I’ve reached an age where I realize I’ve accumulated too much stuff. I’m not a hoarder but still, I have quality stuff that I will probably never use again. This goes from books, nick-knacks, to electronic devices, clothes and whatever else.
The stuff is not garbage. Some people might find it very valuable. It has utility. Some of it is just duplicates of stuff that I do use and need. Yet, I would like to lighten things up.
Truth be told, there is almost nothing that, if I got rid of it, I couldn’t afford to replace. I’m not talking about sentimental things, just stuff I’ve accumulated.
So, what is the best way to get rid of things with value? I’m not going to make a career of selling stuff on Ebay. A garage sale is not plausible. It’s almost as if I would like to have someone take it away and find a use for it so I don’t have to throw it in the garbage. I don’t like waste.
Give me your suggestions.
Someone will say, “give it to me”. My response is, “you will have to come and get it.”
Craigslist is a perfect match for you, assuming you live somewhere reasonably populated. I live in a big city, and I’ve used craigslist on numerous occasions for getting rid of things that I didn’t want anymore… Most recent example: a sectional sofa that was very worn out, was of questionable initial quality (IKEA), and was about to be replaced. I posted a couple of pictures, described the condition very honestly, and said “Free if you come pick it up.” My inbox was pinging like mad within minutes, and the couch was gone within the hour.
I dont know if you have any children or grandchildren, but let me give you a perpective. My father passed away last fall. All of his belongings fell to me. I did not need any of his things. He gathered and saved a large stash of kitchen wares. I think he felt he would eventually give them a new life by giving them away to a friend or neighbor. He never did, so it fell to me.
The weekend we cleaned out his apartment we hauled most everything to Goodwill. I am thankful there was a collection place for them nearby. The stuff only belonged to me for a couple of weeks, but it was such a relief, a sense of liberation, to get rid of it all - I wondered why he denied himself so long the pleasure of giving it all away.
I know everything went to new owners who were glad to have them at a bargain price, and the organization benefitted from the donation, and I did not have to deal with it. A win-win-win.
Do yourself the pleasure of hauling it to Goodwill and let them take it off your hands.
Now, as for his artwork and other collections - I am still dealing with that. Collecting is hoarding’s pretty cousin.
Where are you located, and what kind of stuff? Electronics, housewares, clothing?
Freecycle is a great way to piecemeal stuff out.
There are tons of charities out there that can use stuff. If it’s specialized, you can talk to local Churches/Temples/etc and see if they have members who could use the items.
If you have a lot of stuff you’d like to actually make money off of and don’t want to run your own garage sale, maybe you can find someone who lives in a community that has an area garage sale. They attract tons of people.
I filled up a van with my excess books, drove to my local second hand bookstore and started unloading. I just took whatever they money offered, the de-cluttering was worth their price alone. I’d already left my excess CDs with my ex-wife before but the same approach would work.
Clothes I gave to the Salvos. Any working electronic goods you can give to them too.
Overall I’d say don’t focus on what the stuff is ‘worth’, just find a responsible way to get rid of it.
So far, thanks for the replies. Keep them coming. I have a pickup truck and I know that I have to load it with the garbage to take stuff to the transfer station.
The stuff that has value is another question. I don’t want to put useful stuff in a landfill. So, yes, I may just load it up and go to the Salvation Army or the Goodwill. Both of those are within driving distance.
Anybody have experience with St. Vincent DePaul? Would they just pick up a bunch of miscellaneous stuff?
Depending on where you live, you might be able to put stuff out on the curb (one at a time) and it’d be gone by the end of the day. This works best in relatively dense suburbs.
You can call 1-800-got-junk, if they service your area. They’ll take away anything. They donate the good stuff, recycle/throw away the rest, but it’s not free. But they will come into your house and do all the heavy lifting, and it would all be gone in one day.
If you’d rather save the money, Craigslist and Freecycle can be good if you stick to a few guidelines. Post a simple ad (“Free coffee table for pick-up on Saturday!” etc) with a single picture. Only deal with people who type intelligently and don’t request that you bend your rules. Don’t deviate from your advertised pickup window, and do not give the impression that you’re willing or able to help them transport the item. Do not let the “buyer” hem and haw over the item–if they start, tell them you’re not open to negotiation (as you posted in the ad). If they argue, shut the door and go re-list the item for pickup next Saturday. Don’t be willing to deviate from your plan, or it’ll be too much of a headache and take way too much time and effort to be worth it.
I’ve had the same problem. I have a really tough time throwing anything away that I can imagine being useful to someone. My solution is donating to Goodwill, one room/closet at a time.
I still have a giant pile of books, but whenever a relative comes by they leave with a box or sack.
If you itemize your taxes you can give the books to a non-profit. I have gotten rid of a few hundred books the last couple of years and gotten a few hundred off my taxes each year. The same goes for CDs, DVDs, and clothing and such. You do need a good count of everything, which is easy for CDs and books, with clothing I don’t even bother.
Not just the books: anything you donate to a charity like Salvation Army can be a tax deduction. This won’t get you nearly as much money as if you actively sell your items on craigslist or ebay, but it’s better than nothing.
If there’s a flea market in your area, you could set up a table there one weekend day. Sometimes a local group will sponsor a yearly flea market for an area. What doesn’t sell will be a smaller load for donation.
Just since the beginning of this year I’ve filled over a dozen, I’m sure, brown paper grocery bags full of perfectly good books and dropped them off in a big bin at our library. (they take DVDs, CDs, videotapes too). In October they hold a BIG book sale using all of these. It’s a wonderful feeling to know they are going to good use. (the county recycling program will take books and magazines to be ground up for animal bedding, but there was such an outcry of horror from book lovers they let organizations have first pick on a certain day.)
I find 9 times out of 10 if you put something out on the curb (on a dry day) with a sign saying ‘free’, it will disappear within the day.
Don’t forget women’s shelters. The women in them have often left abusive relationships with just their clothes and their kids and basic household goods are invaluable for them to set up their new lives.
