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

[Sibley]

Dropped off the old comforter and duvet cover, plus 2 bags of clothes and stuff at Goodwill. The house is a disaster right now because of me being mid painting projects, so it felt nice to clean up the corner of the bedroom at least!

[Bracken_Joy]

The dresser is sold and the den is WIDE open! I shuffled a few things and was able to put shoes away in the front closet, which removed a (large!) box from the office. Also, courtesy of black friday sales and my hand me down dyson upright starting to undeniably die, I bought a handheld dyson stick vacuum! I am very excited, because a- it has an attachment for hard floors and works so much better than the microfiber mop thing I have, b- it's got an off the floor mount and takes up way less room, c- isn't 16 lbs like the old one. (Not an exaggeration.) The power drive is out on the old one, too, so it was becoming pure misery to use. Anyway, the old one will soon find a new home (likely Buy Nothing?), and then the closet will have a lot more open space. Dresser being gone also means that a nice old chair I had 'floating' around has a home in the den, where it looks nice and I can place laundry baskets as I unload/load them.

I also set up all the Christmas decor I had decided to keep, and it all fits well in the apartment, so I think I picked just the right amount. Pretty pleased with that.

I have a shoe hangar coming for the front closet so it'll be more functional with shoes/helmets/paniers/etc. Pretty excited about that!

[joonifloofeefloo]

That all sounds really wonderful, Bracken_Joy!

[Yasha]

Decided on a whim to put a room divider up on gumtree for $30 before putting it out on the curb. Within two hours a couple came and paid $25 for it. Winning!

[HappierAtHome]

Gave away a spare pram on Buy Nothing to a lovely woman. I enjoy seeing things find a good home.

I'm going through my shoes today to throw out the ones that are completely worn out, and set aside for new homes the ones that are now too small.

[I'm a red panda]

Read a good article on why you should give away instead of sell. So I gave a giant tub of clothes to a woman who coordinates foster care.

[RetiredAt63]

Read a good article on why you should give away instead of sell.

Can you provide the reference?

I've been donating instead of selling for years, for several reasons, but it would be interesting to see the article's rationale.

[mountain mustache]

I've been doing a lot of clearing of clutter lately. A bunch of things I've sold on Ebay for $20-$30 each which has been really helpful in a low income time of year. I also have been packing up bags of clothing to donate, and give to friends who are similar sizes. It's amazing how every time I go through my belongings I find more things I don't need. I don't buy new things very often, but I think the phase of my life I'm in right now makes me not want to have any "extras." I'm looking for a new job, which could involve a move, and I would love to be able to say "yes, I'll be there tomorrow!" and pack my Element with all of my belongings and just hit the road. It's a very liberating feeling. Also I really enjoy the feeling of giving my belongings away, and seeing the new owners appreciate the things far more than I ever did.

[I'm a red panda]

I can't find the original article, but basically selling takes a lot of effort and rarely for good payback. Giving is quicker and gives a sense of happiness for helping others.

We used to donate and itemized, but our deductions will rarely be high enough under the new tax plan
 Only in years we find the DAF and I'm not holding stuff until then


https://thehappyphilosopher.com/give-stuff-away/

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/sell-or-donate/

[mustachepungoeshere]

Sold three pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts and a coat on eBay this week ($150 total).

I also visited family and dropped off everything I’d been holding for them - Christmas presents, kids’ clothes from other family, etc.

My mum’s sewing machine died so she asked to borrow mine while she gets the motor replaced in hers. I’m happy for mine to just stay at her house so I can get better at using it under her tutelage, so that has cleared a shelf in my linen cupboard.

Finished reading two books and gave them away.

Feels great to be making this much progress before Christmas.

[MrsTuxedocat]

- Sold my twin pack n play to another twin mom. I bought it used, so basically am selling for what I paid for it.
- Will go through my second hand shoes that are completely worn out.

I have a bit of a formula in my head -- if I can perhaps sell something that is worth $20 or more, I try to sell it. If the item is less than that or if I know someone that needs it, I just give it to them. I find more value in listing something for free online and directly giving it away vs donating at the local thrift shop.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold a few things on eBay (to the point above, miscalculated the shipping and wasted my own time having to buy a different sized shipping envelope). Will all be out of the house tomorrow.
-As I always do when unpacking holiday decorations, kept things down to just two bins (including lights) & tossed a few broken items

[mustachepungoeshere]

Finished up another roll of Christmas paper.

