my husband and i made a decision to “downsize” the things we don’t love/need/use/or things that make us money. so, i’m going through things.
i have high heels in boxes…shoes from 10 years ago. stuffed animals from child hood (that i still can seem to part with?); pictures from high school cheerleading; christmas crap; and the shorts that i ran my first marathon in.
WTF.
this is almost overwhelming; i cannot believe how much stuff we’ve managed to store in this small house.
does anyone have tips on how to begin this overhaul?
as i mentioned, i’m operating on the theory of: if i don’t love it; use it; need it; or if it doesn’t make me money…it must go. what else can i do?
also, i found pics of paintings that i did when i was 23. apparently i gave those paintings away but don’t remember (maybe i sold them, just can’t remember).
this leads me to ask: are there things i shouldn’t get rid of, because i might regret it later?
i’m sad about not having those paintings anymore; as i used to paint and show/sell my work. the paitings are th only things i feel remorseful over. i tend to “cut my losses” and get rid of things, without thinking about it for down the road…
thanks for any tips on how to tackle this downsize! kitty
TLC has a show for you called “Clean Sweep.” In it they go through a couple’s home and you’d be amazed at the vast amounts of crap they find, and they generally only do one big mess of a room. They sort stuff into piles for things they absolutely need to keep, things they can trash, and things they can sell in a garage sale. They actually do a rough sort and a second more detailed sort, and it seems to take a third person (not emotionally involved) to get these people to throw away or sell some of the most ridiculous stuff. Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking the old Mom’s wedding dress out of the broom closet and putting it away in storage to make room to actually live in their apartments. Anyways, the website for the show might have some tips, since what you’re doing is the entire premise of the series.
If you figure this one out, please let me know!! In order to finish the basement, I have to find a way to get rid of and consolidate 30+ years worth of “precious” treasures that I just can’t seem to sell/give away/throw away. How do you force yourself to part with these things? There must be a reason for keeping them, but I can’t figure it out. Let me know if you know someone who is interested in buying G.I. Joe figures (the 12" tall ones) that are still in the box. Probably 25 of them…seriously…
Good luck…I still have room for a few more gels though…
“Let me know if you know someone who is interested in buying G.I. Joe figures (the 12” tall ones) that are still in the box. Probably 25 of them…seriously… "
I have done this several times when I have moved countries.
I put everything in boxes and put a packing slip on the outside saying what it contains and the date. If I haven’t opened the box after a year, it all goes.
For clothes it’s a one year rule. If I haven’t worn it in a year then it’s donated.
And think of all the people out there who really would love _______ (insert your item) or truly do need it.
With the undonatable stuff I like to have one box that I save “bits” of the treasures (ie - one cheerleading photo, one painting, etc) and then get rid of the rest.
By the way, with big stuff I’ve had GREAT luck posting it (mostly used furniture) on Craigslist. I’ve probably made a thousand $$ or so thus far (my husband and I had two seperate households before we got married last month that we consolodated into one so had a lot to get rid of).
To echo Slowguy’s post, check out that site. Typically they use an A/B/C pile. A is things you know you want, B is things you know you don’t need (donate or toss) and C is things you aren’t sure of. (ack, end of sentence preposition, sorry)
For A things, you obviously keep them. Categorize them, store them logically, and to another posters point, ID them so you know when they should go in B or C piles. Some pictures you can digitize and get rid of originals. Others, it makes sense to put in picture books etc.
What am I to do with all the stuff from my childhood that my Mom kept? I dunno. Some stuff I’m keeping because, like she, I’m a pack rat. Some stuff I can separate from and get rid of (donate, ebay, or toss). This will take years to handle.
If you can do it (see the pack rat comment), when in doubt, get rid of it. One year’s usage is a great rule of thumb.
Use a consignment shop (or even one of the ebay seller services) to get rid of things you don’t need. Some people are also great about thinking of space or time restrictions, that can help (eg. “I only have xxxx square feet in my place”).
Do this review once a year, no matter what. Spring cleaning is a great time.
Call my sister, I swear if it isn’t in her hand it is in the trash. She has zero attachment unless it has monetary value. I seem to pack rat it until I move, then I wonder why the hell I have it and trash it cause it is not worth my time to move it.
I know a thing or two about downsizing since we sold everything except the things we can carry on a bike, and that’s not a lot. We are not sure we will be coming back to the U.S so we sole our possessions and rent out our home. I literally only have what I am carrying. It gives you an incredible sense of freedom, even if it is a little scary. Certainly being able to get monthly rental income helps as does knowing we still have the house as an asset, but not having any furniture, only 1 bike etc., very few clothes etc., took a little while to get used to.
We had garage sales for a few months and sold most of our furniture to the tenants moving into our home so it wasn’t too bad.
I feel like a wanderer with no fixed address, but it’s nice. Not necessarily recommended for those still living and working though.
I am at a similar place/time right now. My problem is some of the scrap wood and various building material supplies. A good example is this pile of treated 2x4’s that were scrap from my deck and other projects. There are maybe 15 of them that have been neatly piled in my garage for about 4 years. I ended up using them all in the last week to repair a planter that is built in to my deck and then as forms for a concrete project I did. Now I have no pile of scrap. Unfortunately, this experience has reinforced my opinion that you can’t just throw everything away that you haven’t used in a year. I was able to do those projects for next to nothing because I had held onto that wood. But, if I ad gotten rid of them, the cost would have probably gone over $100. Maybe that isn’t that much. I just prefer not to waste it.
