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Well, I just started listing items on craigs list and seems like it might be working out. An hour after the ad went up, the emails started coming in. Not in droves, but off to a decent start. A lady is supposed to pick up some chairs after she gets off work in a little while.
Guess it's good I'm getting an early start.
Craigslist seems to be hit and miss. It took a couple of days, but suddenly we started getting drove of calls about the dog kennel we put up for sale. I got a call on my boat first day. My fish tank and stand has been listed twice and I have never had a response.
Craigslist seems to be hit and miss. It took a couple of days, but suddenly we started getting drove of calls about the dog kennel we put up for sale. I got a call on my boat first day. My fish tank and stand has been listed twice and I have never had a response.
I can attest to the hit or miss, my screenhouse got lots of calls, but not one taker yet. The lady just picked up the chairs. YAY! Now to get rid of a hundred household and camping items.
Whatever doesn't sell, which likely will be most, goes to a charitable org.
I cleaned out our book case a few months back, but just got around to donating the five big boxes of books to our local library. They were thrilled. Then I found a place the takes any old computer and we got rid of the three computers we had taking up space, monitors and all. I'm on a charitable deduction spree!!!. Now that I am retired, I have all kinds of time to get to this stuff. Next is selling our old CD's (everything is on our computer and backed up two places, actually 5 if you count the iPods) and our DVD collection. The tide of battle is turning in the war to reclaim our media room from the clutter.
Did the library give you any kind of receipt you could use for tax purposes?
Once again ...All of your posts have definitely motivated me and also given me new ideas. I have some furniture...a cleanly contemporary bookcase/desk/lateral file cabinet set - that I just don't want to part with yet. It serves needs that I have now. Need to get rid of some heavy pieces in the meantime. Then design my new pared down decorating scheme ...
There are some great stackable, light weight, and quite good looking outdoor chairs - dark brown faux wicker - at Home Depot...there were only 4 left of these, and "thousands" left of the others (none of which would I like in my L/R)...did I tell you I like to exaggerate? Home Depot is already marking down their summer furniture to make room for Christmas probably.... these chairs are light weight and also VERY comfy on the back. Due to their seeming scarcity, I would need to act right away in order to purchase them BTW, looked online and found these chairs belong to an entire line of furniture with some interesting higher backed, stackable chairs. If this inspires you, search online for 'stackable chairs'.
I've been thinking of having 4 chairs surrounding a smaller round or square coffee table in my L/R. I think they were $34 a piece on sale. If nothing else, they would be a good start to try out the look - with four identical chairs - and see if I can live with it. The bed is in the next room...so really, do I "need" a sofa???
Have been thinking of places to look for chairs that are out of the ordinary and aren't horrendously expensive for now. Need comfort, storability (i.e. stackable), light weight, and eye catching design. The Home Depot ones probably are no longer there...but this gives me an idea for next spring...I'm too tired to go around to 5 Home Depots to locate all of these chairs...
Here is my idea combined with the inspiration from all of your ideas...a joint effort, 'eh?
Once again ...All of your posts have definitely motivated me and also given me new ideas. I have some furniture...a cleanly contemporary bookcase/desk/lateral file cabinet set - that I just don't want to part with yet. It serves needs that I have now. Need to get rid of some heavy pieces in the meantime. Then design my new pared down decorating scheme ...
There are some great stackable, light weight, and quite good looking outdoor chairs - dark brown faux wicker - at Home Depot...there were only 4 left of these, and "thousands" left of the others (none of which would I like in my L/R)...did I tell you I like to exaggerate? Home Depot is already marking down their summer furniture to make room for Christmas probably.... these chairs are light weight and also VERY comfy on the back. Due to their seeming scarcity, I would need to act right away in order to purchase them BTW, looked online and found these chairs belong to an entire line of furniture with some interesting higher backed, stackable chairs. If this inspires you, search online for 'stackable chairs'.
I've been thinking of having 4 chairs surrounding a smaller round or square coffee table in my L/R. I think they were $34 a piece on sale. If nothing else, they would be a good start to try out the look - with four identical chairs - and see if I can live with it. The bed is in the next room...so really, do I "need" a sofa???
