Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249389 times)

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #150 on: February 17, 2018, 05:06:38 PM »
At my parent's house this weekend to do their taxes. Grabbed the 3 boxes of books that had been set aside last summer for my sister (IE, a ton of stuff mom didn't want to donate but was willing to give to sis). I'm going to go through it w/sis and donate whatever needs donating. Will get the the rest to her later, but it'll be a fairly small amount.

Also grabbed a huge bag of needlepoint pillows, etc. Will put them on ebay at some point, see what sells and donate the rest.

Every little bit helps.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #151 on: February 18, 2018, 07:30:36 AM »
We're making a tiny bit of progress but all of it is still in the house. The extra loveseat, end tables, coffee table, and two shelf units we decided to remove a couple of weeks ago haven't managed to leave yet and probably won't for another couple of weeks. Transportation is difficult and nobody will pick up way out here in the boondocks. Free to a good home would be nice...but we're not in a location that would work. We did manage to squeeze it all in at the front of our garage and the car still fits inside. We also decided that one chair and two kid desks that are no longer working for us get to leave. All of it will probably get to stay resident for a couple more weeks until I figure out the process of actually evicting it.

Moving the stuff to the garage means that we could get the guest bedroom/office put back together. It looks much better without the extra stuff but I have the same thought as when I look at the living room. It still looks crowded. How did we function with that much extra when we remove quite a few major pieces and it's still full?

I also, with DDs permission, went through her room and organized it. I got rid of some stuff but it was only part of a garbage bag of random paper scraps. This is a HUGE improvement over previous forays into her room that yielded several bags of just garbage each time. DSs room has been done as well and we can actually walk in both rooms now! They still have way too many clothes but I'm slowly removing things from the laundry that are actually too small for them and will do a major change over when we need to switch to warm weather stuff.

We have a home-based business and tackled some cleaning there too. Just got to the first layer. It needs a complete purge as well but babysteps. I did find the result refreshingly better so we must have made good progress. I hate trying to function in cluttered spaces.

The good news is, after 2+ years of continuous decluttering, I finally feel like we're making a bit of progress actually paring down. I can finally tell that there is less stuff invading our space. So much more left though! I hope next time we move things are much easier. We also instituted a rule that if DH and I can't carry an item easily with just the two of us, it goes! (With obvious exceptions for a few appliances.)

Now I'd like to go through the kitchen and figure out what is in all the cabinets that I haven't opened in 2+ years.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #152 on: February 18, 2018, 07:50:14 AM »
I have a similar problem in that I live in a fairly remote rural location and even on Buy Nothing groups it's not worth people's while to come out here for lower value stuff.  I have a desirable pile of vintage cushions that would be gone in a minute if I lived in town, but out here either nothing or people who flake out on pickups.

I'm thinking of asking a friend in town if she would arrange handovers for me, but it's a bit of an imposition.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #153 on: February 18, 2018, 11:41:21 AM »
Found yet another chair to get rid of. Plus enough stuff on a first pass to empty a cupboard. The community choir is having a fund raiser garage sale so we have a perfect place to donate the items.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #154 on: February 18, 2018, 11:48:33 AM »
I did some Amazon cart and Wishlist decluttering. I had things in there I'd added in 2003! Clearly they weren't essential.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #155 on: February 18, 2018, 01:04:04 PM »
Any ideas on things to do with rubber bands (like the kind that come on broccoli and asparagus bunches)?  I have a little crock of them in the kitchen, and just now I discovered a jar full I'd stashed with my sewing supplies.  I will at least cut them before throwing them away, but I'd prefer to find a use for them.  I might dump them in the office supply closet at work.

Getting rid of an old lumpy pillow and a beer mug we never use.  We are going to start demo on a bathroom tomorrow, so a trip to the dump is probably in the near future, and some junk that's been accumulating at the side of the house will disappear when we go.

nick663

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #156 on: February 18, 2018, 01:07:11 PM »
Doing some cleanup work in the basement and pulled a bunch of dead end phone lines out of the ceiling.  Found a vintage phone power supply in that rats nest that appears to be worth $15-$20 on eBay so that will get listed before the end of the day.

