Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2

[MountainGal]

Checking in to say, I love Decluttr!  I finally shipped two boxes of CDs to them, and they gave me just .80 less than what they originally offered.  This means two boxes of clutter out of the house, and $40 into our dining out account.  :)

What do they do with them that they can give you money? Charity shops here won't take them because they can't sell them and there's no recycling option here either AFAIK.

I did a quick search and found this:

https://themodestwallet.com/decluttr-review/#:~:text=Decluttr%20is%20a%20second-hand%20tech%20and%20product%20buyer,make%20a%20bit%20of%20money%20in%20the%20process.

Wow, I stuggle to find someone to take them for free.

Right?  And Decluttr pays for shipping as well.  I cannot wait to go through my CDs (this first trial shipment contained mostly DH's), books, some DVDs, and quite possibly, the tablet I bought for $20 on impulse and used twice.

[SunnyDays]

I'm counting this as decluttering.

I have lots of winter coats, some I only use for dirty work. One of them is a beige color, and got very dirty over the years, only is certain areas. I was planning on eventually just throwing it out, since everyone knows you can't wash winter coats (right?).

Just for kicks, I tried washing one area of the coat. Used a toothbrush and liquid laundry detergent, water, and a bucket.  It worked!  Nice and clean now.   

It's taking some time, but that's OK. Today I'm washing the other dirty areas on the coat. Satisfying.

And now I can wear this coat in public again, too.   

I put my winter coats in the washer and dryer all the time.  Never had a problem.  Anything synthetic should be fine.

I also use a toothbrush on stains on clothes, along with Shout, the best stain remover I’ve found.

[RetiredAt63]

I'm counting this as decluttering.

I have lots of winter coats, some I only use for dirty work. One of them is a beige color, and got very dirty over the years, only is certain areas. I was planning on eventually just throwing it out, since everyone knows you can't wash winter coats (right?).

Just for kicks, I tried washing one area of the coat. Used a toothbrush and liquid laundry detergent, water, and a bucket.  It worked!  Nice and clean now.   

It's taking some time, but that's OK. Today I'm washing the other dirty areas on the coat. Satisfying.

And now I can wear this coat in public again, too.   

I put my winter coats in the washer and dryer all the time.  Never had a problem.  Anything synthetic should be fine.

I also use a toothbrush on stains on clothes, along with Shout, the best stain remover I’ve found.

Fabric purses too.  I use Shout and a toothbrush to get the obvious dirty spots clean, then into the washing machine (cold water wash, just in case) they go.

[slackmax]

I'm counting this as decluttering.

I have lots of winter coats, some I only use for dirty work. One of them is a beige color, and got very dirty over the years, only is certain areas. I was planning on eventually just throwing it out, since everyone knows you can't wash winter coats (right?).

Just for kicks, I tried washing one area of the coat. Used a toothbrush and liquid laundry detergent, water, and a bucket.  It worked!  Nice and clean now.   

It's taking some time, but that's OK. Today I'm washing the other dirty areas on the coat. Satisfying.

And now I can wear this coat in public again, too.   

Well, first, if you have winter coats that you're not using at all but they're in decent condition, why are you hanging on to them? Donate to the shelter or something so someone who doesn't have a coat can be a little warmer. Or take a walk down where the homeless people are see if anyone wants it. This isn't a situation where it's going to get tossed - someone needs that coat.

Also, what is this coat made of that it can't be cleaned? I've never heard of a winter coat that can't be cleaned, whether via washing machine or dry cleaning.

I didn't say I never use them or that they were in good condition. Some are torn and dirty and uncleanable (grease, oil, ground in grime). I really don't think a donation site would accept them, unless they have zero other coats. I wear them when I work on my car in winter, or something like that.  Occasionally I throw one out.

I have a fairly new vinyl coat that is scuffed up on the outside. You can wipe it with a damp cloth, but it still looks scuffed and worn and old. Clean but still scuffed.

I have another otherwise decent looking coat  that was dirtied up from carrying fire wood. Label said dry clean only. The dry cleaner said he could not get the dirt out of it. I tried cleaning it myself with alcohol, detergent, etc. No dice. 