One way to get rid of stuff that is hard to sell or you would like to donate is: http://www.freecycle.org/. Basically you post anything you want to get rid of and someone who needs it comes and gets it. The goal of the creators is keeping things out of landfills, one persons trash is another persons treasure.
I have done some of this stuff and it helps. Here’s my solution:
Clothes Closets
Be ruthless. If you don’t LOVE a piece of clothing (ie: wear it a lot or feel great when wearing it), send it to Goodwill. Even those ‘this-looks-good-on-certain-days-but-it-needs-the-right-atmosphere’ clothes. If you have 10-million t-shirts, keep only your favorites. (I sent a HUGE bag of shirts to Goodwill!!!)
“Stuff”:
Tackle one area at a time… one corner, one bookcase, whatever. Keep one stuffed animal, maybe, and give the rest to a child who may give them love. If the things have ‘real use’ keep them --like I have a soft-side car-top carrier-- but give away the skiis if you haven’t skiied for 10 years, and have no plans to. Seriously look at the stuff.
Keep pictures.
Keep the pictures for a while longer. Figure that one out later.
Craft supplies:
Keep craft supplies, I’ve found - just find a new way of organizing them.
Shoes:
This is easy. Keep the ones you LOVE. Dump the old ones you don’t use, or that ‘hurt a little bit’. You won’t wear the ones which feel bad anyway… give them to Goodwill also… if they are really nice shoes, you will make someone really happy --who will be honored to get such nice shoes!
You will not miss the stuff you aren’t ‘in love with’… trust me.
well, i’m not really sentimental; but find it funny that i somehow managed to store my high heels in shoe boxes. for 10 years. i gave them all away last night; the hardest ones were pink suede that i never wore. not even once.
i decided to keep my wedding shoes. although i wore them 1 time. 6 (or is it 7?) years ago. but i just didn’t want to get rid of them…yet.
i have an amazing collection of expensive wine glasses–Riedels. we no longer drink. i’d like for them to go to someone who will actually appreciate the glasses…someone who actually drinks good wines. i was thinking about giving them as gifts.
what is craigs list?
also, i have a mtb that i bought for about 2K, and it has never been ridden, never even touched ground; it’s pristine. my husband said “ride it or sell it”. that is the only other thing i’m unsure about…
one would think that after 1.5 years, surly i would have ridden it. but i bought it in the wet of winter, and then got busy with the ironman and that was that.
thanks for suggestions everyone. i’m going to sell my Mom’s jeans from when she was 20 years old. They’re Bill Blass–with a metal tag/logo. They’re cool, but i haven’t been able to wear them since i was in my 20’s. She would kill me if she knew; but she’s 74 years old now and doesn’t really need to know. (her house is full of clothes like this)
I would keep the bike. You never know where life might lead you. But in 10 years you’ll still have a bike. My Dad just blew the dust off of his old mountain bike after 15+ years and started riding again. He isn’t doing anything serious, just to the store and back. He wants to start meeting me at the park so he can ride while I run. I guess my point is that with minimal PM, the bike will last you a LONG time.
I (we) know the feeling. 6 years ago, right before I met my wife, I could move all my worldly possessions in my Jeep. Now, we have a 2300 sqare foot house -full- with a basement that if FULL of crap (as a funny aside, I catch hell b/c I call the 5-8 x-mas boxes “x-mas crap”. Good to see I’m not the only one). I fantasize about pulling a dumpster into the drive and getting silly. My wife likes stuff, and I’m too lazy to get rid of it when its no longer useful (plus the company I used to work for paid for 2 moves, so cost was no inhibitor).
On the bike: keep that. If nothing else, you can use the parts to build a killer cx bike, or just use the MTB to train in the winter- getting on the trail revives the soul…
I remember when you posted pictures of that bike! Keep the bike. You never know when you will start riding it.
I had a yard sale earlier this summer to de-crap before I moved. It was kind of fun. The clothes and shoes didn’t sell at all, but a lot of household goods did. We made about $500 in 1/2 a Saturday. I took my nice clothes to a consignment store where I get a little money and it makes me feel better than just giving it away. I have the same line of thought as Lauren when giving away good stuff that I can’t consign, there is someone who will be so happy to have this _____.
I would ebay the more unique things like your mom’s vintage jeans. You may have some fashionistas get into a bidding war over them.
Kittycat - www.craigslist.com is a website designed for various cities (so not sure if they have a version for where you live) where you can go online and post (for free) anything that you are either trying to sell or trying to give away for free. it’s like an online garage sale (amoungst other things) and gives you the flexibility to add photos. Best of all, people respond to you via a craigslist email address that is forwarded to your personal email so you don’t have to put your personal email address online. You definitely get a few odd people on there but for the most part the people who contact you are reallky interested in said item, they arrange a time with you to come by and see it, and then either buy it for cash and cart it away or not.
QRGirl - when you get your B&B up and running be sure to let us know. My husband and I live in Western WA and go out to the Walla Walla area at least once a year to taste wine. We’re always looking for great new places to stay. Course we usually bring our dogs so that may end up being an issue. Best of luck!