I haven't actually bought wrapping paper in ... six years? Still using up what I had on hand.

I also used up two gift bags, a heap of organza ribbon, and various blank Christmas cards dating back to 2013.

[Linea_Norway]

We are still intending to move to another part of the country after FIRE. We will sell our expensive house to free up our stash and invest half of it into something else than a house.

The plan is to first hire a house somewhere else in the country to find out whether we really want to live there. I think it is difficult to decide without actually moving there. I discussed with DH that I don't expect to find our ideal place immediately. So anyway, hiring for the first year, seems smart.

Rental houses often contain furniture. It would therefore be smart to sell our current furniture, hire something furnished and start over again if we ever buy a house again. And then in the next house, buy furniture second hand at reduced price. This might be cheaper than moving our large couch and our cupboards to the other side of the country. But I have discovered that I'm quite attached to my stuff.
Of course we will keep our hobby stuff, as these are the things we will finally have enough time for when being FIREd, so they need to come with us. And we can sell the unneeded stuff like the guest beds. The large dining table and it's chairs should go anyway. But I'm pretty in doubt about the couch and 2 comfy chairs. And those will require the most fuss for moving, as they don't fit into our own car. Even hiring a large hanger and drive back and forth to another part of the country is expensive because of the distance. Our bed is so old that it would be due to replacement anyway.

[Raenia]

Sorted through some papers last night, filed some, shredded some, and took care of a few minor tasks that wound up in the pile (i.e. addressing an envelope to mail).  A small dent in overall stuff, but a bigger impact from a visibility standpoint.

Next up, going through my scarves and paring down to what fits in the basket in the closet.  This is going to be a challenge, unfortunately, I have far too many scarves but many of them I'm quite attached to.  Some I do actually rotate through to wear, but some were gifts that I don't want to get rid of, especially hand knitted ones.

[oneday]

Final paper score for today:
3 papers in the plie, 8 notebooks.

Final paper score for yesterday:
? papers in the pile, 6 notebooks

Last week was a big week for mail and other paper. Plus, some of the paper I thought I was done with, I wasn't really. Today I might take a sick day, so maybe some progress???

The big win was notebooks. One was re purposed into a fledgling price book. The other I set aside to take notes on how to travel hack. I'm loving the mustachian tie ins for both :)

[Nancy]

@Linda_Norway I'm having the same experiences with our stuff before our departure. We'll be away for a year or two, and we don't know where we'll end up at the end. We're going to pay to store some irreplaceable stuff, but I find myself wondering if we should store other pieces of furniture/stuff due to my attachments. I always come out on the logical side: pay for the smallest storage space available and get rid of all else, but I feel some ambivalence about it. Interestingly, I don't think of myself as strongly attached to things. Perhaps the things are merely representations of the wonderful and comfortable life I'm leaving behind - my certainty. Personal history has shown me that I often worry about feeling some way about some future event, but when that event actually comes to pass, all my worries were for naught and I feel fine. We'll see!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Posted another eBay sale and a bunch of Christmas cards yesterday.

I found a few cards that don't have envelopes - will turn these into gift tags.

[Linea_Norway]

@Linda_Norway I'm having the same experiences with our stuff before our departure. We'll be away for a year or two, and we don't know where we'll end up at the end. We're going to pay to store some irreplaceable stuff, but I find myself wondering if we should store other pieces of furniture/stuff due to my attachments. I always come out on the logical side: pay for the smallest storage space available and get rid of all else, but I feel some ambivalence about it. Interestingly, I don't think of myself as strongly attached to things. Perhaps the things are merely representations of the wonderful and comfortable life I'm leaving behind - my certainty. Personal history has shown me that I often worry about feeling some way about some future event, but when that event actually comes to pass, all my worries were for naught and I feel fine. We'll see!