So I was happily surprised to score a victory with cleaning my beige coat. I noticed the outer shell is 65% polyester and 35% cotton.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

My son outgrew his hiking/snow boots. I ordered him a new pair, and happened to find a friend who needed the smaller sized pair for her younger son. Perfect! Love that match to someone who needs exactly what you have.

[slackmax]

My mustachian box that converts the over the air tv signals into the old fashioned analog version, so you can still watch tv on an old tube tv,  died after many years.

Couldn't fix it, so took it down to a store that accepts electronics for recycling and let them have it. 

Then I installed the backup converter box I had, and I am up and running again with free tv.       

[LaineyAZ]

A book recommendation:  "A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else)" by Fay Wolf.  Easy read, the tone is helpful and fun (not nagging or shaming) and contains lots of websites for further reference. 

One of the many ideas I liked included her suggestion to only use paper file folders with the same tabs, e.g., all tabs on the right instead of left-center-right.  Our brains like the look of this and so we can find things faster.  Made a lot of sense, so I'll gradually be doing that for my paper files. 

[Captain FIRE]

20 pairs of kid shoes and boots out the door to new homes or pending in the past 2 weeks.  3 well worn pairs trashed.  (We were gifted a lot of shoes that had lots of life left.  Some my youngest outgrew, others my oldest outgrew and I decided my youngest was unlikely to wear.)

Also pending is a bottle sterilizer.  A nice gift we used once.

Next up: Preemptively sorting through the 3T clothes to see what I can pass on now.

[Poundwise]

I've been doing very poorly on the decluttering front these past few months... items just got moved to the garage but didn't actually leave our household. As a result, it was getting very difficult to find anything in the garage, leading to buying extras of items we already owned, etc.  Finally broke the roadblock this week and got rid of several items through Buy Nothing, and offloaded a big tub and several bags of kids' clothes to the newest batch of Afghan refugees. Being able to move around in the garage again, I finally found some stuff that I had posted on Craigslist free then subsequently lost, was able to tell the claimants they could pick it up, then followed up by even destashing some yarn to an acquaintance (I usually find it very hard to give away yarn.)

Almost 2 cubic yards freed!

[draco44]

Gave away a houseplant I didn't need to a teacher who wants to teach her class how to take care of plants. That seemed like an excellent new home.

[JupiterGreen]

Gave away a houseplant I didn't need to a teacher who wants to teach her class how to take care of plants. That seemed like an excellent new home.

Yes, I love this!

[oneday]

A book recommendation:  "A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else)" by Fay Wolf.  Easy read, the tone is helpful and fun (not nagging or shaming) and contains lots of websites for further reference. 

One of the many ideas I liked included her suggestion to only use paper file folders with the same tabs, e.g., all tabs on the right instead of left-center-right.  Our brains like the look of this and so we can find things faster.  Made a lot of sense, so I'll gradually be doing that for my paper files.

If one does have the left-center-right configuration, remember that the left/right ones can often be turned inside out to become the opposite. That leaves the center-tab ones as the oddballs. Y'all are on your own for ideas, there :)

[Rosy]

I found that I do best with just using left and/or center labels, I seem to overlook the right tabs, however, I absolutely have to have colored folders.
I'm highly visual and so banks et al are all green for money - orange for investment (happiness) - credit cards red for debt (I pay them off monthly but I like a reminder to tell me this is a debt and I must always have enough money to pay off my debt unless there is a significant planned event) - IRS light blue for cold as ice:) - family - birth, death, marriage, wills, property is in the yellow section ...
Dead stuff - old accounts etc goes into plain vanilla folders.

Decluttering a credenza with several stacks of paper - three more to go out of five.
I need to be done by this weekend since my new TV will be living there.

I'll be hanging out here with y'all for the next three months between serious decluttering and spring cleaning it will be nice to have a place to keep track and exchange tips.
The paper tiger has always been my nemesis.

I will look into decluttr for the CDs, thanks guys.

