Take a good look at what you think can be sold. Try checking eBay for actual sales of similar items and note the price. To me the amount you can get for a lot of stuff is not worth the time and effort it takes to make the final sale.
On the other hand, giving stuff away can be very easy through websites, social media, or physical means.
Donating is worth checking out carefully, too, for the possible organizations and what they will take. They can be quite picky.
Finally, a lot of stuff should probably go in the trash.
There was enough work involved moving and wanted to minimize the headaches. Sure, I could have gotten some money but was barely able to get all the things above accomplished.
The only think that did not work out as well was asking friends what they wanted. This ended up much more complicated because of people not showing up or having to remind them.
We still did move too much stuff (but hey, only 1 unopened box left after more then 4 years ). I have no qualms throwing stuff out though, I trashed all my CD's (had digitized them a long time ago) and threw 95% of all books away (and regret having taken 5% along). My wife is a bit different though and had to trash some stuff without her seeing or knowing.
It was a lot of work though, couple weekends and 3 solid long days before the movers came.
Sounds like we have the same friends. Of course, they'd be happy to come help get rid of some my finer bourbons and scotches!
If finances aren't an issue, I'd suggest just selling everything (house, acreage, storage units, etc.) "as is", meaning if people want to clean it up/sell it/donate it, that's their job, and then start over. I'm sure you could hire some neighbor kids in high school to load up stuff to take to donation/landfill on the weekend. The hardest part for you is going to be "letting go" of your stuff. You're motivated now, but wait till you actually start doing it. It's more than just "I read this blog post/internet forum thread/book about this, so now I'm cured."
I am at the tail end of the process and here's some advice.
Discarding is the key. Don't just move things from one drawer to another. You need to move things OUT of the house.
Sort by category and be very ruthless. I would start with clothes first because for most people, there aren't any sentimental attachments to clothes. Take everything out and dump it on the living room floor, then only keep the ones you really like. I discarded about 60% of my clothes. If it's something you haven't worn in a few years, just toss it or donate.
If you try to sell everything, it will take forever. That was my mistake. I hated seeing wasted money. But you should establish a cut off point. For me, in retrospect, it would be something like $30-$50 depending on how easily it could sell on EBay or Amazon or Craigslist. If you have an air purifier you bought for $200, list it for $50 on Craigslist and sell it that day. If you have a used textbook that could sell for $15, just forget about it. Yes it will add up to thousands of dollars! But No, you should not make selling your items into a full time job. Don't make my mistake. If you can sell in bulk, do it. I sold my entire coin collection at one go. You can sell 500 books for $0.50 each on Craigslist instead of listing them one by one on Ebay. Don't try to get the best price. Discount aggressively so it sells fast.
Have a vision of what you want your living space to look like when you are done. It really helps clarifies what things you want to keep. I mean, I had this antique object I bought on my travels when my dream space looks nothing like something that would accommodate it. When I realized that, I gave it to a friend.
Keep a spreadsheet of stuff as you're going through the process. You'll get annoyed and want to whittle it down. Be ambitious. Dream big. Move cartloads of nonsense out of your living space. And don't fill it with more.
Letgo, facebook marketplace and ebay are very good and easy options. Start taking pictures and just post there will 1-2 word descriptions. If you do not have limits - start with big items.
Donation is a good option too.
Read few articles on minimalist approach and stay motivated to declutter.
Keep asking yourself if you would buy the same item again today if it was offered to you. I was quite surprised at how many items I had in my house that I thought I wanted that the answer was a huge NO! And yes, you will end tossing some things you bought but never even used. It's OK. Deal with it and move on.
Ask yourself if it's replaceable. If it's a book or clothing item you can get tomorrow, there's no reason to get attached to it "just in case you need it".
Take pictures of sentimental things and it helps loosen the attachment. I mean, you don't have to throw away your childhood diary or anything like that. But I must have had a hundred knickknacks from my childhood that made me smile to look at. I kept a couple of pieces, took pictures of the rest, and then sent them on their way.
The one thing you should keep originals of are old photos and things to do with your family history, I would say. I was so sad when I found out elderly relatives had thrown away centuries-old photos of my ancestors.