Cranky

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #157 on: February 18, 2018, 01:52:03 PM »
I realized I have a major wall with getting rid of clothes: I don't actually have enough! I keep resisting getting rid of things that don't fit well and I don't like, and I couldn't figure out *why*. Well, duh, I keep wearing them because I don't have enough clothing overall. So now I'm at an impasse, because I really don't want to spend money on clothing. Hand-me-downs that fit my proportions are few and far between, and I can't abide the smell of goodwill cleaner (although I do buy their industrial salvage, but it's not that cheap TBH). Anyway, I haven't done anything about this yet, but identifying my resistance to dealing with this category is a good first step!

How much clothing do you have that you like that fits you?  How many pieces would you need to buy to have a wardrobe that works for your lifestyle?

Depends which subset of clothes you're talking I guess, but for every day wear stuff? The big challenges are I only really have 2 bottoms I wear for day to day. I bought one to replace the other, but then kept both, because I kept fishing the old one out of the goodwill box to have something to wear. T shirts are decent, I have just enough to make it from one laundry day to the next, but 2 of them fit a bit oddly, so in an ideal world I'd replace them. I have 2 light jackets I wear nearly every day, but the zipper on one just broke. I could use a couple more of them, since they get dirty and washed at least once a week.

So my ideal? I guess I'd get like 3 more bottoms, 2-3 more shirts, and 2 new zip ups. Oh, and replace all 4 of my very stretched out bras. That's $$$ right there. =(

I hate clothes shopping, but my weight has shifted around, and none of my pants worked well any more. I tried ordering online, and I am just not the right shape for any of LLBean or Lands Ends pants. I finally bit the bullet and went to Kohls and tried on about 20 pairs of pants to find 5 that would fit me right. Then I tossed all the old ones and have been very happy.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #158 on: February 18, 2018, 03:25:37 PM »
Any ideas on things to do with rubber bands (like the kind that come on broccoli and asparagus bunches)?  I have a little crock of them in the kitchen, and just now I discovered a jar full I'd stashed with my sewing supplies.  I will at least cut them before throwing them away, but I'd prefer to find a use for them.  I might dump them in the office supply closet at work.

Getting rid of an old lumpy pillow and a beer mug we never use.  We are going to start demo on a bathroom tomorrow, so a trip to the dump is probably in the near future, and some junk that's been accumulating at the side of the house will disappear when we go.

You can try giving them to a bank or greengrocer. I have heard of someone having success in Australia doing that, anyway. I seem to have a small stash that's pretty stable. I guess I haven't been buying veg with rubber bands but it wasn't on purpose!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #159 on: February 18, 2018, 06:29:39 PM »
Any ideas on things to do with rubber bands (like the kind that come on broccoli and asparagus bunches)?  I have a little crock of them in the kitchen, and just now I discovered a jar full I'd stashed with my sewing supplies.  I will at least cut them before throwing them away, but I'd prefer to find a use for them.  I might dump them in the office supply closet at work.

Getting rid of an old lumpy pillow and a beer mug we never use.  We are going to start demo on a bathroom tomorrow, so a trip to the dump is probably in the near future, and some junk that's been accumulating at the side of the house will disappear when we go.

You can try giving them to a bank or greengrocer. I have heard of someone having success in Australia doing that, anyway. I seem to have a small stash that's pretty stable. I guess I haven't been buying veg with rubber bands but it wasn't on purpose!
I use them to tie up freezer bags / partly opened goods, like frozen veg or cheese, that are stored in the freezer (also works on chip bags and pasta bags).   The freezer is very hard on them, and they will get used up within 6 months of use, but there is always another supply of bands, so it's ok.

Step37

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #160 on: February 18, 2018, 11:28:34 PM »
The good news is I’m getting rid of a bookshelf (came with a our first house that we bought in 1997 and has been useful in both houses since) - listed on Kijiji for free today and is being picked up tomorrow.

The bad news is I’m getting rid of it because I had to put a filing cabinet in its place. I took over as treasurer for my community league and it came with several boxes of files. UGH. Clutter. The filing cabinet was free from my office (was slightly broken and just required a bit of TLC to be fully functional), though, so no money spent. Now the files are nicely contained and accessible, for as long as I keep this volunteer position (I’m thinking five years max). So much better than awkward, crowded, messy boxes, and it won’t be hard to rehome the filing cabinet once I’m done with it.