[draco44]

A friend came over for a walk and I mentioned a few things I was going to post for sale in case they were interested. They took a baking dish and a compass. Time saved not listing things; friendship strengthened. The items were nice enough that I may have been able to make a bit of money, but I'm happier in this case with how things turned out.

[Captain FIRE]

Two bags of 3T items preemptively out (my youngest is 21 months) and the rest fits in the box.

Also have a box of ripped clothes to go for rag donation.

On the downside, my son has ripped through his snowpants and it's still January so I might be bringing more in.  At least that'll be one in, one out.

[Dutch Comfort]

Posted a globe, a few DVD's and some office stationary on the buy nothing group. They were taken within a few hours. I especially liked that the globe was going to a teacher who was so happy to have one in her classroom for the kids.
I also went through some clothing and filled one bag for trash! Now it just needs to leave the house......

 

[BeanCounter]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

[Dutch Comfort]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

I only sell things that are worth more than 10 euro for less than half of it. Anything below that is not worth the time and effort and goes onto the Buy Nothing group or to a donation pile.

[PMG]

@BeanCounter I had a bit of a breakthrough related to this over Christmas.  I am frugal to a fault, queen of reuse and make do. It is very easy for me to hold on to things because I know I "can" use it, fix it, make it work.  But that doesn't mean I "should" hold on to everything.  Anyway, at Christmas I pulled out some Christmas decor, kitchen towels, and kitschy things that were gifts last year... or the year before.  But I didn't like them, didn't need them, but felt obligated to use them... until I realized how delighted someone else would be to find them at the thrift shop, brand new with tags and ust in time for Christmas.  What joy to make sure things I don't need get to someone else while they are usable! 

About the same time as that I scored several really nice things at thrift, a big air purifier, some maternity clothing and a pet tent.  New or mint. It was so exciting and lovely to find things I needed for such great prices, and it just drove home wanting to give the same back to others, so I am trying to move forward with that attitude.  Use it up, wear it out... or give it away while it has value and someone who needs it will find it and be delighted with it!

With that in mind I gave away all my oil painting supplies and a pile of raw and prepped canvases. Maybe one day I'll dig back into oil, but for now I'm focused elsewhere and I was able to give those supplies to someone who will use them while they are still good.

 

[SunnyDays]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

I find it helpful to add up the amount I would expect to get for all the items if they were to actually sell.  Then I consider whether it's worth that much to go through the effort of selling them and continue to house them until they do sell.  For the vast majority of things, it's not worth it. 

Also consider that everything "has value" but maybe not to you.  So pass them on.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

I find it helpful to add up the amount I would expect to get for all the items if they were to actually sell.  Then I consider weather it's worth that much to go through the effort of selling them and continue to house them until they do sell.  For the vast majority of things, it's not worth it. 

Also consider that everything "has value" but maybe not to you.  So pass them on.

I do something like this. It's a time vs reward tradeoff. Sometimes I have niche things that are hard to give away, but would sell on eBay. In those cases, I might just create a listing, and wait for someone to buy, because I know if I don't, it's getting dumped. Most donation sites toss a lot of stuff, so you can "donate it", but it still ends up in a landfill.

[slackmax]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

Have you already gotten rid of any stuff that is not sellable and that you probably won't ever need?   

[BeanCounter]

I can't remember how long ago I joined this thread. I'm sad to say I've made very little progress since then and need a good face punch and some motivation to get moving.

I seem to get hung up on thinking I should sell things that I need to get rid of that have value. But I really don't have time to do that. Any advice for how to get past this? Maybe I just need to read this thread more?

Have you already gotten rid of any stuff that is not sellable and that you probably won't ever need?

