Decluttering (sale, movers, condo)

[Jdatlas]

When you were getting rid of stuff to move did you just throw everything out or did you try to donate or sell stuff? I have been trying to find good homes for stuff but it's very time consuming. Would it be terrible of me to throw out old toys etc. Does Goodwill take toys? We don't have a Goodwill in my town but I'm sure there must be one somewhere. It breaks my heart to have to throw the stuff out but I need to make some progress as my husband is getting frustrated with the lack of progress down there.

[NYer]

Goodwill takes stuff, in Ny vietnam vets came aroudn with a truck & picked stuff out. Also if you leave stuff on the street often people will take it, especially if you post on Craig's List.
Do a garage sale, too, for stuff that is "worth something" but is a bothe rto move.

[kmflan]

We donated what was in decent condition and through out the stuff that was truly trash. There is a Goodwill in my town and other charities that accept used goods. Some will even come pick it up. All you have to do is place it at the curb. I think the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) does that. you can probably google them.

I know what you mean about feeling guilty though. The whole experience has taught me what wasteful consumers we (my family) are, and that we don't really need 75% of the stuff we've got.

[nynraleigh]

Originally Posted by Jdatlas

When you were getting rid of stuff to move did you just throw everything out or did you try to donate or sell stuff? I have been trying to find good homes for stuff but it's very time consuming. Would it be terrible of me to throw out old toys etc. Does Goodwill take toys? We don't have a Goodwill in my town but I'm sure there must be one somewhere. It breaks my heart to have to throw the stuff out but I need to make some progress as my husband is getting frustrated with the lack of progress down there.

When I was finalizing my move down here, I had 2 garage sales, utilized craigslist to sell many items, such as furniture, appliances, the rest I donated to Salvation Army. I really did not want to throw away anything that could be useful to someone. Craigslist is awesome! You will be able to sell most of your stuff on there, just post a picture with your ad...it's amazing how fast I sold stuff...

[MaimounaKande]

I donated a lot to Goodwill, and to a big dumpster-type thing which was for donations to benefit something...I can't even remember what, but I'm pretty sure it was something respectable . I'm not sure what I'd have done w/o that dumpster--I frequented it often!

I did not try to sell anything on Craigs List or at a garage sale...I honestly didn't want to spend the time doing that. Also, I didn't particularly want strangers coming over...

Oh, but I did also go to a Children's Orchard store in my area (no idea if there is one in yours, but perhaps something similar?). They sell used children's clothing and toys and they bought all the "good" things off me (I took over the nicer things I had which the kids had outgrown--Baby Bjorn, things like that). They didn't pay much, but it was something and again--a very low hassle factor!

[ADVentive]

We listed on the free section of Craig's List. We just said come and get it, and I was amazed at how quickly people came and took away our junk! Moving heavy furniture down steps, taking away an old rusty wheelbarrow with a flat tire, all kinds of junk. There is Freecycle too, but we found Craig's List to be quicker and easier.

[ctribucher]

We had a huge problem with overflowing books. I didn't want to throw away our books, and we weren't permitted to have a yard sale in our old condo community. So, I donated a whole bunch of books to the public library. You might consider this option - especially if you are able to get a tax deduction (check with your accountant on this though).

[jamieshel88]

We did not do any yard sales. There just wasn't any time. We donated a ton to St Vincent DePaul- there was a drop area close to us. There have been changes in the tax laws for donations so I would suggest possibly taking photos of what you donate to back up your deductions. We also put a lot of stuff out front of our house which went very quickly despite not being on a main road. We had a problem getting rid of the hazardous stuff that the trash people wouldn't take and the movers wouldn't move. Half of it is in my sisters basement now.

[ejmatl]

The sweetie and I were able to donate everything to a church-sponsored thrift shoppe with the exception of our collection of miscellaneous computer parts. 'Still trying to figure out how to offload those without paying the recycling fees.

eileen

[Indigoblue]

Originally Posted by ejmatl

The sweetie and I were able to donate everything to a church-sponsored thrift shoppe with the exception of our collection of miscellaneous computer parts. 'Still trying to figure out how to offload those without paying the recycling fees.

eileen

Try Freecycle.org They're a nationwide organization where you send out an email to the group announcing what you're giving away, then send your address to the person you pick, and they come get it off your porch. There's always someone out there that loves tinkering with old computer bits and pieces