Also decluttered my cookbooks yesterday (they weren’t from the above-mentioned bookshelf - just from the kitchen cupboard). I use the same five or six consistently, so there is really no need to keep the other 47(ish), especially with the whole of human knowledge available on every device. So far they are just out of the cupboard and into an “out” box, as I’m not sure if anywhere would even take them as a donation. I feel bad just tossing them. Open to ideas if anyone knows a good thing to do with them!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #161 on: February 19, 2018, 06:43:27 AM »
Been reading from our bookshelves to help with the declutter progress. I have lots of books that I bought because I was interested in reading them and never made time. Now I am making the time to read a lot more, thus saving money, and getting rid of some items in the process. Most of the books will either be sold or donated after reading!

I do have some favorite authors that I will keep their books as I have reread them from time to time.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #162 on: February 19, 2018, 07:00:19 AM »
I have some cookbooks I am selling on Ebay. However, this book that was bought for $39.99 is selling for DIRT! Anywhere from $6-$17. With free media mail shipping. This book is from the Culinary Institute of America cooking school! Guess it is hard to sell used cookbooks even though they are like new. You might think about donating them to Goodwill or your library so they can sell them to raise money.

LaineyAZ

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #163 on: February 19, 2018, 08:22:38 AM »
Any ideas on things to do with rubber bands (like the kind that come on broccoli and asparagus bunches)?   . . .

I save them for my postman.  I put them in a plastic baggie and when the baggie is full I put it in my mailbox with a  note saying "free" and he's always glad to get them.

LaineyAZ

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #164 on: February 19, 2018, 08:32:25 AM »
Wanted to add another decluttering aspect along the lines of "build it and it will get done."

The closet in the master bedroom is vintage 1978 - large mirrored sliding doors.  The inside is a single pole with shelf all the way across.  What was the "black hole" was the side areas which were about an arms length long on either end past where the closet doors closed. 
It was dark and not convenient, so naturally a lot of stuff got shoved in there.  But this week my SO built and added 4 shelves on one end, each about 20 inches deep and painted bright white.  To make this happen I had to remove what had been shoved in there and of course found items that I didn't even remember I had (ski gloves??) and many items to donate. 
I got a few small clear plastic tubs which will hold the winter clothes and other items I want to keep. 

I wouldn't have tackled this stuff without the incentive of beautiful white shelving - made a huge difference in function and looks. 

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #165 on: February 19, 2018, 02:41:55 PM »
Went through ski stuff (mine, my husband's & the kids) & found quite a few things to donate or sell. I'm pretty rigorous with our day to day stuff, but this has been in the attic, so it was hidden from view & is only down a few times a year. Also discovered that the men's fleece I bought 17 years ago when I was first learning to ski now fits my oldest son. He wore it yesterday to ski. Yay for repurposing!

Step37

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #166 on: February 19, 2018, 05:51:17 PM »
I have some cookbooks I am selling on Ebay. However, this book that was bought for $39.99 is selling for DIRT! Anywhere from $6-$17. With free media mail shipping. This book is from the Culinary Institute of America cooking school! Guess it is hard to sell used cookbooks even though they are like new. You might think about donating them to Goodwill or your library so they can sell them to raise money.

Thank you! I was actually having tea with friends today and one of them mentioned she was donating items to her friend’s library/fundraiser. I asked if the friend would accept cookbooks, and she will! Now I just have to get them to her - she can hopefully get some value out of them and I can feel better about fewer (maybe none?) being in the landfill (yet).

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #167 on: February 19, 2018, 06:00:54 PM »
<snip>
It looks much better without the extra stuff but I have the same thought as when I look at the living room. It still looks crowded. How did we function with that much extra when we remove quite a few major pieces and it's still full?
<snip>

@Mongoose, I sure as heck don't have an answer to this question.  We have moved out 2 buffets, 5 book cases, a TV stand and a full size couch, not to mention all the other stuff filling up a 10'x10' (about 3 meters x 3 meters) storage area, and when the painter came today we still had massive piles in the center of each room with only narrow pathways on the edges allowing him to paint. 

We did get rid of some things today!  A beat up piece of artwork and two broken mini blinds.  Plus we recycled a bunch of boxes we won't need now that we are nearing the end of the packing.

We also have 2 full boxes for the donation place, but it is closed today.  Not sure if that's because it's a holiday or if it's normally closed on Mondays. Either way, it's frustrating to still have this stuff around.  I'm counting on STBX to take those two boxes and the additional haz-mat to the correct places this week.  After that, "getting rid of" will be on hold until I unpack.

horsepoor

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #168 on: February 19, 2018, 06:02:28 PM »
Check prices on your cookbooks on Amazon.  Occasionally there is something people are willing to pay $$ for.  I unknowingly picked up a book on a bargain table a few years back, then on a decluttering binge, decided to sell it.  Copies were listed for >$100 on Amazon.  I eventually sold it for over $50, IIRC.