Stuff that isn't sellable, yes. Stuff that I probably won't ever need.....that's up for debate.
This all was a result of my mother passing away four years ago and having to sell her home. She was an interior decorator and had beautiful things. Her home was a perfect example of style. She cared so much about her home and worked hard to get it looking like that. When she died I decided not to hold an estate sale because I didn't need the money and because things would sell for very little and the auction folks would take a lot of it. I gave a lot of stuff away. Most of her clothes and kitchen went to Goodwill (because that was fast and easy). I gave a few things away to relatives and friends who were going through a divorce and needed to set up house again, or just because they loved those things. But much of it I moved to my home and replaced things that were of lessor quality or not as nice. It's taken me awhile to integrate them and figure out what I really wanted to keep because I loved it, what I wanted to keep to just use up etc.
Now I'm down to getting rid of really nice things, that were originally mine or hers and I'm just probably not going to use (or not use for  along time)
I should make a list of what all it is-
-A beautiful tri-fold wood screen that looks like a Venetian buildings
-An iron coffee table with glass top
-a side chair with a black and tan zebra fabric
-an old Victorian parlor table (with six sides) painted in white chalk paint
-an old dresser also painted in white chalk paint with hand painted ceramic drawer pulls
-a couple huge accent mirrors
-a side table painted in bright red lacquer
-four beautiful dining room chairs with nail heads, nearly new from Arhaus (she probably paid close to $1,000 per chair) - I love these but they don't fit with the rest of my furniture or my children
-gateleg table redone with hand painted faux burlwood top
-A hide-bed sofa with amazing lines that is so well made nobody can lift it but probably needs to be recovered
A few pictures/paintings that have hung on the walls of my home my entire life
-At least one rug
-brass bed frame with very unique lines but is a double size (probably an antique)

So I think this is where I'm stuck. I'm attached to the items, but I don't need them. They have value, but the best way to get that value is to sell them on marketplace or something but that seems so time consuming. I could take them to a consignment shop but they take half of the sales price.
These items sit on the unfinished side of my basement so they aren't in our way necessarily but we would like to make that room into a game room for the kids.

Have any of you been through this? What advice do you have?

[former player]

Yes.  I sent it all to auction, even the things that were lovely and loved but I had no place for.  The auction house takes a percentage that's a lot less than half but the sale prices tend to be wholesale rather than retail so it's swings and roundabouts as to where and how you sell. But unless you want to go into the business of retail sales (which has it's own costs in time and trouble) then having someone else do the work is the price of moving on.  I found that being able to move on was the most valuable thing I got out of the process.  It's several years on now and the price I got for the things is irrelevant but the ability to move on was priceless.

[Sibley]

BeanCounter, are you sure this stuff has value? As measured by actual sales? Because you may be falling into the classic trap of thinking your stuff has value but no one is willing to buy it. Which means, it has no value.

My mom was not happy last year when I sat in her living room as she was packing and deciding what to keep vs sell, and I pulled up Ebay and started looking up what her Toby Mugs had sold for. Things she thought were worth $50 - sold for 5.

There's a lot of Boomers and older who are aging, downsizing, and the market is flooded. We talked to a couple of estate sale places and they all said the same things: demand wasn't there, things didn't sell, or they sold for very little. In the end my parents held a glorified garage sale, then a full truck load of stuff that didn't sell was picked up by liquidators. A few things were put on FB marketplace. A bunch of stuff on the very last day was put on the curb for pickers/garbage pickup.

If you want to keep something because you want to keep it, then own that. But don't use the "its got value" as an excuse to not get rid of something that you want to keep.

[Cassie]

Last year because of a divorce I had a lot of stuff to sell. I had a garage sale and most of the furniture sold. I also sold stuff on Nextdoor and Facebook marketplace as well as giving stuff away. It’s not very time consuming to sell stuff.

[RetiredAt63]

BeanCounter, are you sure this stuff has value? As measured by actual sales? Because you may be falling into the classic trap of thinking your stuff has value but no one is willing to buy it. Which means, it has no value.

My mom was not happy last year when I sat in her living room as she was packing and deciding what to keep vs sell, and I pulled up Ebay and started looking up what her Toby Mugs had sold for. Things she thought were worth $50 - sold for 5.

There's a lot of Boomers and older who are aging, downsizing, and the market is flooded. We talked to a couple of estate sale places and they all said the same things: demand wasn't there, things didn't sell, or they sold for very little. In the end my parents held a glorified garage sale, then a full truck load of stuff that didn't sell was picked up by liquidators. A few things were put on FB marketplace. A bunch of stuff on the very last day was put on the curb for pickers/garbage pickup.

