, tear-free, and in working condition.
@kiddingaroundconsignment
berkshirebaby.square.site
Book Stuff There are books you keep forever and there are others you read and love (or don’t) and pass along. Your local library is an obvious option, but call first. Different libraries have different capacities and needs. The Lenox Library accepted our kids’ books—some for circulation, others for summer reading program prizes or the free books shelf for readers to take home. In other words, everybody wins. Libraries also offer so much more than books. Pittsfield’s and Dalton’s “Libraries of Things” loan out items ranging from portable solar panels and AV equipment to Wi-Fi hotspots and board games. Dalton Library director Janet Forest says “the best thing you can do to minimize waste is educate yourself on all that your library has to check out.” Interested in donating non-book items? Tom Jorgenson at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield suggests contacting the Reference Desk. If it’s in good condition, “the possibilities for Library of Things items are endless!”
Pet Stuff Cotton, our energetic and friendly hamster, passed away 15 years ago. We only recently discovered her cleaned cage, food dish, water bottle sipper, and a bag of fresh bedding. Berkshire Humane Society welcomed them gladly. Check out their Wish List page of needed supplies at berkshirehumane.org or give them a call, as needs change depending on the critters in residence.
Sharp Stuff Some items in our cleaning spree didn’t need rehoming—just a refresh. For gardening, Carr Hardware in Pittsfield sharpened our old loppers, shears, and machete back to life. Great Barrington native Brandon Taylor brings his popular Brooklyn-based Knife Bus back to GB six to eight times a year for same-day sharpening of knives, scissors, and tools. Mike Morton of E & M Knife Sharpening will resurrect your knives, scissors, and other shop tools at his Pittsfield-based workshop year round. Secure lockers allow for easy drop off and pickup. Mike notes, “A big part of my mission is showing that ‘repair and reuse’ can still be convenient and accessible in modern life.” And blade sharpening is just one of the fix-it services offered for free at the biannual Repair Café in Williamstown, organized by Rural Lands and South Williamstown Community Association. Volunteer “fixers” repair everything from wooden furniture to bikes to costume jewelry. The next RCafe is April 11.
carrhardware.com • @emknifesharpening
southwilliamstown.org • @greenpointknives
Music Stuff Retro tech, particularly vintage record stores, is having a moment, which means great options for rehoming your old-school vinyl, CD, and cassette collections. Seven Arts in Stockbridge, Rob’s Records in Great Barrington, Belltower Records in North Adams, and Berkshire Cat Records in Dalton will take a look at what you have and make a fair offer. If your collection’s big enough, they’ll even make a house call. It’s best to call or email for an appointment. And for music heads inclined to hold on to their dusty vinyl, Seven Arts offers record cleaning and warp repair services.
7artsmusic.com • robsrecordstore.com
belltowerrex.com • berkshirecatrecords.com
Facebook Marketplace Stuff I was sure local antique stores would jump at a few of our vintage furniture pieces. The reality? Polite rejections from Hudson to Great Barrington. By all means, try the antiques route—I met some incredible experts and learned a lot. Just know these curators of history have specific inventory needs, and your beloved credenza might not be what they’re looking for. Enter Facebook Marketplace. After a seven-year hiatus from FB, I logged on and learned how to list. Suffice it to say, the virtual bazaar is thriving in the Berkshires. We rehomed furniture, made some cash, and, best of all, met genuinely kind neighbors. Special thanks to people like Randye who made this newcomer feel welcome.
One final note about your stuff…
Be realistic. Good condition means good condition. Librarian Tom Jorgenson politely reminds, “If you would not use the item in its current state, the library cannot use it either.” Admit when an item has lived a full life—or many full lives—and isn’t in any shape to pass along. For sentimental favorites, try taking a picture of it, with it, or in it. When possible, clean out your stuff with a friend or loved one and make a new memory in the process. A snapshot of our 22-year-old having one last light saber battle with her bestie in the attic, and the mental image of her 20-year-old brother reading me his favorite “Elephant & Piggie” book a final time are memories I’ll treasure forever. The Berkshires has an entire ecosystem around reuse, repair, and recirculation. Letting go, it turns out, isn’t an ending—it’s a beginning.
#2 Move Smart
By Evelyn Battaglia
Time to come out of hibernation and toss out those fitness habits that were wonderful—in theory. Complicated routines are great and all, but only if you stick to them. Why not try a fitness tune-up that isn’t about doing more so much as doing more that moves you? “Think of fitness and exercise as a lifestyle, not an intervention,” suggests Amanda Bayliss, a Williamstown-based integrative fitness coach. It’s a small reframe in the grand scheme of things, but it “gives you a lot of wiggle room because it’s something that can last forever,” she says. Just as Bayliss tells her clients to disentangle their thoughts about exercise from concerns about their weight, she urges them to see movement as a way of honoring the body and paying closer attention to all the miraculous things it can do. “Motion is lotion,” as the saying goes. Keep moving the body, and watch it find new ways to repay the favor.
