declutter

My main object is to sell things to make a little money and also help clear out the house. My far goal is to get the house contents down to a manageable amount in case I decide to get a smaller home or apartment. I know how much my mom invested in the things she bought, but she was collecting when Depression glass a Japanese pottery were the "hot" items and she paid top prices. Now it's stuff that you practically have to pay people to take. There's been a big shift in the last 15-20 years as to what are popular items. Most people that stop when I have a sale are looking for precious metals, vintage hunting and fishing equipment and military items (just what I don't have).
 
My grandmother spoke volumes of wisdom in very few words. She used to say that money is money and stuff is junk, unless you're talking about gold or diamonds.

The only way to seriously declutter an overstuffed home is to ruthlessly purge one's possessions. The most efficient way to do that is via three piles: keep, donate, trash.

The universe has been generous with me so I try to do the same. When I'm done with something that still has value I donate it. If it's a large item like a working appliance I put it to the curb with a sign that says "Free - Works Fine." Solves my problem and hopefully someone else's at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

p.s. Chipped plates, soiled, rusted or broken furniture, and slightly stained or torn clothing are trash. Please don't burden your local charities with the expense of disposing of these kinds of items.
 
My post wasn’t written to shame anyone. If anything it’s to shed light on the fact that most hoarders don’t see what the rest of the world does and the reasons for hoarding aren’t always the same BUT quite often the core reason of why they do often is.

They collect mainly to make themselves feel better. If they save things that are worth money it makes them feel worthy please they save money by having it. If they threw it out they might have to purchase a new one and that would cost money. If the main goal is to save money at all costs then throwing things out isn’t on the agenda and can cause extreme panic. You have to bring the item to them and let them closely observe the object and go through every logical reason why the object isn’t worthy of keeping and even those obvious things they will blindly object with.

They build attachments to stuff instead of people.
What others might view as a clutter of objects on a table, they view as comfortable interior landscaping. Clean it up for them thinking you are doing them a favour and it will backfire in your face. They are comfortable with things exactly as they are and most of them get frantic over change.

These bad habits become a way of life for them and turn into predictable behaviour which is why it’s then considered an unhealthy disorder.

It’s more complex than most people realize.
 
terry123 said:
There are a lot of hoarders out there making excuses for collecting things. I don't buy it. They are hoarders that refuse to face their mental problems.
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That would be Sandy. My she had storage for all her stuff I did not understand why she found a apartment and paid Brian and his friends Andy to load a huge truck. Just to sit by the curb she had two and three of everything...why? They gave up and left her truck there they wanted to get paid and she would not pay them which explains the post above on mental problems. Seems her ex- husband left her for her friend and she went shopping ever since....yikes she did go over the cliff so it seems what people will do, she never had children. I would say this is right up there with "Blue Jasmine" the movie.
 
Suzy623 said:
I've used Nextdoor several times to sell things on and it's worked out pretty well. When cleaning out our garage I found 2 dryers, 1 washing machine and an old dishwasher. Don't know how long they had been in there but I knew it was longer than 5 years. Had no idea if they worked or just needed a part replaced. Had my nephew move them out by the road. He had moved one and was taking the second to the road. The first one had disappeared already. He went to put another at the road, got 2 down there this time. As he was walking in the house I saw someone stop and put them in their truck and drive off. Got them all cleared off the property in less than an hour. Now if I can just get rid of a 50 year old boat motor and a 40 ft sail!
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There are people who drive around neighborhoods looking for old appliances put on the curb. They take them apart and sell the metal for scrap. When my mom was replacing her old stove, my husband hauled the old one out to put it in his truck to take to the landfill. Someone driving by stopped and asked about it and wanted it, so he even had help getting rid of it.
 
I have a hoarding/clutter problem. It's very emotional and exhausting to deal with it, not because of sentimental value, but because it brings up so many feelings of disgust, anger, and impatience when I look at it. I have to go very slowly. But I have gotten rid of a few things on Facebook's local garage sale page. And there are junk haulers who will come by and take everything you don't want - old furniture, appliances, garbage, etc. - and dump it or recycle it, depending on its worth. They cost a little bit of money, but it feels good to get rid of it once and for all.
 
Since I've been going through my own home I'm noticing that just because a couple of years ago items you have were going for top dollar it may not be the case now. My Mom wasn't a hoarder but when she moved in with us she brought a few items that she enjoyed having.

I displayed them for her sake not because I particularly loved them. She had a few Roseville vases. When she lived here she would say that she didn't care what I did with her collectibles after she was gone but not to let them go dirt cheap.

15 years ago they went for an astronomical amount of money. Today you can't give them away. The point is not to hold on to items thinking they are going to be worth a ton of money down the road,no matter what you paid for them.

In my opinion it is much more satisfying seeing those empty shelves now than hoping that in 10 years you will make a boat load of money from them.
 
Reading a book by the very popular decluttering author, Marie Kondo, helped me in this process. As per her advice, when moving back into our kitchen after a full remodel, I grouped things by type and function and thoughtfully considered every single item before keeping it. What needed to be trashed and what could find another life in someone else's kitchen?

I thought about how many and what shapes of wooden spoons do I really need & use (kept about 8, pitched at least a dozen). Did the exact same process with every kind of kitchen tool, spice, canned good, etc. Talk about lightening my load. I've missed very few items, but none so much that I actually had to repurchase any.

Warning - a lot of her advice is waaaay over the top (for me, anyway), but her core steps on purging and decluttering are quite good.
 
StarSong said:
Reading a book by the very popular decluttering author, Marie Kondo, helped me in this process. As per her advice, when moving back into our kitchen after a full remodel, I grouped things by type and function and thoughtfully considered every single item before keeping it. What needed to be trashed and what could find another life in someone else's kitchen?

I thought about how many and what shapes of wooden spoons do I really need & use (kept about 8, pitched at least a dozen). Did the exact same process with every kind of kitchen tool, spice, canned good, etc. Talk about lightening my load. I've missed very few items, but none so much that I actually had to repurchase any.

Warning - a lot of her advice is waaaay over the top (for me, anyway), but her core steps on purging and decluttering are quite good.
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Eight wooden spoons was ‘after’ the declutter?😬😂 Sorry ⭐️ 🎶 I find that amusing. Lol
 
When I have stuff I no longer need or want or is broken, I leave it at the curb, if not taken within 3 days I dispose of it. I have left lamps and broken vacuums and coffee pots. I figure people know the electrical stuff probably no longer works. BUT, some people are very handy and resourceful (I am not) and will know how to fix it or use it for spare parts. Usually the stuff is gone by the 3rd day. I don't like selling stuff (Nextdoor, Craigslist, other websites) where I have to let them come to my home or meet them somewhere, I rather just give to Salvation Army or Goodwill.
 
"Does anyone have any first hand experience with similar situations ? "
Oh-Boy do we......How about going from 2500 SQFT 3 bedroom house and a 1250 SQFT shop, to a 230 SQFT camper, and 625 SQFT storage building
The Wife and I both have the "that may be useful/ valuable and save" mentality... Both learned it from parents/grandparents.
After 25 years of acquiring there, the passing of both grandparent, and the wife's mother,(Read more stuff) then a family friend that was a hoarder....
We started with setting the MUST HAVE stuff aside....amazing how much paperwork we went thru... Clothes not worn in years, same with tools.
Next was the WANT to keep... thats the hardest... Still had my backpack from a teen, carried it all over the Catskills... but its set in the closet over 30 years... ALOT of reminiscing... Found a lighter...disposable Bic, that said I LOVE YOU the wife gave me when we 1st started dating... Ill let you guess what one was kept.... Photo albums... Ours and inherited...
At this point our house and shop looked like a thrift store...everything laid out.
Next was the kids turn... They got what they wanted, some family heirloom stuff, furniture and such....
Other family, some close friends came next, offered free or great deals on the valuable stuff...
Then it was yard sale time...Daughter set up a FB event...Friday-Sunday and amazed what we got for some stuff...
Once done with that there was 3 piles...Possible future use or money items, Donate...Hospice and local hospital thrift store...(Nothing for Goodwill)
And junk.....
Now that we've moved, and dust trying to settle.... We are looking forward to going thru the downsized pile...and downsize it...

Pics for proof... Dump truck was the 1st metal recycling run...
 

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StarSong said:
When in full on baking mode I have 3 or 4 big ones in use or in the sink. I also have a couple of flat edged ones for certain kinds of cooking and a couple of slimmer spoons. Trust me, at this time of the year 8 is barely enough!
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Oh yes, your baking marathon. That alone would require 8 wooden spoons. I forgot about the cookies already. Most of my cookies are done with my Kitchen Aid blender but last year the motor went so I am lacking wooden spoons now I suppose 🥺lol
I forgot about that too 😂
 
Catlady said:
I have too many kitchen tools in my drawer, with stuff I always use on top and in the bottom and the back I have tools/knives that I never use. Need to do some declutter there.
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Same here Catlady. I used to use much of it but not now but I cant face parting with them and some belonged to my Mother and sentimental.
Ive got a larder full of bits and bobs and harking back decades; old cutlery sets, carving knives and these are hard to get rid of here, baking equipment, china and glass wear and all taking up space. I peep in there and say to myself: Right! I'm going to sort this lot out.....tomorrow and tomorrow never comes! 😕😃
 
If you really want to get rid of stuff, put it in boxes and call The Salvation Army for a pick up. They will pick up and give to folks that need it. I have taken things to our local Hidden Treasures consignment shop. They will sell for you and you will get a % of the sale. They only take nice things so Deb could google consignment shops in her area. They will sell for her and she will still get money for them. Not what they are worth to her but will find a home and be loved. The Hidden Treasure shops here are very upscale and nice. I find myself buying more things sometimes as they have beautiful collections of things. Sort of defeats the purpose but I enjoy looking at the collections and sometimes buying a blue piece.
 
boliverchadsworth said:
I am in desperate need to downsize and declutter- does anyone have any first hand experience with similar situations ?-most importantly a free local sell on line classifieds garage sale type of buy sell trade site—declutter convert to cash. These treasures are invaluable - most importantly I would like to avoid the hassle and uncertainty of craigslist. And the potential drama.
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I gave away a LOT of stuff to Donation centers. Selling things take so much time and effort.. however if you have the energy and time, a garage sale would be great. I would keep it geared toward my neighborhood. Sometimes Churches have flea market sales where you can rent a table and display your items.
 
Aunt Bea said:
IMO the whole clutter/hoarder thing is more about maintaining balance in your life than the actual stuff.

At some point, the law of diminishing marginal utility kicks in and you stop getting any satisfaction/thrill from accumulating more and more possessions yet you keep looking for that thrill.
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Aunt Bea, you blew me away with that post. My Econ professor in college always talked about utils as measurements of utility. In his case the util he used were Cheeseburgers. He was one of my favorite teachers.
 
Llynn said:
Aunt Bea, you blew me away with that post. My Econ professor in college always talked about utils as measurements of utility. In his case the util he used were Cheeseburgers. He was one of my favorite teachers.
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Aunt Bea is one smart cookie, and always well-balanced in her outlook. That burger thing could even be applied to cheesecake. LOL
 


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