@Nancy . Thanks, good to know I am not alone in this. I think I am not terribly attached to our furniture. What worries me most about it, is having to get new replacement stuff when we arrive. We either need to buy it new, which is a large cost. Or buy second hand, which is a lot of fuss. And as we are moving to a much smaller place (maybe to a place with 50.000 inhabitants), I guess there is less second hand stuff available than here close to the capitol. Also, we won't have a hanger when we move, which makes buying second hand a lot more fuss (which of course can be solved for a cost, as our car has a hook for a hanger).
Also, I like a new couch better than a second hand couch. For a table and for closets, I don't really care whether they are new. But a good, new couch is expensive. And our current one is not old enough to be replaced yet.

I guess a solution for me would be: Find out what it costs to move a truckload full of stuff to city X in the north, either by road or by sea container. And what it costs to store it for a year. I think in our case, storing furniture in a storage room does not make much sense. It is probably not worth the pay. So we should only transport if the next house is unfurnished. Using a storage room commits too much to taking action to retrieve it later, while not having anything stored gives maximum flexibility.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I sometimes get gifts from business partners (not at my company). Many of them are desirable to some, but not something I/my kids are interested in, but are branded IP. I try to give them away whenever possible, to minimize clutter. I had a few really expensive & collectible items I didn't want, but didn't feel comfortable selling, and a friend is thrilled to have them as gifts for her kids for the holidays. (These are quite specific characters of an IP, and her kids are collectors.) Yay! That's 4 items out of the house.

All current ebay sales are in the mail & out of the house. Time to look through my the house & see if there's anything else to list before the holidays.

Also, one kid's BMX bike is posted in a few places for sale. It's been rainy, but i need to help my older son get good photos of his bike, and then list it.

[Kahooli]

An ebay listing I had up for probably 5 years finally sold. $585 for a small box of power supplies, shipped to Brazil to help someone repair their TV transmitter. Happy to have it gone! Only 1000 cu ft more stuff to get rid of from the "electronics I acquired for free and should probably get rid of" pile.

[honeybbq]

Hi all, new to this thread mostly. You guys are very inspiring!!

Does anyone have suggestions for how to get your spouse on board with decluttering? (similar to MMM's how to get your spouse on board with FIRE?)

My H is very romantic/emotional and attached to his "things". Both his parents are now gone and we have a lot of THINGS left from his parents that are really mostly worthless but carry a lot of emotional baggage for my spouse. I try to explain that he should keep the most precious things and then display them proudly and get rid of the rest; keeping them in a box in the back of the closet is useless. He agrees with me but struggles and has a hard time with time management allotted to these sorts of mental hurdles. He wants to google each historical item, see if it's valuable, etc, etc.

He also argues with me about selling stuff vs getting rid of it. He wanted to list individual DVDs on ebay.... what a waste. I said just donate or give away on FB. We don't need the money but the cheapskate in him struggles with that, too. It takes him an hour to list 10 DVDs that if all sell will net him $20. We each make over $100 an hour so this is just ridiculous. I want to give back to the community and just get rid of the shit.

Also, we have a large house and probably aren't going to downside any time soon. I worry about cutting down "too" much because then the house won't feel lived in. Am I being silly?

My mother is a shopping addicted hoarder and always gives us so much stuff, my rebellious reaction is just to throw everything in my house away. So we have a hard time coming to a happy medium.

Suggestions?

[Linea_Norway]

Hi all, new to this thread mostly. You guys are very inspiring!!

Does anyone have suggestions for how to get your spouse on board with decluttering? (similar to MMM's how to get your spouse on board with FIRE?)

My H is very romantic/emotional and attached to his "things". Both his parents are now gone and we have a lot of THINGS left from his parents that are really mostly worthless but carry a lot of emotional baggage for my spouse. I try to explain that he should keep the most precious things and then display them proudly and get rid of the rest; keeping them in a box in the back of the closet is useless. He agrees with me but struggles and has a hard time with time management allotted to these sorts of mental hurdles. He wants to google each historical item, see if it's valuable, etc, etc.

He also argues with me about selling stuff vs getting rid of it. He wanted to list individual DVDs on ebay.... what a waste. I said just donate or give away on FB. We don't need the money but the cheapskate in him struggles with that, too. It takes him an hour to list 10 DVDs that if all sell will net him $20. We each make over $100 an hour so this is just ridiculous. I want to give back to the community and just get rid of the shit.

Also, we have a large house and probably aren't going to downside any time soon. I worry about cutting down "too" much because then the house won't feel lived in. Am I being silly?