Devoting yourself to exercising doesn’t have to mean a life spent loading up on chalky creatine powders and HIIT classes led by Navy SEAL-like drillmasters. Like Ashthanga yoga? Walking the Rail Trail to celebrity-gossip podcasts? Grand! “All movement and all exercise is good exercise,” Bayliss says. There is no “best” fitness plan, except for the one that you actually enjoy. “Once it’s a habit,” she says, “the sky is the limit.”
There is no “best” fitness plan, except for the one that you actually enjoy. Once it’s a habit, the sky is the limit.
Amanda Bayliss
Start small. Try stretching for five minutes in the morning. Heck, feel free to devote a whole workout to a luxurious bout of stretching. Research shows that more isn’t always better—overworking can lead to exhaustion, inflammation, and stalled results. Likewise, sometimes sleeping an extra hour is more salubrious than dragging yourself out of bed for a 5 a.m. indoor cycling session. “Can you find other ways of getting the exercise in?” asks Bayliss. For instance, “You can get the same result by doing your workout at the end of the day, plus you’d get more sleep and feel better.”
The weather is your friend. Swap coffee talks with coffee walks, take your yoga practice outside, and hit the trails instead of the treadmill, suggests Bayliss. Invite a friend to try a new class or run club. “Having a commitment—and a companion—adds accountability, connection, and fun,” she says.
Don’t get bogged down in one routine—and not only in order to avoid monotony. Our bodies adapt quickly, especially as we age, so taking on new challenges is key. If you’re a runner, add strength training. If you’re devoted to yoga, try a quick jog. Even minor upgrades—adding in sprints, heavier weights—can make a familiar routine feel fresh.
Think of this refresh as an opportunity to spend more time with people you like. An invitation to move in ways that feel yummy. An excuse to buy yourself a present or two. Retire those sad sneakers, gift yourself a new audiobook, invest in one of those chic Owala water bottles. Whatever it takes! Sometimes joy is the best motivator.
#3 Refresh the Fridge
By Evelyn Battaglia
March in the Berkshires is about transition, not transformation. The ground begins to soften, boots start to get muddy, and nature quietly beckons us back outdoors. Our eating habits tend to follow suit. As the days grow longer and the produce on offer becomes more tempting to contemplate, we naturally start losing interest in the heavy sauces and rich comfort foods that carried us through winter.
Carrie Taylor, a registered dietitian at Big Y in Springfield, likes to prepare for the coming seasonal bounty with a thorough kitchen reset. “First, literally spring-clean your cupboards, shelves, and refrigerator,” she advises. “Cull items you’re no longer using or that are out of date.” Simply carving out space, she notes, can lower the barrier to trying something new.
When it comes to menu planning, Taylor encourages people to trust their instincts. Pay attention to what makes you feel lighter and more energized—and what leaves you feeling sluggish. “Instead of prescribing a shopping list, I prefer to invite people to add new foods to their basket,” she says. “That’s often more effective than criticizing foods they might not be ready to give up.”
With that in mind, Taylor offers a few guiding principles for a gentle spring reboot.
Instead of prescribing a shopping list, I prefer to invite people to add new foods to their basket.
Carrie Taylor
Follow This Formula Aim to include fruits or vegetables, a nutritious protein, and whole grains at every meal. Cycle through those components consistently and your diet will naturally tilt toward lighter, less processed foods.
Prioritize Produce… Every plate—whether breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a snack—should feature color. The familiar advice to “eat the rainbow” still applies, as does leaning into local produce once it reappears in earnest.
…and Protein! Look to plant-based staples like tempeh or chickpeas, alongside lean animal options such as fish, eggs, and chicken. When cooking meat, it doesn’t need to dominate the dish—beans and legumes can stretch protein while adding texture and fiber.
Snip, Sprinkle, Splash Think of beans, tofu, and vegetables as blank canvases for herbs, spices, and aromatics like garlic, ginger, and turmeric. A squeeze of lemon goes a long way, and fresh herbs are your friends. Try lemongrass in broths, lemon verbena in marinades, or purple basil tossed into salads.
Stop and Swap Opt for brown rice, farro, or quinoa instead of refined grains. Use stock or light coconut milk in place of cream. Even starchy squashes or root vegetables can stand in for grains, adding substance without heaviness.