I'm burning firewood today.  Maybe that counts as decluttering.  I'm hoping to have all the wood that's stacked under the porch burned before the weather warms up again.

Also started going through my drawers and have several clothing items in the donate pile. 

Gave a pair of too-small breeches to a fellow horseperson who's short on cash and was super happy to get them.  I think I listed this before, but I actually put them in her hands last night, so they are really gone now.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #169 on: February 20, 2018, 04:22:28 AM »
I have these very large feather pillows I had made for my couch/loveseat. They were about $75 each and bought 4. Several years ago I got rid of the couch and love seat and kept the pillows. They are not bed sized but very large, puffy and square. The upholstery material doesn't match my leather couches. The place that did the custom work told me to hang onto the pillows when I got rid of the couches. Well I did, and they sit in a pile. Any suggestions what I should do with $300 worth of feather pillows? Part of me wants to get rid of them and the frugal me wants to hang onto them. But frugal me doesn't know what to do with them!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #170 on: February 20, 2018, 05:06:07 AM »
Put a slipcover on them that matches your current decor?

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #171 on: February 20, 2018, 05:18:38 AM »
The pillows are just too big. On the other style couch/love seat they seemed okay. Not sure how to repurpose them in some other way! Maybe I should just donate them to Goodwill and forget it. But knowing how much money I spent makes me want to hoard them!

former player

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #172 on: February 20, 2018, 05:25:10 AM »
Floor cushions?

If not, then you have two separate problems: the covers and the pads.  Is the fabric on the covers something you can repurpose?

Pads can be reduced in size, but frankly dealing with feathers is a complete pain and for preference I'd sell (probably easier without the covers on, or offer the covers separately) or give them away.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #173 on: February 20, 2018, 05:36:19 AM »
Maybe I will just donate them. I don't have enough floor space to put pillows on the floor. They have just been sitting in another room in a pile waiting for me to decide what to do with them. I do not want this clutter. Selling on ebay would be a pain because of their size to ship. All I can see is $300 being thrown down the toilet...Once I get rid of them I will forget about it.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #174 on: February 20, 2018, 06:57:03 AM »
@Roadrunner53, the $300 that you spent on the pillows has been gone for a long time. Holding on to pillows that you no longer want won't change that. I totally understand how you're feeling; loss aversion is completely normal and part of what makes us human. If it helps, you could reframe the experience: divide the cost of the pillows by the number of years that you've had them to get a cost per year and remember that you did actually use them for some years. Perhaps your experience with these pillows will help you when you next consider purchasing an expensive durable good (since you'll know how it feels when it's time to let go). Perhaps you could imagine the joy that the new owners might feel when they pick up the pillows at the donation center.

Sounds like it's time to release these pillows back into the wild. They had a good run with you, but they must be on their way.
They have backs to support and heads to cradle and they shouldn't be delayed. :)



Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #175 on: February 20, 2018, 07:04:46 AM »
I had the couchs made by Bassett and the pillows came stuffed with some crap that after a little use, they became flat pancakes. I took them to an upholster in town and they suggested feather pillows. Not sure why they didn't suggest foam rubber or some kind of stuffing that would stay fluffed. Yes, it has been many years the feather pillows have lived in my house and have sat in a pile for at least 3 years now. I will bag them and donate them. Wish I knew someone who might like them but I don't.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #176 on: February 20, 2018, 07:20:48 AM »
I would give them away on freecycle or buy nothing or something.  Make sure they go to someone who wants them.  Goodwill often just tosses soft goods like that because they are tough to clean.

You might feel better knowing that your money spent went to someone who really wants it.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #177 on: February 20, 2018, 07:38:29 AM »
The Vietnam Veterans pick up in my area and I have given to them before. I think I will donate to them. I have several bags waiting to donate so this can go into the pile. Good to point out that Goodwill tosses some stuff. I hope someone will enjoy them!

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #178 on: February 20, 2018, 08:02:59 AM »
I donated a bunch of floor and couch pillows to my son's elementary school.  Some of the teachers were experimenting with allowing the kids to sit wherever they wanted - including on the floor - so the teachers used my former pillows to create a cozy sitting area in the corner for the kids.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #179 on: February 20, 2018, 01:18:07 PM »
Practical advice needed: what do I use to pack pillows for shipping? I have a bunch that I need to try to sell, and there's a bunch more at my parent's house.

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #180 on: February 20, 2018, 01:36:25 PM »
Cans of paint from the previous owner--at least 14 years old. Separated, spoiled, half-solid, colors we will never use. Now in a stack waiting to be taken to the hazardous waste drop-off. The really amazing thing is that my husband ASKED me to get them ready. Usually I have to twist his arm to get him to discard anything.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #181 on: February 20, 2018, 01:40:05 PM »
Practical advice needed: what do I use to pack pillows for shipping? I have a bunch that I need to try to sell, and there's a bunch more at my parent's house.
Plastic bag to keep them dry?

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #182 on: February 20, 2018, 01:47:04 PM »
Poly bags are good because they stretch a little but I would double bag in case of rips or tears. You can find them on ebay.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #183 on: February 20, 2018, 02:16:01 PM »
Yeah! Still (9 months now) travelling with less than 40 lbs of luggage. Can only imagine how little stuff I will need when I get back home.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #184 on: February 20, 2018, 09:07:39 PM »
Went through ski stuff (mine, my husband's & the kids) & found quite a few things to donate or sell. I'm pretty rigorous with our day to day stuff, but this has been in the attic, so it was hidden from view & is only down a few times a year. Also discovered that the men's fleece I bought 17 years ago when I was first learning to ski now fits my oldest son. He wore it yesterday to ski. Yay for repurposing!

Sold old ski pants, new kids ski pants (too small), new kids ski gloves (ditto) & a few pair of used kids ski gloves for $23 today & got 6 items out of the house. Yes!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #185 on: February 20, 2018, 09:32:13 PM »
Practical advice needed: what do I use to pack pillows for shipping? I have a bunch that I need to try to sell, and there's a bunch more at my parent's house.

How old are they? If they are quite old, you might consider taking out and tossing the stuffing (dust mite city) and then you only have to ship the casings, which would fit easily into a tyvek bag.

cheddarpie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #186 on: February 20, 2018, 10:43:11 PM »
Cans of paint from the previous owner--at least 14 years old. Separated, spoiled, half-solid, colors we will never use. Now in a stack waiting to be taken to the hazardous waste drop-off. The really amazing thing is that my husband ASKED me to get them ready. Usually I have to twist his arm to get him to discard anything.

If it's latex paint, leave the lids off to let it dry out, then you can dispose with your normal trash and not pay the haz waste fee. (Double check your jurisdiction's rules, but this is true in most places in the US. If it's oil based paint, then you do have to pay, usually).

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #187 on: February 21, 2018, 07:58:48 AM »
Having to leave stuff in the garage is bad. I'm having a terrible case of the "what ifs". We could need some of it later? Major anxiety! It's all cast offs from relatives so not like we paid anything for it.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #188 on: February 21, 2018, 08:27:11 AM »
Yeah! Still (9 months now) travelling with less than 40 lbs of luggage. Can only imagine how little stuff I will need when I get back home.

Awesome! Good for you! Did you get rid of a lot of stuff before you left? Did you store the stuff you kept? I'm tentatively planning to do this in a few years. Do you have another thread about your travels?

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #189 on: February 21, 2018, 08:38:32 AM »
Having to leave stuff in the garage is bad. I'm having a terrible case of the "what ifs". We could need some of it later? Major anxiety! It's all cast offs from relatives so not like we paid anything for it.

Are these things no longer made? If you need it later, like -really- need it; couldn't you just get it again?

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #190 on: February 21, 2018, 01:11:19 PM »
I followed the example above and stopped more clutter from coming into the house!

My new orthodontist tried to give me a t-shirt and a frisbee and something else as a "welcome gift".  Why on earth would I as a 39-year-old woman need to wear a t-shirt advertising an orthodontist?  Apparently no one else actually declines, though.  It went through three people before they decided that I guess I could leave without it.

It made me sad to think about how few people probably actually want these things...but that apparently all of them take them home anyway and then either store them or throw them away.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #191 on: February 21, 2018, 01:30:58 PM »
Threw out two magazines. Lots more to go. I thought about selling them, but then considered the hassle of it all.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #192 on: February 21, 2018, 05:48:38 PM »
Practical advice needed: what do I use to pack pillows for shipping? I have a bunch that I need to try to sell, and there's a bunch more at my parent's house.