My mother is a shopping addicted hoarder and always gives us so much stuff, my rebellious reaction is just to throw everything in my house away. So we have a hard time coming to a happy medium.

Suggestions?

Maybe you should let your spouse google the items to see if anything is valuable. This way he can process saying goodbye to them. Maybe you can provide him with some boxes: valuable and not valuable, that he can put the item in after googling. And afterwards he can put the valuable stuff out for sale.

But it is difficult to change a person. Lead by good example is often effective. Does you spouse have a private room in the house, like a study? Could he store his stuff in that room alone, while you declutter the rest of the house?

[I'm a red panda]

An ebay listing I had up for probably 5 years finally sold. $585 for a small box of power supplies, shipped to Brazil to help someone repair their TV transmitter. Happy to have it gone! Only 1000 cu ft more stuff to get rid of from the "electronics I acquired for free and should probably get rid of" pile.

Do you think it was worth storing it for 5 years vs. just getting rid of it?

[zygote]

I feel you, @honeybbq. My wife is similar to your husband but for different reasons. Honestly, I haven't found a great solution. You really can't make another person want to change. However, there are some things you can do to help make your space comfortable and livable for you.

-Focus on your own stuff.  Get rid of as much as you can on your own. It can serve as an example, but don't count on that. The bottom line is if you get rid of more of your stuff, you will have less stuff.
-Work together with your husband to figure out storage solutions. No, storage is not a replacement for decluttering, but it's still better than having stuff sitting around if he's not going to get rid of it promptly. Boxes for things to keep, things to sell, things to donate, things he still needs to go through. Then he can just pull out one box at a time. His time management might be better if he has a focuses set of items to deal with in any given session.
-Be vigilant about keeping your house clean. Somehow all the clutter seems less painful if the counter tops are wiped down, the bathroom is scrubbed, the floor is swept, etc. I used to put all that stuff off because I was daunted by everything I had to move to do it. Which is where the storage solutions came in....If you don't already have a good cleaning routing, I would recommend a blog called Clean Mama. I forget where it was recommended to me, but she breaks down weekly cleaning in a way that finally clicked for me. I can still make a lot of progress even if I'm having to move some stuff out of the way.

I still think we have too much clutter and would change some things if the space were just mine, but I've finally reached a point where I feel okay in the space instead of fantasizing over apartment listings for one person. In your case, I wouldn't worry about paring down too much. It sounds like you still have so much stuff the overflow is getting shoved in closets, so I don't think your house is in danger of not feeling lived in.

[Kahooli]

In my previous living arrangement, the incremental cost of the space was 0. We were two single dudes, he owned the house and I payed hilariously little to have half the space (Huge basement). I then foolishly bought a house 2.5 years ago, for just me! (and the girlfriend that disappeared).  The cost of storage is built in to owning the house. I gain nothing in useful space by getting rid of it/recycling for nothing (it's just in my basement).
I am working toward fixing the house to sell. So yes, when I eventually need to move out and downsize back to an apt the stuff will go to e-waste. I've sold about $12.5k worth of the stuff on ebay over 5 years,  so yes the cost of storage and one transport was worth it. With the right buyers, there's at least that much left to sell.

[TomTX]

Hi all, new to this thread mostly. You guys are very inspiring!!

Does anyone have suggestions for how to get your spouse on board with decluttering? (similar to MMM's how to get your spouse on board with FIRE?)

Sounds a lot like my own spousal issues, along with "but that's the only item I have to remember Z person"

"Honey, don't you also have [A, B, C] other items?"

"Yes, but..."

It's all the clutter and boxes and stacks of boxes. Frustrating.

[TomTX]

-Focus on your own stuff.  Get rid of as much as you can on your own. It can serve as an example, but don't count on that. The bottom line is if you get rid of more of your stuff, you will have less stuff.

One suggestion on this front: unless it's a practical item which will actually get used (ie, a shirt which no longer fits you but will fit the spouse) - don't let them start claiming things that you are getting rid of.

We still have this damn giant stuffed animal in the house that was mine growing up as a kid - I did the emotional work, detached myself from it and went to throw it away... and then caved when she wanted to keep it "for herself" - along with her 50+ other stuffed animals/dolls. Bothers me every time I see it.

[mustachepungoeshere]

I had a stash of new books at work that I've been given in the course of my job.

We're now moving offices, so I've started decluttering there too.

So far I've passed five books on to people who will actually use and appreciate them, and tossed two empty boxes and some papers.

[Bracken_Joy]

Neighbor on Buy Nothing moved into her first solo place and has nothing. I'm gifting a lamp, a crockpot, and some toilet cleaner (have multiple bottles and don't like it much anyway). Oh, and a microfiber cleaning rag. I'l also let her look around in our truck where we have all the donation items and see if there's anything she needs. We really need to go drop those off...

[Cassie]

If I can't get 20 for something I give it away. It also depends on my mood. Sometimes I put stuff outside with a free sign, sometimes off to the thrift store and sometimes I sell. Most dog related items sell well. As do old appliances. My husband has a much tougher time then me so he has his stuff in his office, shed and 1 car garage and he never can find anything. About once a year he will get rid of a bunch of stuff but it never lasts.  The rest of the house is neat.  I did a big paper declutter and also have bags of stuff for thrift store.

[Prairie Gal]

I having been holding on to a vintage canister set, hoping they would sell, but I decided I was tired of looking at them so they are getting donate.

I also finally sold two bar stools today. I bought them a few weeks ago off Facebook  Marketplace and the seller said they were counter height, but they weren't. Anyway, they are finally gone.

[honeybbq]

Thanks all for so many good ideas and thoughts.

@Linda_Norway
"Does you spouse have a private room in the house, like a study? Could he store his stuff in that room alone, while you declutter the rest of the house?"

Yes, he does have study, it's a complete disaster. I'm so glad I never have to go in there lol. I'd love to help him organize it because I know it is a sense of frustration for him. He wants to get his shit cleaned up but truly lacks this skills to do so. I can help, but only so much. We do have an area in the garage for stuff to donate/get rid of (it's constantly filling because of my mom, see below).

@zygote
Most of the house is pretty neat and tidy with some exceptions of course. The kiddo has a play room and.... go figure, she has too many toys and too much stuff. My mother has a shopping addiction and sends us way, way, way too much stuff (I posted in the anti mustachian thread about hoarding). Part of our issue too is that our garage is really insufficient for our storage needs given that we have a lot of hobbies that unfortunately come with a large "stuff" footprint: camping, skiing,  bikes, and spouse has a motorcycle. So we have rooms that are rather empty and rooms that are overflowing. UGH.

@TomTX : He lets me throw away all my stuff, no problem, luckily. And "new" stuff my mom sends us he doesn't even want to look at. He's only strongly attached to things with memories/emotions from other people from his life.

I did manage to get rid of some sporting equipment of my kid's that was too small. Sold on craigslist. 1 thing down. 100000 to go.

[Sugaree]

Got a bunch of stuff moved to the street yesterday.  The city came by and picked it up right as I was finishing up.  That worked out well.  Then mom and I went Christmas shopping.  I had unpacked some dishes that we think belonged to her grandmother.  She didn't want them, so we took them by a thrift store to donate.  Bonus points for finding a new, unopened Lite Brite while I was there as a Christmas gift for my kid. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Just when I think I've listed every possible thing that makes sense on eBay, i remember something. Two crystal ornaments that were gifts from . . . my high school boyfriend's mom. ;-) Totally not my taste, I put them on the tree every year because they are in the ornament box, etc. I looked them up on eBay today, and one of them is actually worth something! Already have an offer for $40. Not sure if the second one is worth anything. So excited!

[Linea_Norway]

Today on my day off, I decluttered the freezers. We have 2 fridges with each 3 freezer drawers. I had lost an overview of what was inside.
I went through the drawers and wrote everything in it on a list that is on the fridge. So it is easy to see from outside what is in it.
I threw away 1 old pot of sauce and 2 old portions of stock. I found a box of kiwis in pieces and made jam from them. I also found a small box of prunes in pieces and made a Chinese prune sauce that we will eat tomorrow. I picked 2 other portions that I will eat tonight. And I threw away some green herbs that were unmarked.

[Serendip]

A friend wanted some steel water bottles which we have too many of (most barely used!)--so three of them are heading to him and another is going to the thrift store.
So much more room in that cupboard now :)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Ended up making $50 on one of the ornaments I impulse posted on eBay. Yes! Already mailed & out of the house. I also listed another five items, including something that's been on my "post this" list for over a year.

