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The china is boxed and sitting in the basement while I decide what to do.
You HAVE decided what to do with it, it's going to go.
Either you take the trouble to put in on E-Bay, you give it to a grown kid and say take it, it's yours, do what you want with it, or you lovingly give it to a thrift shop that benefits hospice or homeless. You will spend on a few dinners out what you can get for it.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by 'M'
I need some experience, strength and hope! I've had 3 garage sales, taken many loads to the thrift shop. I still have too much stuff!!! ... Thoughts?
#1, you are in a very difficult region for fruitful sales, or free-cycle (Masonville / Drake / Glen Haven / EP native myself - just spent a few days helping a 90 yr old friend 'downsize' up on Pole Hill, across from Hermit Park)
try these strategies or variations of such.
Designate Three areas (bags, boxes, or rooms)
Throw-away
Give - Away
Put - Away
empty those areas every week
Join a 'de-clutter' group They are a great source of support / accountability.
Sort basing your "keep" ONLY on stuff you're willing to PAY storage on AND Move multiple times
BTW: I haven't yet 'succeeded', so do as I say, not as I do.
So, if it's a family heirloom, it gets given NOW. Some of the stuff is difficult to decide who gets it NOW. Grandkids are not yet old enough to have established families, my son's 2nd wives have no concept of the history and so I am looking at my sister, brother, and 1 neice or...............to sell it. It's a tough decision and I'm torn on some of it. But something like my great-grandmother's china, passed down to oldest to oldest and now I have no room and no one who wants it. The revelance is gone and I will have no place for it. No room for a china cabinet and no occasion for formal service for 12.
I understand about family heirlooms, but what was truly special and important 50-100 years ago to someone, no longer is to this generation.
I had the family chose any items that wanted after I kept what was sentimental to me and had an estate dealer come in and buy the rest of it. She offered one price for everything and I said, "SOLD."
It makes no one happy sitting in an attic or basement or box. I have told my heirs to do the same thing with our stuff.
I just wanted to add a note for those wanting to get rid of furniture and other items, especially large items. Just list them on the for sale for free section of craig's list. I listed things for free like a sofa and they were carried away either by the evening or next day. It sure was a weight off my shoulders, knowing I wasn't going to have to struggle getting those items out on my own.
This is an interesting topic to me because I've spent years before and after I retired trying to reduce our possessions. There is a point where it feels like the possessions own you, rather than the other way around.
We've moved many times and each time we've had a garage sale and donated tons of stuff to charity. When we moved to Hawaii we had to fit everything into a 20 ft. container, so got rid of even more stuff. Then we built a small house with less than 700 sq. feet and once again got rid of tons of stuff. When I retired, I got rid of all of the business suits and cold weather clothes that I wasn't using in Hawaii. Also, I finally had the time to clean out closets and took a bunch of things to Salvation Army.
We just had another garage sale this weekend and made over $500. It's nice to have the extra money and it's even better to be free of all of that stuff. Most of it I didn't even remember I owned. I've gotten to the point where I'm being really careful about accumulating more stuff. I pretty much only buy things we will consume or wear (very minimal).
Now we're planning to go back to the mainland and want to pay as little as possible to make this move. So, our goal is to move a minimal amount of furniture (5 pieces), sentimental items, and whatever else we can fit into a 7 ft. x 7 ft. x 4 ft. container. The rule, according to the mover, is if it will cost more to replace it than to move it then take it, if not, then leave it. So, I'm pretty much trying to follow that advice.
It's been an interesting exercise to evaluate each item we own and put it in one of three categories: definitely keep it, maybe keep it, definitely get rid of it. You really find out what matters to you and what doesn't. The sentimental stuff is at the top of the "keep it" list. I've gotten to the point that I feel burdened by all of the stuff we own, so getting rid of everything that isn't either very useful or special to me in some way will be liberating.
Yes and be sure to buy a house that has no attic or basement, and if at all possible...no garage!
Unless, of course, this is the last move until you die, or they take you away. Then buy something big so you can store all your useless treasures. My MIL has bags of newspapers in her living room going back six years. She claims that she has not read the news in them yet, and needs them to stay current.
Location: Monterey Bay, California -- watching the sea lions, whales and otters! :D
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StealthRabbit: Join a 'de-clutter' group They are a great source of support / accountability.
I never heard of this before -- are there such things?? I was always a collector of "stuff," and only in the past couple of years have I started to pare down what I have.
I usually have my 20-year-old daughter come over to help me de-clutter. She's very good at saying, "Mom, have you used this at all during the last year?" And I'll hem and haw and say, "Well, maybe not, but I might!" Then she says, "Out it goes!" and tosses! It really helps me to have someone stand there and question each item.
When I moved from my mountain home last year, I had two buildings -- I had the regular 2-bedroom house, and another structure that was set up like a large studio apartment! I, obviously, had way too many things. Much of it was left by the former owner, and I did the same. The people who bought my house had requested of the realtor if there was anything I wanted to leave for them, because they were young and had no furniture yet, that I could leave it. Well, I sure did! They actually called me up and thanked me for leaving it for them, but for me it was a huge relief to not have to make more dump runs, or try to sell it, or give it all away.
I'm still going through boxes from moving last year. It seems like the more I sort out, the more things move from one area to another and then finally start getting thinned out. But it's hard. And I actually don't even have a lot, but I do have more trinkets and little things that seem to make clutter worse.
Now, I'm a bit paranoid about papers....suddenly everyone is shredding -- do I really need to get a shredder?? I don't know. I kept a lot of boxes with old papers in them, and would love to just dump them in the garbage, but don't know if that is really okay now, or not. I never sorted through them because you have to go through piece of paper, by piece of paper, and look at each one and decide what to do with them. If I had an outdoor fireplace, I'd just burn them all!
Considering how I used to be, I feel like I'm making good progress. I've learned as I've gotten older that I really must have a "place" for each thing -- that way I don't forget where they are! I never used to be like that, but I'm beginning to understand why tidy people do that...it IS easier to find things!
I don't have much storage space, so that is an issue for me. And for whatever odd reason, I just like little things that are pretty (I have a large paperweight/glass collection) and can see them individually....but they do take up room. I am debating about getting an actual art table to do my drawing at, or continuing to use the kitchen table....that's a tough one because of the little room I have, I find I use my kitchen table for a lot of things, and I might find it useful to have a drawing table, but then again, a drawing table would take up more space!
I've always envied those who seem so neat and tidy, and naturally just put things away and keep them organized. This has been a challenge I've faced often, and I do feel I'm making good progress, but it still feels difficult to me. Maybe I just don't have the storage spaces set up correctly...I don't know.
Now, I'm a bit paranoid about papers....suddenly everyone is shredding -- do I really need to get a shredder?? I don't know. I kept a lot of boxes with old papers in them, and would love to just dump them in the garbage, but don't know if that is really okay now, or not. I never sorted through them because you have to go through piece of paper, by piece of paper, and look at each one and decide what to do with them. If I had an outdoor fireplace, I'd just burn them all!
YES, you do need a shredder. They are cheap--$20-30. Anything that has your social security #, any credit card info, bank or tax info--all need to be shredded. You can't be too careful these days.
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Liquidation sale!!! Everything must go!!! 
I never used to be like that, but I'm beginning to understand why tidy people do that...it IS easier to find things! 
Shredder
