Getting rid of all those "valuable" things

Slim11 said:
Wait untill silver goes back up! Lol. That would have been worth more last week! And yes, I didnt sell my silver eaither. Maybe in the next run up.
Click to expand...
I'm hoping it gets back near or over $100 in the next year or two. The run up through last week got me to go through the coin collection my mother started and I was very enthusiastic about....up through the 1980s. Haven't looked at it much since, but turns out she bought some .999 Franklin Mint crap that is probably finally worth more than she paid for it, and about 3kg of 90% silver coins, so when the time feels right I'm going to get rid of it. The non-silver coins I'll sell to a coin shop for whatever they'll give me, because then it'll get back into the hands of a collector who will enjoy it like I did when I was a kid. Same with some WWII air mail with examiner labels that my dad collected, it's probably not worth much of anything, but some history buff or kid studying that period might like them.
 
I've own this 8 x 10 Eastman camera (1925) assembly since 1979. It is big, bulky and a real PIA to disassemble and move. But, every time I go to list the camera for sale a voice inside say no-way 'save it for the grand daughter'. It is precious to me just as my GD. So long as I stay put, I guess I will enjoy it (until the next sale urge arises -lol).
1770392749679.jpeg
 
YellowSubmarine said:
I've own this 8 x 10 Eastman camera (1925) assembly since 1979. It is big, bulky and a real PIA to disassemble and move. But, every time I go to list the camera for sale a voice inside say no-way 'save it for the grand daughter'. It is precious to me just as my GD. So long as I stay put, I guess I will enjoy it (until the next sale urge arises -lol).
View attachment 61566
Click to expand...
Well, then, the question is whether your DGD would display it in her home. If not, then you should only keep it if you like displaying it, IMO. (I do like it, and would display it in my home!)
 
An alternative to the trash for fabric items and electronics that are not worthy of Goodwill: Trashie
It's not free but also not too expensive, and you get some credit to use at other merchants. Their recycling program seems to be legit.
 
ElizabethT said:
I hold onto nothing. I am wealthy enough to replace it should there be need. And that is the mantra that allows me to let things go.

My home is stunning. Clutter free, a place of serenity, and fabulously spacious due to the lack of crap clutter.
Click to expand...
I will never live in a cluttered house again. We didn't fully appreciate it until we seriously decluttered about 20 years ago. Wunderbar...
 
I like my junk and plan to keep all the worthless treasures as long as I can. When that time comes I will have an online auction come in and take care of all the stuff. Any way that is my plan not sure that is how it will end. We have a few of these local auction online sales companies here. They have great sales and gets out there in a large radius for a better sale.
 
I try not to dwell on it, but it's sad when you have things that are meaningful and valuable, but the kids still have no interest in them. My vintage stereo and vinyl album collection. Kids don't care, although lots of people their age (35-40) would love to have them. The Porsche GT3 I could have kept to hand down, but they don't like cars. And my Omega watch. Shrug.

YellowSubmarine said:
I've own this 8 x 10 Eastman camera (1925) assembly since 1979. It is big, bulky and a real PIA to disassemble and move. But, every time I go to list the camera for sale a voice inside say no-way 'save it for the grand daughter'
Click to expand...
If she's like our kids, she will have no interest in it.
 
I try to follow a simple rule. If its not a keepsake/investment....if you havent actually touched it in 5 years..get rid of it.
 
FIREd said:
I’ve gone through a few rounds of purging. The last big one was back in 2018, when I moved into a 550sqft condo. Now every square foot feels precious so I constantly evaluate what comes in and what needs to go. I’m pretty ruthless. I’m too lazy to put anything up for sale so I give it all away - to family, friends, charity shops, etc…
Click to expand...
I admire that you’re able to successfully live in such a small place. When I downsized five years ago, I considered buying a studio that was 468 ft.² because I could’ve bought in a much fancier building than where I ended up. However, once I marked off what that size would be in my home I decided I couldn’t do it.

I have a friend that spends the night once a week and my son and his girlfriend fly in once a year and stay for two weeks. I also have friends from my childhood that like to come visit.Plus, I like having an extra bedroom for stuff that I’d otherwise have to get rid of.
 
When I moved into my condo, I got rid of a ton of stuff and still brought too many decorations and had to take them to the thrift store. During the last five years, I’ve added new stuff and gotten rid of stuff.

I thought that it was fairly uncluttered and so did most of my friends. However, the other day I decided to ask ChatGPT and so took pictures of items and asked it what it thought. Well, it turns out I had too much stuff and I ended up getting rid of one regular size box and one shoe box full of decorative items.

It was really interesting because when I did exactly what chat suggested as far as moving decorative items around, positioning them in a certain way etc. my place looked much better and more calm. There were suggestions that I hadn’t thought of.

I had a small accent chair in each bedroom and it told me to get rid of them and I had been considering getting rid of them and it looks much better with them gone. I started with one room and then it was so much fun I just kept taking pictures and asking questions until I had done my whole place.
 
I plan on keeping all of my stuff forever. Jeep, truck, side by side, 2 kayaks, workshop and attached garage full of tools and toys. . Home office jam packed with stuff. Currently at about 3800 sf house space, 900 sf attached garage, and 500 sf workshop. Could use another outbuilding to lessen current overcrowding.

I've toyed with the idea of downsizing to a smaller place, but I can't identify what I'd be willing to get rid of in order to fit in the new space.
 
Reminds me of a joke I heard some 40+ years ago from my one of my grandfathers. He was a retired Methodist minister, favored prohibition in the day, never smoked, conservative with a capital C. Part of why this is was funny to us was it's the only time in his life my mom heard him swear, he was in late 70s/early 80s.

