Downsizing

Old Dummy said:
Next on my retirement agenda is not downsizing, but maintenance. In the past couple of years my creek has eaten away at the bank and is only about 12 or so feet away from my house now. Not good, got to get the bank built back up.

You can see the first tree leaning over, the underside has eroded away. It's a nice shag bark hickory; I'd like to save it but don't know if we can.


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I don't know about the poor tree, but it sure is pretty where you are!
 

OneEyedDiva said:
Oh yes. Downsizing...that dreaded task! I've been doing it little by little. I have a bag of clothing to donate now...just can't figure out which agency. I'd prefer to use one that doesn't charge for used garments. It's good that the shop where you bought your instruments is going to give you a few thousand for them. You have a mountain of junk but you'll have less "junk" when you clean and sell your instruments. At least that's a good start.
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Check your local churches as some take clothing, bedding and sometimes working appliances and furniture that they give to those in need. Also check women's shelters.
 
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All I know is, that in my next life, I want to return as a minimalist. 'cause it's currently hardwired into my DNA to accumulate.

Two big moves where I was forced to declutter and I still have way too much stuff...
 

Becky1951 said:
Check your local churches as some take clothing, bedding and sometimes working appliances and furniture that they give to those in need. Also check women's shelters.
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Yes, thank you Becky. I know of one church and the agency I donated lots of clothes to, neither of which charge. Problem with the agency is now they have certain days and hours for drop offs. And one would have to catch someone at the church. Issue with both...I don't drive and would have to rely on (probably) my son's time frames. He's working 6 or 7 days a week now plus keeping up with family issues so I hate to even bother him.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Yes, thank you Becky. I know of one church and the agency I donated lots of clothes to, neither of which charge. Problem with the agency is now they have certain days and hours for drop offs. And one would have to catch someone at the church. Issue with both...I don't drive and would have to rely on (probably) my son's time frames. He's working 6 or 7 days a week now plus keeping up with family issues so I hate to even bother him.
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I certainly understand that. I no longer drive and depend on family near me, which is only my son and DIL. My son's company sends him all over different states that have their divisions. He's gone a lot.
 
In the midst of a major downsize effort. I'm getting rid just about all the stuff mentioned above - guitars, books, tools, kid's toys, etc.

One thing I have found so far, Craigslist is much less effective now than it used to be, at least for me. I've had much better luck using Facebook Marketplace.

I used to sell and ship alot of items, but since the pandemic started, I've experienced problems with packages getting lost or greatly delayed. I've had more problems in the past year than the past ten years combined. Shipping has just become to much of a hassle for me, so everything I sell is local pick up.

When I sell something, I always meet the buyer in the parking lot of my local police station. They actually have a space with signage specifically for internet transactions. It is easy to find each other and I want to make the buyer feel safe that the transaction is legitimate.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Oh yes. Downsizing...that dreaded task! I've been doing it little by little. I have a bag of clothing to donate now...just can't figure out which agency. I'd prefer to use one that doesn't charge for used garments. It's good that the shop where you bought your instruments is going to give you a few thousand for them. You have a mountain of junk but you'll have less "junk" when you clean and sell your instruments. At least that's a good start.
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I took several bags of clothes to my local Goodwill this weekend. I've donated alot of stuff in the past and felt good about it. This weekend, not so much. They just have a bunch of large cardboard boxes outside. I went the first thing in the morning and the boxes were filled to overflowing, so the stuff has been outside for at least several days. It's all going to get ruined when it rains. I need to find a new place to make domations.
 
About ten years ago I downsized my stuff and had to unload at the same time all that my parents had accumulated after both had passed. I could have gotten a good amount of money for some of it but that would have taken a lot of time, so most things were donated or thrown away.
 
I have a 12' Ultranautics Jetstar jet boat that hasn't been on the water since 2011. Some buds and I hauled it out of my barn this afternoon. Both tires were flat, layers of dust all over and mice nests too.

He's going to clean it up for me and sell it. He thinks I should be able to get at least $1,000. It's a great little boat and cheap to run.

Mine is red exactly like this one from online:

3_999_obo_1988_ultranautics_jetstar_deluxe_really_nice_27162847.jpg


Another online pik:

iu
 
Old Dummy said:
I donā€™t like being retired. My task now is downsizing, specifically a bunch of musical instruments.

I talked to the shop where I bought most of them, the first was a 5 string banjo in 1976.

He will buy all of them, which makes it easier than selling privately. I have to get them all cleaned up (a big job) then drive there - 50 some miles - next week. I should get a few grand for everything.

But they wonā€™t even make a dent in my mountain of junk.
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Get a hold of Good will, maybe they have an idea of how to help.
 
Manatee said:
We held a garage/moving sale. I put a cardboard sign in the window and sold the house as well.

The nice folks that bought it were planning to be snowbirds keeping their up north house, so they didn't mind that we left some furniture behind.
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Sounds like it worked out great for you.
 
HarryHawk said:
I took several bags of clothes to my local Goodwill this weekend. I've donated alot of stuff in the past and felt good about it. This weekend, not so much. They just have a bunch of large cardboard boxes outside. I went the first thing in the morning and the boxes were filled to overflowing, so the stuff has been outside for at least several days. It's all going to get ruined when it rains. I need to find a new place to make domations.
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Do you have a Salvation Army? I always feel good when I donate, whether it be Goodwill or Salvation Army.
 
Hubby loves to buy books. I am beginning to get overwhelmed with so many books. I dread the day he passes and I'll be stuck with over 1,000 books. Many are leather bound and quite heavy.
 
PamfromTx said:
Do you have a Salvation Army? I always feel good when I donate, whether it be Goodwill or Salvation Army.
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We are fortunate in that we have several options for donating. We are downsizing so we pretty much donate a load of something on a weekly basis. It just seems like some donation centers are better run than others. I guess that is not surprising.
 
PamfromTx said:
Hubby loves to buy books. I am beginning to get overwhelmed with so many books. I dread the day he passes and I'll be stuck with over 1,000 books. Many are leather bound and quite heavy.
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We are in the process of downsizing and probably have over a thousand books. It has become somewhat of a chore to find a home for books. We used to donate alot of books to our local libraries, but as of late, our libraries are not anxious to accept donated books. We have had the best luck donating them to donation centers like the Salvation Army and Goodwill.

It is a logistical exercise to box up books and deliver them. A box load of books gets heavy, and requires a sturdy box. We have found that boxes used to ship wine or alcohol are fairly sturdy and just about the right size to be manageable.
 
When I visited one of my favorite postal patrons in the rehab facility the sharp as a tack 104 year old doll gave me some of the best advice ever: "When I moved from a five bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment it was SO stressful, what to keep, what to give away, what to sell. All that stress and worry and THIS is what we all end up with (and she points to each for emphasis) a bed, a dresser, a TV and a chair".
This became our mantra when we downsized.
 
PamfromTx said:
Hubby loves to buy books. I am beginning to get overwhelmed with so many books. I dread the day he passes and I'll be stuck with over 1,000 books. Many are leather bound and quite heavy.
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Hey, if leather bound, they may be worth money...take a good look at them and check it out. Any first editions in the mix?
 
Old Dummy said:
Next on my retirement agenda is not downsizing, but maintenance. In the past couple of years my creek has eaten away at the bank and is only about 12 or so feet away from my house now. Not good, got to get the bank built back up.

You can see the first tree leaning over, the underside has eroded away. It's a nice shag bark hickory; I'd like to save it but don't know if we can.


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This looks like Elk Creek in Halcott NY
 

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