Mix and Mingle Commit to trying one unfamiliar ingredient each week. Experiment with broth-based soups instead of creamy ones; quick sautés rather than long-simmered stews; sheet-pan dinners over layered casseroles. Less time in the kitchen, more time outside—exactly as nature intended.
#4 Clean House
By Lauren Mechling
“There is no more fruitful source of a family’s discontent than a housewife’s badly cooked dinners and untidy ways,” Isabella Beeton harrumphed in the opening of her landmark 1861 book “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management.”
I don’t know about you, but it’s my husband who does the bulk of the housekeeping. Victorian-era sexism aside, though, Mrs. Beeton was on to something. A clean and orderly home is something of a non-negotiable. Home is where the heart is, after all. Ideally, it’s also somewhere you want to spend time.
A mega spring clean doesn’t have to amount to the longest and most back-breaking chore of your life. Think of it as a chance to clear the area and set a harmonious stage for the long-awaited season. Give yourself a week so you can attack the project in stages, advises Vini Onorato, owner of Berkshire Cleaning Services in Lee. His mother, also a professional cleaner, taught him the value of big-picture strategy. “We recommend breaking spring cleaning down into a few steps spread out over a handful of days so you don’t get overwhelmed,” he says.
Start by decluttering. Set up a bag for a local organization that accepts donations and fill it with all the flotsam and jetsam that’s floating around your home but no longer serves a purpose. “If you have to stop and organize your stuff while you are cleaning, it will take you three times as long,” notes Onorato.
Once the entire space feels a little lighter (never hurts to open the windows), move on to a deep scrub of your most trafficked areas. This typically means tackling the kitchen, entryway, and bathrooms. Many experts suggest working from the top of a room down: dust window sills and high surfaces, make beds, and finish with a vigorous floor wash. Bedrooms, living rooms, and lounge areas come next, followed by the dark corners and ominous closets you’ve been avoiding. Recruit someone who doesn’t have a fear of heights to ascend a ladder to tackle air vents and light fixtures.
“For cleaning the windows, vinegar and water is amazing,” says Mandy Lasher, a Chatham-based cleaner. She uses dedicated window-washing rags, which she cleans by soaking in boiling water, and swears by Sprayway cleaner for baseboards and “corners and cobwebs.” Other staples in her arsenal include Murphy Oil Soap for wood floors and Bar Keepers Friend for glass walls and stainless steel. And don’t get her started on her love for Shark vacuum cleaners.
Honestly, though, the most important ingredients aren’t anything you can buy. Your time and attention will take you shockingly far. “This client used to ask: ‘How do you get my house this shiny?’” Lasher recalls. “The answer was always the same: just hot water.”
#5 Crunch the Numbers
By Sarah Rutledge
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
The quote was popularized by Mark Twain, who spent much of his life less than 100 miles away in Hartford, Connecticut. As you prepare for this annual inevitability, take a little extra time to examine your finances. Just as we might investigate what’s hanging in the back of the closet or unearth the contents of a seldom-opened drawer, it’s important to extend spring cleaning to your money matters.
Scrutinize your subscriptions. Are you watching all those channels, or did your Disney viewer go off to college? You may have a fitness program or two languishing on your phone while you’re hiking and playing pickleball. If looking through your credit card statements feels tiresome, there are apps that can track your unused subscriptions and cancel those you no longer use.
Entertain the idea of ETFs. Allen Harris, CEO and chief investment officer at Berkshire Money Management, suggests switching from mutual funds to exchange-traded funds, which have much lower fees. “It’s the closest thing to a free lunch,” he says.
Look at your life insurance policy. “People closer to retirement are often overinsured,” Harris says. “Later in life, when you have fewer family payment obligations with the kids out of the house, you don’t necessarily need to carry the same insurance you did when you had a newborn and were thinking about worst-case scenarios.”
Behold your beneficiaries. Make sure your estate planning is up to date, particularly in light of any recent births, marriages, or divorces. Marianne Fresia, financial advisor at October Mountain Financial Advisors, says, “Look at who you’ve named in the documents to succeed yourself. Is that person still appropriate? Check in to be sure that they still want to serve in that role.”
#6 Take Inventory of Yourself
By Michael Bolognino
Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to our homes and closets. As the ice melts and the buds begin to push through bare branches, it can also be a natural moment to take stock of what’s emerging in our lives, and what may be ready to go.
Across cultures and centuries, spring cleaning has marked a ritual of renewal rather than simply tidying up. In ancient Persia, families practiced khāne-takānī, or “shaking the house,” ahead of Nowruz, the spring New Year, to clear out the past and invite fresh energy and prosperity. In Jewish tradition, the deep cleaning before Passover involves removing every bit of leaven, symbolizing purification and liberation in preparation for freedom. And in colder climates, including right here in the Berkshires, the tradition emerged from practical necessity: homes filled with soot and dust over long winters could finally be aired out once warmer weather arrived.