Husband and wife are looking for a new place to live, realtor is showing them around, and they say they want an extra room for the hell room. What's that? the realtor asks. His reply... Every time we take a trip and buy something, then get home and look at each other and say "What the hell did we buy that for?", we have a place to put it.
 
We are all only temporary custodians of what we own. If you are a collector, like me. It is much better to sell and pass it on to another collector, who will appreciate the item, sooner than later while time is on your side. Especially if it is no longer of interest to you. Turn the value of that item into cash, 100+ shares of MSFT, etc., or something else that is easy to use in retirement or pass on to your heirs. I've been doing that lately with items in 5 or 6 of my many collections.
 
RS7-63 said:
We are all only temporary custodians of what we own. If you are a collector, like me. It is much better to sell and pass it on to another collector, who will appreciate the item, sooner than later while time is on your side. Especially if it is no longer of interest to you. Turn the value of that item into cash, 100+ shares of MSFT, etc., or something else that is easy to use in retirement or pass on to your heirs. I've been doing that lately with items in 5 or 6 of my many collections.
Click to expand...
The problem is , you would have to know what to collect. Lol. Lenox and stuff that were the poor persons china, is almost worthless. Found everywhere for 5 bucks. Waterford, while higher class is still not a great resell value. If your collections are worth it , go for it. But for some, the idea and hasstle of selling stuff to make a few hundred isnt worth it. To emphasize the point, when my aunt passed we had a lot of high end knick nacks, one of a kind signed things, Tiffany paperweight, stangle, etc. I tried selling them in a house sale. No one wanted them. I packed them up and put them on a 5 doller table at a garage sale. Even told the people anything for 5 bucks , some of it is worth 100 bucks or more resale. Not one of the high end items sold.
 
Slim11 said:
The problem is , you would have to know what to collect. Lol. Lenox and stuff that were the poor persons china, is almost worthless. Found everywhere for 5 bucks. Waterford, while higher class is still not a great resell value. If your collections are worth it , go for it. But for some, the idea and hasstle of selling stuff to make a few hundred isnt worth it. To emphasize the point, when my aunt passed we had a lot of high end knick nacks, one of a kind signed things, Tiffany paperweight, stangle, etc. I tried selling them in a house sale. No one wanted them. I packed them up and put them on a 5 doller table at a garage sale. Even told the people anything for 5 bucks , some of it is worth 100 bucks or more resale. Not one of the high end items sold.
Click to expand...
Collectibles have their time.

I had a beer can collection “worth a lot”. Until it wasn’t

My once worthless Hot Wheels that I played in the dirt with are now apparently worth a lot.
 
I've been scanning and organizing old family photos and letters during the last month. Late DH scanned a ton of them from the 50s, 60s and 70s and we've handed out digital copies at various times to family members but I really want to do a "once and for all" with all of them, organized in folders, etc. I've made good progress and am backing up as I go. I have a giant pile of originals to pitch and I feel like a criminal throwing them out but I'm downsizing.

DS and DDIL won't have too much of a horror show clearing out what's left after I'm gone. The only valuable stuff will be my jewelry. DSIL and the older granddaughter aren't jewelry people. My 9-year old granddaughter loves it. One of these days I have to catalogue the pieces with sentimental value so they can at least make a decision to sell the others. Given what gold has done (I have some 22k items that weigh almost an ounce, bought in India back when gold was around $600) all my bling may turn out to have been a good investment.
 
I like the "get rid of it now and buy it again if you want it later" mantra. You'll never want it again enough to buy it, but knowing you could makes it easier to get rid of.
 
Slim11 said:
The problem is , you would have to know what to collect. Lol. Lenox and stuff that were the poor persons china, is almost worthless. Found everywhere for 5 bucks. Waterford, while higher class is still not a great resell value. If your collections are worth it , go for it. But for some, the idea and hasstle of selling stuff to make a few hundred isnt worth it. To emphasize the point, when my aunt passed we had a lot of high end knick nacks, one of a kind signed things, Tiffany paperweight, stangle, etc. I tried selling them in a house sale. No one wanted them. I packed them up and put them on a 5 doller table at a garage sale. Even told the people anything for 5 bucks , some of it is worth 100 bucks or more resale. Not one of the high end items sold.
Click to expand...
Understood. And I did know what to collect over my lifetime. In my case the things that I collected are not common low value items. They are unique, took years to find, and carry a nice price tag. Coins, Guns, Fossils, Early Human & Pre-human Tools, Wine, Hickory Shafted Golf Club, Cars, Decoys, etc. If something in the collection to be liquidated is common, it is typically just given to a young collector for a token amount. I don't want my collections to still be with me when it is time for an estate sale.
 
I had/have some of that also, but some things like ivory, you need a certification to show its older then the ban in order to sell it, other stuff similar issues. So, while its collectable and cool, without the paperwork its unsellable. I didnt have the paperwork, and dont think it was bought when it was needed. So, stuff that sits on a shelf. All good. I am glad you did well with your collections. I collect things for fun not worth. The stuff I have that are worth something were not my collections but other people's. I am just the curator.
 
Anybody had any luck with brown furniture (recent or antique) such as an entertainment center, old dressers, desks? Luck meaning, worthwhile trying on FB Mktplace / Freecycle? I don't want to bust these things up and put them in the waste stream, but not many people want these pieces anymore. Got a 1998 piano too, great shape, unused for 18 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Katsmeow
Estate Sale Feedback
Katsmeow
Katsmeow

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom