A couple of weekends ago I tackled my bedroom and was determined to get rid of as much clutter as I possibly could. Apparently sometimes I am in a certain mood which allows me to get rid of things which I would otherwise have trouble releasing.
Another problem is sometimes I don't have the time, or I'm too tired to go through a behemoth pile of papers that somehow, again, stacked themselves up alongside my computer monitor. There's no way to know what the stack contains, so I put it into a box to tackle later and later never comes. I'm sure some of you will be able to relate.
Anyway, I managed to go through several of those exact boxes of paper, and also combined some boxes together. I went through my “these might make me rich on eBay” stuff and got rid of all of it. The ceramic Budweiser beer steins, the decades old complete collections of basketball and baseball cards, and other interesting things that may or may not have sold on eBay.
I put everything in my vehicle, and wished that I lived closer to town so I could get rid of the stuff quickly before I changed my mind.
The stuff stayed in my vehicle for a few days, and I'd planned to go by Savers after work on Tuesday. But I had a brainstorm. One of my friends who is having a rough time financially and will be moving soon is planning to have a yard sale so it will be easier to move into a smaller place. I asked her if she would be interested in having my stuff to sell at her yard sale, and she could keep the money, of course. I told her if she would rather not, just tell me and I'd take it to Goodwill or Savers. She was okay taking it, and I hope she makes some money from my stuff.
I'm trying to find another pocket of time to go through some more boxes because she will be moving by the end of the month.
It is making this a lot easier, knowing I am possibly helping my friend. She is a very neat and tidy person, not a packrat at all, and will most likely take everything not sold to Goodwill so this has been a great solution for me, and I hope it helps her make some extra money!
The other good result is I was able to get rid of enough stuff that I could make room for and set up my Total Gymwhich has been residing in my bathroom folded up for over a year. I'm starting to feel like I have more energy and I want to see if I can start adding some exercise into my routine.
What do you do with your stuff when you declutter?
What a great idea, giving items you no longer want to a friend who needs the money. That’s very generous of you and it allows you to part with things more easily. My husband is the ultimate de-clutterer and we rarely have things piling up we don’t use. However, he does have a few bins in the garage with “collectibles” that he’s lately been thinking about getting rid of. Since we’re planning to move to another rental home in the next few months, we really want to limit the amount of stuff we move.
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I love the fact that you were able to give them to a friend who is in need. Hopefully, she will be able to sell them. My wife and I plan on doing the same thing over the next month or so.
Thanks for the motivation!
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That is so sweet of you! I hope she makes some good money off the stuff. 😉
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Great idea for helping a friend and getting rid of stuff at the same time. Ways I get rid of stuff: Donate to Goodwill, Donate to Re-Store (when we do projects around the home – we have donated old doors, old bathroom cabinets, old stair railings, blinds, light fixtures etc. It is a fundraiser for habitat for humanity). Also, I live in a college town and various student groups sometimes ask for donations for a rummage sale. And now I have a daughter moving into an apartment in another town for grad school so for the past year or so I have been keeping a couple of boxes in the garage full of stuff from when I decluttered the kitchen, bathrooms (towels mostly), and linen cupboards that I would be getting rid of but will be useful to her when she moves into her first apartment on a student’s budget.
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