What strikes me about these traditions is that none are about setting goals or demanding change. Instead, they’re about taking inventory: noticing what has accumulated, what’s no longer useful, and what needs space in order to break through.
That mindset became the inspiration for a different kind of annual reset in my own life—one that I now use with clients as a way to clarify what they actually want so they’re able to take small, immediate steps toward making it real. I call it Learn. Earn. Burn.
Learn is about what you want to explore, experiment with, or approach differently. It’s the first green tulip tips breaking through thawed ground. This might look like learning a new skill, visiting a new place (or finally taking that dream vacation), making a connection with a mentor or someone who inspires you, or trying out a new exercise routine or creative practice.
Earn asks you to look at how you make money—not just how much, but how it feels to go about it. Think of this as the fertilizer that sustains the rest of the year. Start with the question: What do I want to change about how I work? This might include adjusting how you show up with your colleagues, reclaiming boundaries, or exploring a promotion or a new role. Then consider: What might I want to do differently around earning itself? That could mean a side project or new income stream, better understanding or tracking your finances, and adding to a savings account or investing.
Burn is about what needs to go in order to make room for everything else. It’s the clearing out—the decluttering—that makes renewal possible. Ask yourself: What do you want to let go of that’s been sticking around too long? What story have you been telling yourself that you know isn’t true? Who takes your energy without giving any back, and where (if at all) do they belong in your life?
The following exercise is intentionally simple. It takes about 30 minutes and all you need is a pen and paper. Down the left side of the page, write three headings: Learn. Earn. Burn. For each category, ask yourself: What are 3-5 things I want to explore, shift, or pay attention to this year? Write what’s real—not what sounds impressive or responsible. Once you’ve listed your items in each column, ask one final, important question: What is one small action I can take—right now—in each category to get things moving? Not the perfect action. Not the full plan. Just the first, simple step.
And that’s it! For me this season, my Learn is setting my sights on the team record in the 100 Butterfly at an upcoming swim meet—and the first small step is simply registering for the race. On the Earn side, it means finally giving some real attention to a book project that’s been stuck in my head, beginning by blocking out a dedicated half-day work session. And on the Burn front, it’s about reducing my screen time, especially at night, with one clear commitment: leaving my phone to charge in the kitchen instead of by my bed.
This is the real work of spring cleaning: learning what wants to grow, earning what sustains it, and burning what no longer belongs.
#7 Choose Happiness
By Larry Carlat
Happiness is a choice. Believe me, I learned this in the hardest way possible. Seven years ago, I joined the world’s worst club when my older son, Robbie, killed himself. He was 28. Although his death was a shock, it wasn’t a surprise. I had been waiting for the inevitable phone call for what felt like most of his life.
A few years after Rob died, I became a grief group leader and coach in Los Angeles. That was never on my Bingo card, but helping bereaved parents heal turned out to be the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
Finding purpose is different for everyone. We all have to do our own soul searching and it took me a while to figure out mine. I felt the whole “tick-tock, life is short” thing and didn’t want to waste whatever time I had left on inconsequential nonsense…with the exceptions of playing Wordle and Connections every morning and listening to any number of sports and pop culture podcasts.
I thought about what Rob would want me to do and came up with a short list that he’d approve of:
- Find happiness.
- Enjoy the rest of your life.
I’ve accomplished number one and I’m still working on number two.
One of the things about grief that nobody ever tells you is that at some point in the emotional journey, you have to make a choice about how you want to move forward and integrate it into your life. And it’s the same deal with happiness. You need to seek it out.
Finding happiness became the easiest choice in the world when I met my wife, Janie, six years ago. Just writing those words makes me smile and sends a delightful shiver down my spine. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love her because there’s no one like her. She fills the space in my heart every single day.
We got married in March (my younger son, Zach, got married a week later!) and we’ve been living inside a love, peace, and happiness bubble ever since.
We moved from Venice Beach to the woods in Spencertown at the end of the summer (Janie wanted to be closer to nature and didn’t think the Pacific Ocean really counted), and despite this winter’s snow apocalypse and waking up to minus degrees in the morning, we couldn’t be happier.
Or so I thought. A few weeks ago, happiness found me, through a confluence of events, when I became the new editor-in-chief of The B. Sometimes you choose happiness and other times happiness chooses you.
So, with the best time to be in the Berkshires on the horizon, my message to you is simply this: Choose to be happy, whatever it takes.