Have been thinking of places to look for chairs that are out of the ordinary and aren't horrendously expensive for now. Need comfort, storability (i.e. stackable), light weight, and eye catching design. The Home Depot ones probably are no longer there...but this gives me an idea for next spring...I'm too tired to go around to 5 Home Depots to locate all of these chairs...
Here is my idea combined with the inspiration from all of your ideas...a joint effort, 'eh?
I have 2 futon couches with expensive inner spring cushion. They are heavy as all getout. I don't want to remove them b/c they are the focal point in my den and l.r. and should I sell the house I will need that look. But if and when I sell the house, one of them definitely goes. I have to confess I love to flop down on a couch to read. If I use the bed I wind up falling asleep in the middle of the day. So I'm struggling with whether to give up the final sofa and have considered the 4 chairs and one round glass table idea.
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!!! All the resources say, if you haven't used something in a year, toss it. Anyone have any experience being more ruthless than usual? I have boxes that I've gone through and "think" want to keep. I may be hanging on to stuff that psychologically I can't part with, but enough is enough. Anyone ever just toss stuff when this happens? Long story, have a job that provides room and board, so household and furniture stuff goes into storage for a while. I KNOW I'm holding onto too much. If this stuff is just "stuff" I need to let go of it. It isn't something that I will actually need, I don't think. Should I have my handyman load it all up and take it to the town's dump site? It would be very easy to do.
Anyone who has had a similar experience, I'd like to know what you did to finally let go of the boxes you were psyhologically attached to. I know what the psycological source of my clutter is, I realized it not long ago (still, there are these extra boxes). I don't want to keep holding on. Thoughts?
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!!! All the resources say, if you haven't used something in a year, toss it. Anyone have any experience being more ruthless than usual? I have boxes that I've gone through and "think" want to keep. I may be hanging on to stuff that psychologically I can't part with, but enough is enough. Anyone ever just toss stuff when this happens? Long story, have a job that provides room and board, so household and furniture stuff goes into storage for a while. I KNOW I'm holding onto too much. If this stuff is just "stuff" I need to let go of it. It isn't something that I will actually need, I don't think. Should I have my handyman load it all up and take it to the town's dump site? It would be very easy to do.
Anyone who has had a similar experience, I'd like to know what you did to finally let go of the boxes you were psyhologically attached to. I know what the psycological source of my clutter is, I realized it not long ago (still, there are these extra boxes). I don't want to keep holding on. Thoughts?
I had the unhappy experience many years ago of helping to clean out my MIL's house before she made a big move. Everything, and I mean everything, had to go from a 6-room ranch. She was leaving with only her clothes and personal stuff. Thank g--d she did not have an attic. I took on most of her stuff to my house and it took years to get rid of it, so much of it sentimental but some practical plus furniture. I was not physically able to do this for my own mothers's 8 room house but I sat and directed the operations for the family members getting rid of all her things. Both experiences were a nightmare, completely draining on every level.
The way I scaled down to the bare essentials is by looking at things and thinking, if I passed away tomorrow, do I want to burden my relatives with having to get rid of this thing? Will any of them find this item useful in any way? I have gotten rid of so many, many things that I never would have imagined possible to part with, and I don't even remember these items~! No love lost over them. When I was working I also replaced many fruffy things with survival type items---I would empty out a box of costume jewelry my mom had, say goodbye to it, and go out and buy a coleman lantern...that type of thing. So when I pop off, the kids are likely to find in my house practical things they will probably all fight over! (I did keep a box of photos and items for each of the kids)
Now my task is to go through tons of my own artwork. Whatever I find is good enough to frame I will, everything else, no matter how sentimental, goes out.
Don't bring nicer things to the dump. There are churches, survival centers, thrift shops etc that can use these items
You can do it. At age 60+ my philosophy is to be light as a feather!
P.S. I also had all my heavy furniture hauled away cuz I can no longer move it. I had it replaced with lightweight pieces I can push around myself. The house is now light and airy and clean of clutter.