If you want to keep something because you want to keep it, then own that. But don't use the "its got value" as an excuse to not get rid of something that you want to keep.

To add it this, when I downsized, very little of what I thought was valuable was wanted by the estate sales people.  I ended up donating a lot of perfectly good furniture and household goods to a charity that rehomes and provides furnishings for refugees.  I got a big tax receipt and the knowledge that I made a lot of people happy.

[SunnyDays]

@BeanCounter, those do sound like nice things to me.  Better than the trashy stuff I see for sale around here.  (I'll take that screen and dining chairs, thanks!)

You may be overestimating the effort involved in selling.  Maybe do a trial run of a couple items and see how it goes.  Start with the more expensive or bulkier or things you can more easily part with, whichever seems best to you.  After a sale or two, you might feel more motivated.

[LaineyAZ]

@BeanCounter, those do sound like nice things to me.  Better than the trashy stuff I see for sale around here.  (I'll take that screen and dining chairs, thanks!)

You may be overestimating the effort involved in selling.  Maybe do a trial run of a couple items and see how it goes.  Start with the more expensive or bulkier or things you can more easily part with, whichever seems best to you.  After a sale or two, you might feel more motivated.

And can I add, find a friend or acquaintance who knows the ins/outs of eBay, NextDoor forums, etc. who can help set up the online ads.  After that, you will be confident enough to do it yourself.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We've had a lingering "waffle cone bowl" maker in the pantry forever. It was a gift for the kids (used 1x), and don't eat much ice cream, and certainly wouldn't make the bowls with any frequency. I dug it out & gave it away on Buy Nothing this weekend, freeing up more space on my shelves for things we do use. Hurrah!

[Poundwise]

@BeanCounter  Have you tried Chairish?  I went through almost the identical process in 2020 when emptying my mom's house. Half my garage is still filled with a combination of her stuff and my own stuff that I got rid of when I upgraded to some of her items. She had a lot of very beautiful original midcentury modern furniture, which I meant to sell on Chairish but ran out of time, so I ended up for selling it for a pittance on Craigslist. I still am hoarding a few pieces which I might sell on Chairish when I manage to declutter all the other stuff that is blocking access to them.

I still can't believe I managed to empty that house in such a short time! Yet it is so hard to empty my own...

There has been some progress. I upgraded the doorknobs in my house and, to my husband's joy, the box of old knobs was hanging around for only a week before somebody from Craigslist picked them up (because scabby old doorknobs are better than none, plus with a sanding and a spray paint they would look fine)

[RetiredAt63]

There has been some progress. I upgraded the doorknobs in my house and, to my husband's joy, the box of old knobs was hanging around for only a week before somebody from Craigslist picked them up (because scabby old doorknobs are better than none, plus with a sanding and a spray paint they would look fine)

I was in an apartment once that wasn't too bad, but the kitchen drawer and cupboard knobs were cheap plastic.  I picked up 2nd hand knobs at the Habitat Restore, and what a difference they made!  So someone will definitely appreciate your old doorknobs.

[Poundwise]

Yes, there's something very demoralizing about not having a working doorknob!  I ended up getting a set of vintage solid brass knobs off ebay... they are so beautiful after I cleaned off the old paint and polished them. So oddly I got rid of 1980s knobs in favor of 1940s knobs.

[okisok]

I've been off the boards for a while because I got rid of so much stuff in my move last year. Now I'm trying to balance acquiring items that fit the new space while getting out the stuff that doesn't fit.

I sold a surplus table and made enough to get two stools I wanted for the kitchen bar.

Donated a bag of clothes to a free boutique run by a charity. Sent two tops and a pair of jeans to a friend.

Recycled some plastic storage containers from the kitchen cupboards. I've been following the Minimal Mom's advice to store the containers with the lids on so you can easily see what you have and grab what you need. It does take up more space, but I know that all of the bowls have lids and vice versa. When the space gets too full, I recycle or trash what's no longer working for me (warped lids, cracked bowls, etc.)