I'm also going to try & talk my 11 year old into giving up the telescope that was a gift (he begged for) & used exactly once. Now is the right time of the year to list on our local neighborhood site, and he can keep the money for Christmas gifts.

I have posted both kids fancy BMX bikes (bought with their own money, for BMX biking) on a few local sites, so hoping they sell. It's been a valuable lesson for the kids in not buying new, saving your money (a good thing) for big purchases, but making sure the purchase is really something you think you'll want over an extended period of time.

[mustachepungoeshere]

A friend wanted some steel water bottles which we have too many of (most barely used!)--so three of them are heading to him and another is going to the thrift store.
So much more room in that cupboard now :)

I'm doing the same thing, offloading stainless steel bottles and KeepCups (I'm given a lot through work) to friends and family.

Love helping people go zero-waste at no cost.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Caught up with family over the weekend and gave them their Christmas presents. Not strictly decluttering, but I'm thrilled to have them out of my house.

Added another book to the Vinnies bag.

And put a wobbly outdoor candelabra out for council clean-up.

Lately I'm finding it easier to get rid of things that I'd previously held on to just in case.

A relative (who lives more than 200km away and isn't popping in for a visit) gave me a queen-size turquoise fleece blanket about two years ago.

I just don't need it, but I've felt guilty for parting with it.

I finally went back to the $20 rule - could I replace this for less than $20 if I had to? Yep.

It can go to Vinnies.

[Fresh Bread]

Caught up with family over the weekend and gave them their Christmas presents. Not strictly decluttering, but I'm thrilled to have them out of my house.

Added another book to the Vinnies bag.

And put a wobbly outdoor candelabra out for council clean-up.

Lately I'm finding it easier to get rid of things that I'd previously held on to just in case.

A relative (who lives more than 200km away and isn't popping in for a visit) gave me a queen-size turquoise fleece blanket about two years ago.

I just don't need it, but I've felt guilty for parting with it.

I finally went back to the $20 rule - could I replace this for less than $20 if I had to? Yep.

It can go to Vinnies.

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

[mustachepungoeshere]

Caught up with family over the weekend and gave them their Christmas presents. Not strictly decluttering, but I'm thrilled to have them out of my house.

Added another book to the Vinnies bag.

And put a wobbly outdoor candelabra out for council clean-up.

Lately I'm finding it easier to get rid of things that I'd previously held on to just in case.

A relative (who lives more than 200km away and isn't popping in for a visit) gave me a queen-size turquoise fleece blanket about two years ago.

I just don't need it, but I've felt guilty for parting with it.

I finally went back to the $20 rule - could I replace this for less than $20 if I had to? Yep.

It can go to Vinnies.

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

That's tough. :(

I would really struggle getting rid of something handmade like that.

[Captain FIRE]

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

That's tough. :(

I would really struggle getting rid of something handmade like that.

As someone whose made handmade quilts (as gifts only with the advance a-ok of the recipients though)...did you consider making it into a wallhanging? 

A bunch of old Martha Stewart magazines read and listed on a local freebie website.  If no nibbles, they'll go out in recycling, along with the giant bag of Tupperware I cleared out last weekend.  Offered a Christmas wreath to my mom (will pass it off next weekend) which I bought for $12.50 on after Christmas sale a few years ago, but didn't realize it wouldn't fit on any of our doors.  Next up: need to take photos of the ~9 handmade scarves that I meant to make into an afghan years ago, to see if anyone on the local group wants it.

I lost two expensive items recently around our house, so I'm determinedly back in this group to purge out the unnecessary.  At least if I lose things after purging it'll be less to hunt through! 

[Fresh Bread]

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

That's tough. :(

I would really struggle getting rid of something handmade like that.

As someone whose made handmade quilts (as gifts only with the advance a-ok of the recipients though)...did you consider making it into a wallhanging? 

A bunch of old Martha Stewart magazines read and listed on a local freebie website.  If no nibbles, they'll go out in recycling, along with the giant bag of Tupperware I cleared out last weekend.  Offered a Christmas wreath to my mom (will pass it off next weekend) which I bought for $12.50 on after Christmas sale a few years ago, but didn't realize it wouldn't fit on any of our doors.  Next up: need to take photos of the ~9 handmade scarves that I meant to make into an afghan years ago, to see if anyone on the local group wants it.

I lost two expensive items recently around our house, so I'm determinedly back in this group to purge out the unnecessary.  At least if I lose things after purging it'll be less to hunt through!

I wish she'd asked us before making... It was a wedding present. I feel like if we had had kids then we could cut into baby quilts or something. Unfortunately it's not really our style or colours (city minimalism) so it's not going on the wall either. I like it for what it is and if we lived in a cottage in the country it would be perfect. I think I'm going to just store it for now, in case it becomes appropriate in the future. I don't actually have many things of that nature so it's not the end of the world.

Xmas decorations - yes I must try to get rid of some bits in the next couple of days, good reminder! I know that somewhere under the house there is a Xmas tree stand. And I have a wrong sized wreath to go like you. Plus ugly baubles I got for free, I don't know what I was thinking, we don't have a tree.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

While looking for something in the garage, I noticed we had a few extra shoes the kids have outgrown. Two pair were in really great condition, so put in the donation bin. In puzzling news, we only have one shoe of a set. . . what happened to the other shoe???

[Linea_Norway]

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

I think you could give it away later, but you should perhaps look for a good recipient. Don't just add it to the donation box, but give it to someone who really appreciates it. Then you can tell your friend it has gotten a good home.

[joonifloofeefloo]

If not to a thrift, where someone can self-select to be the happy recipient because it fits their need and home perfectly, I would encourage you to give the quilt to a shelter or second-stage housing. When I stayed in those, handmade quilts helped me so much, to feel safe, loved, cared about, even though I never knew who had carefully stitched them.

[former player]

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

Speaking as someone who knows a number of quilters (and is even half-heartedly working on a quilt too, for herself) quilters make quilts mainly for themselves, and then find recipients to give them to - or find the recipient first as an excuse.

If you would rather get rid of the quilt than keep it, I would find a charity auction or raffle in which it could be the grand prize.  I would then write to the friend saying "although we love the quilt it doesn't fit into our new living arrangements, we support this wonderful charity who would love to make the quilt the centrepiece of their next auction, would that be alright with you?"

[marty998]

Caught up with family over the weekend and gave them their Christmas presents. Not strictly decluttering, but I'm thrilled to have them out of my house.

Added another book to the Vinnies bag.

And put a wobbly outdoor candelabra out for council clean-up.

Lately I'm finding it easier to get rid of things that I'd previously held on to just in case.

A relative (who lives more than 200km away and isn't popping in for a visit) gave me a queen-size turquoise fleece blanket about two years ago.

I just don't need it, but I've felt guilty for parting with it.

I finally went back to the $20 rule - could I replace this for less than $20 if I had to? Yep.

It can go to Vinnies.

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

That's tough. :(

I would really struggle getting rid of something handmade like that.

These gifts are always useful for wrapping oneself up on the couch on a cold winter night. Even if it is only once a year.

I have a couple of blankets specially for that purpose :)

[mustachepungoeshere]

Caught up with family over the weekend and gave them their Christmas presents. Not strictly decluttering, but I'm thrilled to have them out of my house.

Added another book to the Vinnies bag.

And put a wobbly outdoor candelabra out for council clean-up.

Lately I'm finding it easier to get rid of things that I'd previously held on to just in case.

A relative (who lives more than 200km away and isn't popping in for a visit) gave me a queen-size turquoise fleece blanket about two years ago.

I just don't need it, but I've felt guilty for parting with it.

I finally went back to the $20 rule - could I replace this for less than $20 if I had to? Yep.

It can go to Vinnies.

You have reminded me... A friend handmade us a quilt. An unbelievable amount of thought and hours went into it (like a 6 month project) but it's too hot for hubby to sleep under even in winter. At the moment it lives on the spare bed but our next place will have a sofa bed only... I seriously don't know what to do with this quilt. I'm thinking that we store it in a space bag and then summon the courage to ask her if she wants to regift to someone else?

That's tough. :(

I would really struggle getting rid of something handmade like that.

These gifts are always useful for wrapping oneself up on the couch on a cold winter night. Even if it is only once a year.

I have a couple of blankets specially for that purpose :)

I already tried to offload this one on you! :D