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!!! All the resources say, if you haven't used something in a year, toss it. Anyone have any experience being more ruthless than usual? I have boxes that I've gone through and "think" want to keep. I may be hanging on to stuff that psychologically I can't part with, but enough is enough. Anyone ever just toss stuff when this happens? Long story, have a job that provides room and board, so household and furniture stuff goes into storage for a while. I KNOW I'm holding onto too much. If this stuff is just "stuff" I need to let go of it. It isn't something that I will actually need, I don't think. Should I have my handyman load it all up and take it to the town's dump site? It would be very easy to do.
Anyone who has had a similar experience, I'd like to know what you did to finally let go of the boxes you were psyhologically attached to. I know what the psycological source of my clutter is, I realized it not long ago (still, there are these extra boxes). I don't want to keep holding on. Thoughts?
Close up the boxes, furniture and stuff and have someone take them to a shelter, habitat for humanity, or a community organization that helps families set up housing (women alone, fires, etc.) Don't look back, just let the stuff go, because it's only important to YOU or so you think.
I've been going through something similar. I decided to do what Ellwood suggested. Close the boxes give it donate, giveaway, don't look back. What a relief it is not to fret over those things anymore. Half the time, you don't look in or at the items, you forget they even exist. Take a deep breath and let them go. I thought I was attached to many of the items, but out of sight, out of mind. I'm so glad I purged the items. So much less stress.
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!!! All the resources say, if you haven't used something in a year, toss it. Anyone have any experience being more ruthless than usual? I have boxes that I've gone through and "think" want to keep. I may be hanging on to stuff that psychologically I can't part with, but enough is enough. Anyone ever just toss stuff when this happens? Long story, have a job that provides room and board, so household and furniture stuff goes into storage for a while. I KNOW I'm holding onto too much. If this stuff is just "stuff" I need to let go of it. It isn't something that I will actually need, I don't think. Should I have my handyman load it all up and take it to the town's dump site? It would be very easy to do.
Anyone who has had a similar experience, I'd like to know what you did to finally let go of the boxes you were psyhologically attached to. I know what the psycological source of my clutter is, I realized it not long ago (still, there are these extra boxes). I don't want to keep holding on. Thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRosa
Hi M,
I've been going through something similar. I decided to do what Ellwood suggested. Close the boxes give it donate, giveaway, don't look back. What a relief it is not to fret over those things anymore. Half the time, you don't look in or at the items, you forget they even exist. Take a deep breath and let them go. I thought I was attached to many of the items, but out of sight, out of mind. I'm so glad I purged the items. So much less stress.
I'm going through this now - trying to plan for an easy move in 11 months from a very large 4 bedroom house with attic, basement, garage storage and every room with a closet STUFFED. Garage has no room for anything else, nevermind a car. We are moving into an 800 sq foot ranch with NO storage anywhere, no formal dining room, no sunroom, 3 TINY bedrooms where a Queen size bed will be a squeeze.
So, what I am doing, slowly is this:
I take a closet or an "under bed" area (used for storage now) and I make a promise that 1/3 of it will leave, 1/3 will be marked "maybe not" and the remainder will stay for further review later. I am also using the "what will family want" mindset but also considering that we are moving to mid-country from the coast and moving south. What goes will NOT come back to where family is. 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. That is just 1 of many things I'm dealing with - dining table passed down also. But i promised myself that in 5 more months, I will have pared everything down by 1/3. And then I'll have another 5 months to do the same again. We WILL fit everything into a small u-haul. My husband is adamant, what doesn't fit gets left behind with a call to Goodwill.
I'm really trying to be ruthless, but some days I can't do it. The china is boxed and sitting in the basement while I decide what to do.
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Tax Receipt from Library
...All of your posts have definitely motivated me and also given me new ideas. I have some furniture...a cleanly contemporary bookcase/desk/lateral file cabinet set - that I just don't want to part with yet. It serves needs that I have now. Need to get rid of some heavy pieces in the meantime. Then design my new pared down decorating scheme 
...
probably.... these chairs are light weight and also VERY comfy on the back. Due to their seeming scarcity, I would need to act right away in order to purchase them 
BTW, looked online and found these chairs belong to an entire line of furniture with some interesting higher backed, stackable chairs. If this inspires you, search online for 'stackable chairs'.
