I think that getting rid or the stuff we don't need can be a great source of income, but my wife is really attached to everything, so it's really hard for us to reach an agreement. If you're married or living with someone, can you easily agree on what to sell? If you're not married, do you usually sell stuff you don't need?
This is a very hard thing to do. I am personally more of a pack rat than my husband. That being said, my husband does not do nearly as much of the leg work when it comes to hosting company as I do. Often times a woman thinks of what she might need to use an item for in the future. And from what I can tell, a man often thinks of the value of an item. I try to leave my husbands personal areas alone (like his desk) and he does the same for me. But when it comes to community items like bed linens, towels, etc. we try to make group decisions. It is often easier to do this if we are replacing an item though. There is a good YouTube videoLog In that discusses this subject. This couple seems to work together in a funky way. They are a new discovery for me so I need to explore what they have to offer more. But one tip I liked was 'if you haven't worn it for a year, get rid of it'. I like that concept for clothing. There are some dinnerware items though I use for specialty guests that this would not apply to. I also have a problem with old books which is a constant battle due to the digital market that is available now.
My mom is the same way. She's not bad enough to be on the TV show Hoarders, but we simply have too much clutter! It's hard to convince her to get rid of stuff and she gets mad when I bring it up. But she has gotten better lately. One thing that can soften them up is to mention selling things. You get to make money and reduce the eyesore of clutter. Especially if you have duplicates of one kind of item (which often happens), it's easier to let go of the extras. My mom has been sitting on some designer purses and I convinced her to take them out of storage so we can sell them on ebay.
Yeah but the only problem with that is sometimes the stuff just doesn't sell. How long do you attempt to put an item up for sale until you decide to finally trash it?
I do have a problem letting go of certain things. My room-mate has given me free reign to dispose of pretty much anything communal within the home, if I think we have no further use for it. I do have a lot of things that belonged to my deceased mother that are weighing me down, though. I have established an area (my craft room/office) where I have given myself permission to keep any of my mom's possessions with no guilt. That has helped me to clear out most of her things that were cluttering up the other rooms. As for old clothes, things I have accumulated myself and my room-mate's unused stuff - I usually donate those things to thrift shops every few months. I'm not in a good area for yard sales, but I have had some success selling vintage items, furniture, books, older electronics or appliances on craigslist and online auctions.
This can be a touchy subject for some but often necessary, especially if a person has kids. I guess if a person knows their physical limitations, being a pack rat is not a bad thing. I've been considering a side business of buying unwanted items, restoring them and selling for profit.
It IS hard to let go. But when I do, it's GoodWill, or Salvation Army. Only because this particular Salvation Army runs a halfway house and that really does support people. I won't say how I know that but I do. I do try to recycle. I tend to use something WAY past it's limits, so re-gifting is out, lol. I also try to re-purpose things, but honestly, that can be an excuse just to hang on. Not every time, but if it just sits there awaiting it's transformation, yeah, lol.
Haha, good one, I feel that women in general think and feel pretty much like you do Ruth, they feel it's hard to let go, but why? I have my storage space and even my house filled with stuff we never use and when I talk to my wife to get rid of those things it's always a complicated topic, it's like I want to harm her or something... Aren't we better off with space, things we do need and money in our pocket?
I never sell that stuff that I don't need. First I think because I don't need them then they would also have no use for other people. If I don't need them then they are surely more trash than those are. When someone needs them, I just give it to him for free. Also, I rarely have something that I don't need because almost all of my stuff, I don't need for a long time, but there would surely be a time that I would be needing them I am just no sure when.
If the things I don't want anymore are still usable I give them away. Take furniture for example. If I have something, like a table, that I don't want anymore, I start asking my parents or other relatives if they want it. Placing it in a garden or tool shed is a great way to re-purpose the thing. Not to mention that someone will save some cash by not buying one.
As with everything else in marriage, compromise. You each state your feelings, and then work towards a point where you are both halfway happy.
I don't like any clutter around my flat, garden or garage, so I am always conscious of getting rid of things that I don't need anymore. I am not someone who collects or keeps things for a time when they might be needed. I rather acquire or borrow them from someone when the need arises. I have friends who keep absolutely everything, from smelly old couches to children's clothes, just in case someone in the family or circle of friends might need them one day. They simply can't let go.
Yeah that's one way I don't identify with my gender. My things consist of sentimental or practical. I very rarely keep something that I'm not going to use or has an important function sentimentally. I do find it hard to just give or throw away but that's only if I think of the possibility I could make some profit on it. If I'm sure I'm not going to make a profit it's thrown away. The things I'm not sure of are cords or important papers like instructions. I feel like I have too many of them but not sure whether I should throw them out. I was going to throw away my bank statements but I'm told you should keep those sometimes. If I lived on my own I'd be the exact opposite. I don't like keeping stuff in general so papers I would need would get thrown away like the throw away fiend I am. I guess I'm torn because I don't like to waste money so I'm afraid if I throw a cord away I'll have to buy a new one but on the other hand having a bag full of them makes me mad.
Good for you Nick, good for you because why are we keeping stuff really? I have a good example, a few years ago my wife won an ipod in a contest, great. We used it for a couple of weeks and to a corner it went. It's worth some money, I wanted to sell it, but no, she didn't want to, so there it sits pilling dust. Any point in this really?
Yeah I sold my old Ipod for 20 bucks to the pawn shop. I almost didn't do it but I thought it's not like I'm going to be able to sell it myself. It could sit there for months without a buyer. At least I got something back for it because I wasn't going to use it anyway. Since in your case the Ipod was free, I don't see why you couldn't just simply sell it. You're not getting money back, you're gaining money that you wouldn't have had before.
I have a really hard time getting rid of things because the second I go to toss something or donate it I immediately come up with multiple occasions the item would be useful and then figure since I have it I should keep it so I don't have to go and rebuy later. I have improved lately because I decided I would rather have extra space in my apartment and live a simpler life. Expensive items I try to sell but everything else I happily donate.
What do you do when it comes to cords though? I really don't want to keep them but it seems like you need them. As far as cheaper items, I do keep a little container of them but that's only so I can have something to sell for the next yard sale. I think I'd have a lot less stuff too if I knew better on what was useful and how to organize. I may not like to keep much aside from electronics but I'm terrible at organizing. I guess that's one way I DO actually identify with women.
This is surely something I need to do get rid of things that I really dont need. My family and I get together at least once a month we have a huge garage sale and the last one we made 1700 total. Great items and little time it took to make it.
I see no point in holding onto things I don't use any longer. Instead of cluttering up whatever storage area they're kept in, I first try to find someone to sell them to and if it's impossible to get something sold and it's in good condition I'll donate it to any of the many charitable institutions in my town. I don't count it as lost money though.
Yeah, that's why I want to sell stuff I am not going to use. You sold your ipod for $20, I could have sold mine for over 100€ 5 years ago more or less, but I could not, so now it's sitting there useless and if I sell it now most likely it won't worth more than $20 like you say... We need to sell and we need to do it in the right time.
