The first of the stuff went out the door....

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rayinpenn

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I have, no I really should say we have, a 3,000 square foot house full of 'stuff'. I am not a big fan of stuff yet I manage to accumulate masses of it. It occurs to me if I am to retire and sell this home I need to get a handle on the stuff issue.

I am proud to say I started yesterday - I gave away to a woodworking neighbor a load of walnut boards and mahogany plywood. I bought the wood with projects in mind that never got kicked off. I am committed to getting rid of something each day. I'll make up for any misses on the weekends

My list
- 2 radio controlled electric model airplanes that I bought but was afraid to use because I knew I'd crash them. Yeah I'll talk to someone about that some day.
- My wood chipper that I used to clean up the jungle that once stood on the side of the house
- Books oh god books and woodworking magazines - oh I can't toss that it is a great issue
- all those well intentioned useless Christmas gifts on top of my bureau
- fish tank equipment ...I took it down 15 years ago.
- old non functioning equipment - broken rods
- tools lots of tools
- long forgotten toys - pool table, basketball shooting game, pinball machine that hasn't been turned on it 5 years.
- clothes I will never wear
- a huge metal cabana..
- cardboard boxes(her) I might need them ....omg I hate CB boxes... She needs to talk to someone about her box issue...Maybe we can get a group discount?

And the worst of all a Christmas village...it hasn't seen the light of day in years.

All right mr wood chipper your going on Craigslist.
I'm on a mission- any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.



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Last edited:
Good plan!

When I was downsizing a few years ago, I made myself find and toss a full bag of trash (other than my usual trash) on every trash day. I'd find that bag full by going through closets and drawers. Eventually I actually had closet space in my old home.

But then when I moved unexpectedly last summer, I *still* was tossing half of what I had rather than packing it. It's amazing how much junk one can accumulate simply by not facing the fact that it really is just junk.

A lot of what I packed and moved (52 boxes of stuff) are still items that I will probably never use. I only moved 3 miles away, but if I was moving any farther I'd be tempted to just take what would fit in my car.
 
Talk to you local animal shelter about the boxes. They might be able to use the smaller ones for puppies and kittens to snuggle in. Also, if you have too many towels and bath rugs they might be able to use them for bedding. This might make DW feel better about getting rid of the boxes. :)
 
rayinpenn said:
I have, no I really should say we have, a 3,000 square foot house full of 'stuff'. I am not a big fan of stuff yet I manage to accumulate masses of it. It occurs to me if I am to retire and sell this home I need to get a handle on the stuff issue.

I am proud to say I started yesterday - I gave away to a woodworking neighbor a load of walnut boards and mahogany plywood. I bought the wood with projects in mind that never got kicked off. I am committed to getting rid of something each day. I'll make up for any misses on the weekends

My list
- 2 radio controlled electric model airplanes that I bought but was afraid to use because I knew I'd crash them. Yeah I'll talk to someone about that some day.
- My wood chipper that I used to clean up the jungle that once stood on the side of the house
- Books oh god books and woodworking magazines - oh I can't toss that it is a great issue
- all those well intentioned useless Christmas gifts on top of my bureau
- fish tank equipment ...I took it down 15 years ago.
- old non functioning equipment - broken rods
- tools lots of tools
- long forgotten toys - pool table, basketball shooting game, pinball machine that hasn't been turned on it 5 years.
- clothes I will never wear
- a huge metal cabana..
- cardboard boxes(her) I might need them ....omg I hate CB boxes... She needs to talk to someone about her box issue...Maybe we can get a group discount?

And the worst of all a Christmas village...it hasn't seen the light of day in years.

All right mr wood chipper your going on Craigslist.



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum.
Click to expand...

Really - what is it about cardboard boxes? We have boxes within boxes within boxes stacked all over the garage and in closets. At the ready in case we need to ship or contain something - all different sizes just waiting for the right objects to fill them. In the meantime, month after month, they sit it sullen stacks piled on top of parked cars, looming from cabinet tops, cascading from counters..
 
Like W2R, I too, starting about last year, every week began putting stuff out in the trash. I'm not into the yard sale thing, and don't want people coming here from Craigslist...so out it goes. I made a HUGE dent.

A peeve of mine is the basement. I try not to take ANYTHING down those steps, because it tends to stay down there forever....or worse, gets duplicated because you can't remember it's down there.

My Mom passed away recently and now I have her house to clean out...MORE "Stuff"...sentimental, but I will not be taking it home. Family members think I'm heartless, but they won't take it either.

It's a little hard to toss some stuff, but in the end, I make it go away. I've given a ton to the Salvation Army (clothes, blankets, dishes, small appliances) and tons to the garbage man. 10,000 pictures will go next. And don't get me started on cloth and lace doilies and tablecloths ( Mom was 95).....

I think when you retire, after you exhale, you start to look around and realize you don't, and probably never did, need all the stuff that seems to be weighing down on you. Closets, cupboards, shelves, basements, garages, sheds full of STUFF. Tons of STUFF. Things that got used once or twice before going into the "maybe some day" room.....

I'm single. Do I need the 500 utensils, 100 pots and pans, 250 towels and bedsheets and blankets("comfort" items I couldn't resist when I had the stressful job) I have accumulated over the years:confused: Was I CRAZY:confused:??...what was I thinking!!!!!!!
 
Those walnut boards, and veneered mahogany, were a pretty good free find for the neighbor!
 
Lcountz, I have that in my attic. I swear I need to stop putting ANYTHING else up there--it never gets used, ever!
The pots and pans are tough, as are the endless numbers of baking pans/muffin pans/bread pans...ask me the last time I made anything in any of them! But just in case I have a sudden need to make cupcakes, well, I'm ready!
 