And this is going to sound odd and may not apply to you. But some things I had trouble tossing and I took Marie Kondo's advice. Like the plush animal my first boyfriend gave me. You guys are going to think I am weird but I ended up talking to the toy, saying I was grateful for the joy he brought me, explaining that it was time for him to bring joy to some other person's life, and then I brought him to a community space, put a bow on him, with a note that explained that anyone who really liked him and would care for him could take it. I drove by the next day and it was gone. It was really weird doing that. But it worked. Items have histories and it's not so much that you think the toy is alive, but it's your way of acknowledging and saying goodbye to a part of your life.
2) clothes - did I use in the last year - else goes. Tuxedo may be an exception that too 1-2 of them.
6) kitchen/bathrooms - items not used in an year - goes.
My wife's parents are in the process of moving/downsizing.
They are doing an online auction for a bunch of their belongings. You hire an auction company and they take photos, describe the items and then list them in an online auction.
It is between having an in-person estate sale and doing it yourself (garage sale). They take a cut of the sales proceeds. But, it gets you much more hands off.
Getting the full retail value out of a bunch of items is real work. It can be done, but takes time and effort. Something that people may not want to give enough of, especially when dealing with other aspects of the move.
With a bit of practice, anyone can become a whiz at selling on Craigslist or LetGo. Snap photos, create the add, describe, upload photos, list. When sold, delete the ad.
As far as throwing things out. Take a room a week and go through it. I wouldn't trust someone else to throw out your things.
I go through a purge every year, more likely every 6 months with change of season. I donate everything I did not use in the past season. Sonwinter clothes leave in thw spring. ( backwards but I let go more easily).
Books get purged as I don’t want more bookshelves. Right now am debating stereo system and an old vcr system. Kitchen stuff needs. purging too.
I'm definitely a packrat too, here are some things that have worked for me.
For books, I usually take a bag to the used book store (which issues credits) and anything they won't take I donate to the library for their book sale. If you have a bunch of books by the same author or a dozen paperbacks under the same theme (e.g., English "cosy" mysteries) then it might be worthwhile setting up a sale on eBay.
For clothing, I donate it to a local thrift store that uses the proceeds to help people in need in the community. Work related women's clothing goes to Dress for Success to help women trying to reenter the workplace.
For household items consider Habitat Restore or a local non-profit that helps to resettle homeless people into apartments. Or donate stuff through Freecycle - sometimes I have held onto stuff I don't need because I felt guilty throwing it in a landfill.
Remodeled a while back, and got rid of a lot of stuff. In spite of that we still have too much. I had time between jobs, so that helped.
Much stuff was thrown away. Luckily our garbage service will take just about any bulk items. Also numerous trips to goodwill. I'm sure we passed on some junk that was of low value, but I figured I'd let them figure it out. I used one of the habitat groups for appliances, but I had to schedule it way in advance, and they did not put a freezer on the list I had told them about, and they will only take what is on the list, and I had to schedule weeks in advance.
Maybe just take one room at a time, whenever you can find time. From what I have seen garage sales are a waste of time - the amount you get isn't worth the time you put into it.
When in doubt, throw it out. It has served me well. Only a small handful of times over the years have I tossed something out and regretted it and I couldn't even tell you what those are now, so they must not have been important. Move to a smaller space. Ask yourself if you "need" an item. If it's one of those "if aliens invade the earth, it's before Labor Day and a Tuesday, then this will be useful" items, then toss it.
More interested in how'd you find the time to accomplish this feat? Hire someone to help?
It's a slow, gradual process that took several years (and is still ongoing to a lesser degree). I not only downsized my stuff, but also downsized my time commitments by figuring out what activities were worthy of my time and getting rid of everything else. I have all kinds of free time now, and it's glorious.
Maybe this does not work for you, but I would strongly consider doing this when you retire. That way you have an activity coming out of your job that you can focus your energy toward. Maybe stop the accumulation right now and begin a minor release of possessions as you approach retirement age.
The sad thing is, I spent so much money on carting useless stuff from place to place. Would have saved thousands of dollars if I had had the sense to just toss out meaningless stuff early on. Books especially were a stupid thing to move. You can get used copies on Amazon for less than $5. So what's the point of keeping/shipping books.