Used up a can of home insulation spray that's been sitting on the counter for weeks. The label said whatever portion wasn't used in the initial use *might* last for up to four weeks, but no guarantees. So I tossed the can as soon as I took care of what I needed. In the past, I would've kept the 1/4 that was left JuSt iN cAsE and end up throwing it away in a few years when I cleaned out the storage cupboard. I just skipped the waiting period :)

Returned some clothing items that didn't fit. When over six weeks passed without seeing the refund on my account, I called and got the refund initiated. Two items off the mental to-do list, two items out of my house, and money back in my account!

[Fresh Bread]

I've got a storage box of old tights/stockings/hosiery at the top of my wardrobe and I've realised I probably won't wear it again, it's been YEARS. And even if I did, the elastic would probably be gone. I'll keep a few for garden ties and buffing cloths, but I've basically freed up a whole (short) shelf.

I can store my probably never to be used again electric blanket there. Our house is so warm I no longer need it. Would you use a second hand electric blanket? I don't think I would but I could try giving it away next winter.

I also checked the top shelf of DH's wardrobe and there are four caps he never wears and a manky discoloured rugby shirt. I might see if I can move some of his clothing from the study to our bedroom, which means I can better store craft stuff in the study. And I'll ask him about the caps :) I know the shirt has sentimental value so I'll wash it and store it better.

[mspym]

Inspired by this joint video by Minimal Mom/Clutterbug/A Slob Comes Clean (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTl52UR9C2E), I just pulled out the horrible and bulky hessian grocery bag that we never ever use (I hate how the materials feels on my hands) and filled it with nice but outgrown clothes from the boys, the interview suit that I will never ever wear again, and some sewing patterns that I will never sew up, some of which are still uncut. I also went through all my socks and threw out the dead ones. Now I only have the nice socks that I regularly wear and don't have to hunt through the rotters to find them.

[SunnyDays]

I've got a storage box of old tights/stockings/hosiery at the top of my wardrobe and I've realised I probably won't wear it again, it's been YEARS. And even if I did, the elastic would probably be gone. I'll keep a few for garden ties and buffing cloths, but I've basically freed up a whole (short) shelf.

I can store my probably never to be used again electric blanket there. Our house is so warm I no longer need it. Would you use a second hand electric blanket? I don't think I would but I could try giving it away next winter.

I also checked the top shelf of DH's wardrobe and there are four caps he never wears and a manky discoloured rugby shirt. I might see if I can move some of his clothing from the study to our bedroom, which means I can better store craft stuff in the study. And I'll ask him about the caps :) I know the shirt has sentimental value so I'll wash it and store it better.

If you’re okay with parting with the electric blanket, check with a vet or animal shelter.  They might accept it for sick pets.

[Sibley]

I've got a storage box of old tights/stockings/hosiery at the top of my wardrobe and I've realised I probably won't wear it again, it's been YEARS. And even if I did, the elastic would probably be gone. I'll keep a few for garden ties and buffing cloths, but I've basically freed up a whole (short) shelf.

I can store my probably never to be used again electric blanket there. Our house is so warm I no longer need it. Would you use a second hand electric blanket? I don't think I would but I could try giving it away next winter.

I also checked the top shelf of DH's wardrobe and there are four caps he never wears and a manky discoloured rugby shirt. I might see if I can move some of his clothing from the study to our bedroom, which means I can better store craft stuff in the study. And I'll ask him about the caps :) I know the shirt has sentimental value so I'll wash it and store it better.

You can just not plug it in. You can also remove the wires and then it's just an old blanket.

[happy]

I wouldn't use a second hand one personally. This would be one of those items I would be frustrated about, having made the decision to get rid of it, but then not be able to figure out how. Pretty sure I'd make a few feeble attempts then bin it.