HFWR said:
Those walnut boards, and veneered mahogany, were a pretty good free find for the neighbor!
Click to expand...

Agreed, it's the stuff that no one really wants that is hardest to dispose of in a satisfactory manner.
 
My parents recently downsized and threw out an awful lot of good stuff. I remember the poor garbage man pausing to inspect all this perfectly good stuff before he tossed it in.
 
Well I held on to our boxes from Feb-Oct, then decided we weren't moving so started taking them to the garbage and a neighbor ran out and took them all because they were moving... that was Oct.. now its Jan and we just bought a house.. hmm now where are my boxes :(

We actually went out of our to buy a 1266 SQ FT townhome to force us to not buy more "stuff". We found plenty we loved that were 1800-2000 SQ FT and I kept saying no which the real estate agent was like mind blown on. I'm like I said 1400 SQ FT or less and I meant it. It was painful enough to downsize the first time, I'm not doing that again. Good luck, its a "process" and it can be a lot more emotional than you think it should be.
 
I got rid of my Christmas Village a few years ago . I sent my daughter a few pieces every year until it was finally gone .Now I have to get rid of my antique dish collection.
 
Take another look at Craigslist. I've gotten rid of an insane variety of things by listing them under Free Stuff with my address and putting them at the end of the driveway. No phone calls, no one knocking on your door. Example: two tins of assorted buttons from my late mothers-in-law. I got urgent e-mails from people asking me to hold them so they could pick them up. (Sorry, no-first come, first served.)
 
rayinpenn said:
.....
All right mr wood chipper your going on Craigslist.
I'm on a mission- any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind, what part of PA are you in?
 
I'm glad to hear that you gave your neighbor a nice gift.

We've been "de-cluttering" for the last 6 months and so far no appreciable difference. Every other month the VVA gets about 6-8 lineal feet of boxes full of precious "stuff" on the curb but it will take quite a while to gain some more space in the house.

I recently "gifted" an acquaintance with a Viking Valiant transmitter that I picked up about 25 years ago as a restoration project (as usual,never got a round tuit). It was a nice surprise for him, I'm glad about that.

Keep at it!


_B
 
Is there a family member of friend who might actually enjoy selling/ giving away stuff on Craigslist? I had a blast selling my parents' stuff for them on CL. It takes a lot of time and effort researching what price you should ask, and arranging meetings, etc. But I had the time, and I knew it was for a good cause. Met lots of interesting people. No major problems with anyone, which is possibly the exception to the rule. My parents gave me a percentage of the take, and it was fun for both of us to at least get some hard cold $$$ for the stuff instead of taking a tax deduction on it next year. It was surprising what sold and didn't sell.
 
I'm not worried about losing $ - I think the chipper and rc stuff is the only thing of real value. The rest can just disappear and I'll be overjoyed. The Mrs. May take some time getting used to the diminishing pile.

Just how many rolls of Christmas wrapping paper does one need? A hundred?
Stuff I swear. Some of it will be discreetly buried in the garbage so she won't notice...


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum.
 
Suggestion: Go around your house, and closets, and garage now - taking lots of photos of how it looks "with" all the stuff.

For those of us who have to spread-out-and-sort before letting go, there is a period of time where it gets way worse before it gets better.

I recently looked through the "before and during" photos on my computer (we've done a lot of de-cluttering) and it was an amazing thing to see. It helps you to realize you are making progress.

When I realized I was keeping some things because of the "memories" they held, taking photos made it easier to let such things go.

And.... I've loved "living lighter" and I hope we will continue to downsize.

Very glad we attacked it at this age and not 20 years from now...
 
athena53 said:
Take another look at Craigslist. I've gotten rid of an insane variety of things by listing them under Free Stuff with my address and putting them at the end of the driveway. No phone calls, no one knocking on your door. Example: two tins of assorted buttons from my late mothers-in-law. I got urgent e-mails from people asking me to hold them so they could pick them up. (Sorry, no-first come, first served.)
Click to expand...

I agree. If you don't want money for it, CL is a wonderful way to find someone who wants your stuff. And no interaction is required.

John Galt III said:
My parents recently downsized and threw out an awful lot of good stuff. I remember the poor garbage man pausing to inspect all this perfectly good stuff before he tossed it in.
Click to expand...

I recently had to clear out my Mom's house after she died. While there was a ton of junk, there was also a lot of items that could have brought in some money if anyone had been interested in selling on eBay or Craigslist. Instead we had an auctioneer come haul it all away, and it all got sold for less than $500. This was out in the boonies, so I'm sure a lot of it was "What am I bid for this box of undetermined crap? Sold for a dollar!" If you can't bring it before an interested buyer, it's just junk, no matter what. And it takes a lot of time to hook up with a buyer. It just wasn't worth it to us, and I suspect the same was true for your parents.
 
calmloki said:
Really - what is it about cardboard boxes? We have boxes within boxes within boxes stacked all over the garage and in closets. At the ready in case we need to ship or contain something - all different sizes just waiting for the right objects to fill them. In the meantime, month after month, they sit it sullen stacks piled on top of parked cars, looming from cabinet tops, cascading from counters..
Click to expand...


DH breaks them down and puts them out with the recycling. We keep a few for sorting.

Paper is our problem-old bills and receipts. When we get a couple of boxes of them DH takes them to a shredding company. They charge about $5/box. You can watch you stuff get shredded too.

Get rid of the boxes!.They are a fire hazard and bugs find their way into them. Yuck!


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