Would you rather have a car or 1.5 years of your life back? Would you rather live in a huge house or a smaller one and get 5 years of your life back? I mean, in every case that I can think of, I care more about my time, since we are all dying every day.
That kinda hit the nail on the head! Thank you.
FIL was a hoarder, sounds similar. Craiglist over several years raised close to $20,000. Meet at safe zone, usually police dept. If in a rush, hire auction company.
Having all that atuff, plus 2 storage units, suggests you might need professional help to not restart.
Last edited by RickBoglehead on Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
5. Retire and go fishing.
Well before you list your house, you really should get rid of stuff. I suggest that it might be very helpful for you to work on that rather than just walking away and hiring an auction service, as it might help you make changes in the way you look at "stuff" that will be helpful in the future.
Starting from the easiest/non-emotional category I'd collect all of said category in one area. For me, paperwork is not emotional so I worked from there all the way to pictures. Then ruthlessly keep only what you MUST have. Put the rest in the discard pile and based on your economics go from there.
Personally I would not start with paperwork because that's probably the most time-consuming, annoying category and one that's not gratifying. It might take you a few hours just to go through one box of papers and all you've decided on is one lousy box.
Things that will help you see yourself making progress are items like clothes, books, furniture (excess chairs, old pillows). You will get a fun adrenaline rush from cleaning up your space.
After that I would progress to papers, and finally sentimental items, which are the hardest. I didn't have any problems tossing clothes and papers. Sentimental stuff was impossible to discard.
Papers are awful and frustrating. I’ve gone thru several purges and am now in another. I agree with Caduceus.
Clean out big stuff first - clothes, electronics, kitchen,toys, computers, yard tools etc. i don’t think doing categories works as well as clearing out a specific area (closet, chest, corner) etc.
I’m pretty good with paperwork as I’ve had my own business for almost 30 years. I’ll start with the garages first. That’ll make the DW very happy and also give us room in the detached garage to stage stuff that’s going to be eliminated. Anyone want a pool table and baby grand?!
Last edited by Nicolas on Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lots of good advice here. My view is that you should view impending move/simplification as an opportunity to clear out the waste. I’d say start right away and just chip away at it. Even 15 minutes per day is really useful. There’s a few things to keep in mind.
One, the act of decluttering will make it much easier to show/sell your home when it comes time. No matter how nice your home is, nobody wants to see it stuffed to the gills as it’s hard for them to appreciate the house itself and imagine it suited to their own needs.
Two, if you just buy a new house and abandon all your stuff, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to learn how to declutter/simplify and you may just fall into the same habits in you pr new abode.
Three, you need to identify “pathways”for accumulation and cut those off. It might be online shopping, yard sales, gifts from family - whatever it is, you need to identify the inroad and eliminate or limit it. You’ve got to halt the influx while you work to increase the outflow.
We have been discussing downsizing many times recently. The process seems to be too much, lots of things need to be thrown away. In addition, my wife wants to buy a smaller house with about an half of the price of our current house (six bedrooms). I just want to move to an apartment, so that we could travel around the world in retirement.
I will certainly follow this thread.
Aaaccckkk! Going through this *now* (as in "another session today").
Funny timing of this thread!
First, I should say that I *hate* "organizing/decluttering". And I'm just not good at it. Never have been.
We combined households later in life when we married, and we both had "all regular household items plus personal possessions".
And DH's "dream house" was much too big (it's unique, and there's no "half-sized version", alas).
So... there was so much room, neither of us needed to toss stuff.
Now, as we start thinking ahead to downsizing for retirement (and avoiding stairs, etc.)... "not so much"!
We have a wonderful woman who started out helping with occasional housecleaning for me a few decades ago, then became a pet sitter, and now is our housesitter.
She knows the place almost as well as we do, and she's honest (or, we have never found anything missing).
Today was "Session #2" of "The Toss It Game"
Already, a *lot* went into the garage, and and then out for trash pickup the first time.
We've also got a growing pile of targeted donations. A vague acquaintance had a house fire that was a total loss, but no one hurt. So they can genuinely use some of the nicer-but-unneeded household items. This does make it easier to part with some "very functional but we just do NOT need it anymore" items.
I liked the description of battalion-sized supplies of some things.