[Fresh Bread]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Come May, I'll try and give the electric blanket away, and if no-one wants it I'll try the vet. If that fails, I'll take the wires out and maybe use it as a mattress cover. It's so thick that it might also be good for the dog in the car.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Gave away 9 items of soccer gear. Another mom in our club stopped by to pick it up. It's the current season's uniform, and terribly expensive, so she's thrilled
-While cleaning out the soccer gear, found two pair of volleyball knee pads, and another mom came to get those
-Found another six items of outgrown teen clothing to donate
-Gave away 5 cans of tuna (bought in a pandemic frenzy & figured we'd eventually eat) + 2 large containers of kids body wash. The body wash smells like watermelon, and my teen boys have deemed it "too baby smelling". One person picked up the tuna + body wash, and everyone is happy. I can stop looking at it all, and someone else will put it to use!
-Returned a couple of items I need, but the ones I ordered didn't work out. The search for a (moderately) comfortable and (moderately) supportive strapless bra continues. Apparently, those two things don't co-exist.

[Sibley]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Come May, I'll try and give the electric blanket away, and if no-one wants it I'll try the vet. If that fails, I'll take the wires out and maybe use it as a mattress cover. It's so thick that it might also be good for the dog in the car.

Animal shelter will take it as a de-wired blanket for sure. And they make good picnic blankets, or emergency blankets in the car.

[Tyson]

Been de-cluttered for a long time.  In fact, after the divorce, it's been super easy to keep things clean and neat in my house. 

[okisok]

Got my stationery storage down to half full by actually writing cards/letters and mailing them to people.

Posted two items on Marketplace that I was gifted. I thought I would use them, but it's been since Christmas and nope on both, so up they go. I will donate if they don't sell.

Sent my old laptop out for recycling. Dropped off a rechargeable battery that isn't anymore at the recycling station in the home improvement store.

[rockeTree]

I can store my probably never to be used again electric blanket there. Our house is so warm I no longer need it. Would you use a second hand electric blanket? I don't think I would but I could try giving it away next winter.

Your town may vary but I live in an area with a lot of poverty and was able to give a used electric blanket away last month by putting it in a clear bag with a label that said "used, just washed, no stains, great for keeping cozy at night cheap" and leaving it at a free store - a place where neighbors can leave things others might be able to use. Gone in an hour on a cold day.

In general with things that folks would not buy at a goodwill I find that someone will take them on one of the freecycle places or at a free store if you are very upfront about it. "This is broken/worn in this way; it can/can't be fixed/lived with etc."

[YellowCat]

Donated a big bag of baby bottles to a local woman’s pregnancy center.

[Frugal Lizard]

I keep breaking things while trying to clean them so things are getting less clutter, but not in the right way.

[Sibley]

I keep breaking things while trying to clean them so things are getting less clutter, but not in the right way.

I was trying to sew up a small hole in an old sweater with the cat napping on me. Then some idiot car came racing down the street, lost traction, and made a great deal of noise while trying to not crash. The car did not not crash, but the cat did get scared and attempted to bolt, but got a claw stuck on the sweater. This only served to panic the cat further, who took off dragging the sweater.

In the end, I have 2 new scratches, the sweater has a massive hole, and the cat has been comforted, then later got a claw trimming. I tossed the sweater and my life sounds like a bad comedy.

[SunnyDays]

I keep breaking things while trying to clean them so things are getting less clutter, but not in the right way.

I was trying to sew up a small hole in an old sweater with the cat napping on me. Then some idiot car came racing down the street, lost traction, and made a great deal of noise while trying to not crash. The car did not not crash, but the cat did get scared and attempted to bolt, but got a claw stuck on the sweater. This only served to panic the cat further, who took off dragging the sweater.

In the end, I have 2 new scratches, the sweater has a massive hole, and the cat has been comforted, then later got a claw trimming. I tossed the sweater and my life sounds like a bad comedy.

Too funny!  I thought I was the only one such ridiculous things happened to.

[Prairie Gal]

Getting back into the groove of de-cluttering. Sold a box of office/school supplies for $5. I would have just given it away for free, but I find you get so many no-shows on free items.

I also sold a decorative cushion and listed another item today. I think I will make a goal of one item per day for the next month.

I am almost finished painting a little end table that I should be able to list by the end of the week. I would have been finished already, but for the second coat I used a crappy brush and I think I am going to have to sand it and do-over.