How old are they? If they are quite old, you might consider taking out and tossing the stuffing (dust mite city) and then you only have to ship the casings, which would fit easily into a tyvek bag.

The stuffing is still good. Honestly, I have the room right now and am just not into dealing with it. Getting stuff to the post office during the week is very hard right now, so I'm not anxious to raise the stakes if I didn't need to. If my mom wasn't so unrealistic about what people are willing to pay for needlepoint pillows this would not be an issue.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #193 on: February 21, 2018, 06:25:16 PM »
Sold another item on eBay, & put 4 items that didn't sell into the donation pile.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #194 on: February 22, 2018, 08:38:00 AM »
Having to leave stuff in the garage is bad. I'm having a terrible case of the "what ifs". We could need some of it later? Major anxiety! It's all cast offs from relatives so not like we paid anything for it.

Are these things no longer made? If you need it later, like -really- need it; couldn't you just get it again?

Well yes. And they aren't great to begin with...just cast off mass produced furniture. I have a teeny tiny problem with worrying about never having the money to buy something again. We went through a very bad period of unemployment followed by underemployment. Plus we didn't have much growing up and neither did my parents or their parents...family has always kept stuff forever "just in case". Having a hard time getting over that and accepting that we have the ability to replace things if we need to.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #195 on: February 22, 2018, 09:34:53 AM »
Having to leave stuff in the garage is bad. I'm having a terrible case of the "what ifs". We could need some of it later? Major anxiety! It's all cast offs from relatives so not like we paid anything for it.

Are these things no longer made? If you need it later, like -really- need it; couldn't you just get it again?

Well yes. And they aren't great to begin with...just cast off mass produced furniture. I have a teeny tiny problem with worrying about never having the money to buy something again. We went through a very bad period of unemployment followed by underemployment. Plus we didn't have much growing up and neither did my parents or their parents...family has always kept stuff forever "just in case". Having a hard time getting over that and accepting that we have the ability to replace things if we need to.

This is one reason I really like freecycle and buy nothing rather than donating to a charity.
I reason that if I give things like this away to other people, if I ever need them, it is somewhat likely other people would give similar things to me.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #196 on: February 22, 2018, 11:58:10 AM »
Major Win:  I finally listed and sold, my starter set of golf clubs.  I bought these 8 maybe 9 years ago.  I've hauled them through 2 states and 3 houses.  I hadn't played golf in at 6-7 years.  I kept them around because I might play again.  Yeah I'm not.


I've been making a trip to the thrift shop to drop off stuff each week.  Last week was about 50 books and 2 bags of clothes.

I have a few things listed for sale on Craigslist and local FB groups.  So far I have "made" $140. 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #197 on: February 22, 2018, 01:45:45 PM »
Threw out two magazines. Lots more to go. I thought about selling them, but then considered the hassle of it all.

It is mostly not worth the hassle for me to sell things.  At one point, I had decided only to sell if the selling price was >$20, but now I think my standard is >$50.

Success on the donation front.  STBX took 2 huge, overflowing boxes to the charity shop yesterday!  I was actually a little sad because I had found quite a bit more in the back of the closet.  It's OK, I'll go this weekend probably.

I'm giving some laundry supplies to my Aunt this weekend and some more craft items to the crafting group, hopefully also this weekend.

The condo is getting bare!  Although each time I think I've got one room cleaned out, I turn around and spot something my eye passed over before.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #198 on: February 22, 2018, 03:51:23 PM »
Husband went through his old ski gear, and came up with probably 10 items that are now in the donation bin. I also discovered a bunch of bracelets & a nice watch. Put the bracelets in the donation bin & am planning to list the watch on eBay. Looks like they still go for around $200. Woohoo!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #199 on: February 22, 2018, 04:07:57 PM »
Another 4 hours of cleaning and decluttering today (mainly cleaning, but that's important too.)

Over the last couple days I made a peg rack to hang backpacks so they aren't gathering dust on the floor in the entry. Need to make another one, but this was good proof of concept and gave me a chance to practice carving a flower in something that I'm actually going to have to look at again.

On my way now with a load of bedding for our "Welcome to our city, person who fled hardship overseas and has no stuff for your apartment" place. Also taking old medications to be disposed of properly.