And there are bags of donations for various charities (clothing, and household items in reasonable condition).
Trash goes in black bags, and donations are in clear, so I can keep track of "What's In THAT Bag?"
I just hate doing this, but it's SO good to see assorted storage spaces (there are many in "This Olde House"!) become increasingly empty.
Now, it's - finally! - more than an occasional lame attempt.
This way, whenever we do finally downsize (could be 1 year, could be 5?), much of this aggravation will be in the past.
And one good thing, we've definitely stopped "acquiring things", quite some time ago.
But that's because we want to spend on travel.
Our motives were not pure.
just me, but a 10 cubic yard dumpster would do the trick.
there is value in just being rid of the stuff.
Coincidentally, I just dropped off a trunk load of stuff at Goodwill this afternoon. Then I found this thread. Maybe the conversation here will motivate me to get busy with the garage purge that I promise to do every time I go out to said garage to find something. Good news is that I did not move much of my stuff back into the house when the remodel was done. Bad news is that much of the stuff I stored in the garage is still there. Good news/bad news: I'm just about to head off on a month-long trip, so this motivation will need to chill until October.
We used an estate sales company when we had to clean out my mother’s apartment when she moved to a nursing home.
Everything else was picked up by a recommended local moving company and delivered to the estate sales company’s local warehouse. They held an auction every weekend, so our goods were sold along with those of a lot of others.
We had to pay to move the goods and the estate company took a 25% cut (if memory serves).
No hassles with Craigslist, Ebay. No one coming to the apartment or meeting people at the police station. No worries about getting paid or checks bouncing. No liability.
Because of the moving cost and company’s cut, we did not get maximum dollar for everything. But the tradeoff for the relative convenience was worth it.
However, you and your family will have to decide what gets sold and what stays. You can’t avoid that part.
We did a full “gut job” remodel on our downsized 1500sf ranch. Everything had to be removed from the house so we purged a bunch. Generally speaking if we had not used a item in the last year it left. Once we were done we ended up storing our entire house in a 8 x 20 shipping container. It was packed to the ceiling though.
Lots of runs to goodwill and ReStore. All the appliance, doors, cabinets, fixtures, etc went to ReStore during the remodel.
We donated as much as possible over the years and continue to do so. The rest was trashed. Your right - we did not miss a thing!
Thanks everyone. We'll keep you posted.
The first step for us is to stop adding to the mountain! Easier said than done, but we're trying.
I did clean out my first book case over the last couple of nights. Felt great!
That’s the key! I mentioned it is a lot more than a chore and something to get done. Rather it is a philosophy and way of life. It took me a while to get there.
We did this (downsize and eliminated) as we had no need for anymore STUFF!!
Always chuckle when I hear Carlins routine.
One other possibility, don't forget the power of "Free".
Put a "Free" sign out and set items by it near the curb. Things don't last long in our neighborhood.
You see this more in the spring, but people put out "Free" items all summer.
Love the idea and I'm sure a lot of what is disposed, will actually be given to close friends or friends of friends.
Can't do the curbside "Free" idea though. The HOA Police would be at my door before walked back up the driveway!
I think that's advice worth considering. After a kid finishes HS is a better time for a big household upheaval than before, a reason many people downsize after that.
I agree on storage units. My brother kept a load of stuff in storage units for years *after* downsizing but eventually realized it wasn't worth it. Somebody considering downsizing and with stuff already in storage should definitely consider getting rid of the storage units (some combination of getting rid of that stuff or stuff in the house to make room for it again) as a first phase, if there's a perceived need for immediate action.
Also, some excess items can yield enough money to be worth going a little more gradually. I know some people get hung up on the theoretical monetary value of excess stuff that nobody is actually willing to pay enough for to justify a real selling effort, compared to just a mass donation or throw away. But some larger things are an exception to that.
Lots of great advice here. I might have missed it but wanted to add that there are thrift stores in my area that will pick up items you leave at the curb. Just call them and schedule a date. I use this service when I have too much to fit in the car.
While there are lots of tips and tricks, I think an important part of it is getting out of the "collecting/gathering/keeping" mindset.
She has a system and method of thought that makes sense and I think can help with breaking out of the mindset based on her many years of experience as an organization consultant.