View Full Version : Getting rid of more.....
gimmethesimplelife
1-7-11, 11:22pm
Getting rid of more.....My new goal while I am in between jobs (AKA unemployed) is to go through each item I own and decide what I am downsizing and getting rid of and what I am holding on to and keeping. Having a little better luck with ebay than I was in November and am sending a BUNCH of stuff out on Monday, will be glad to see it all go, hopefully to people who will appreciate it and not just add to their clutter.....Am getting a bit more ruthless, just want to get rid of more and more and more.....Rob of the Valley once more
hey Rob, give us an idea--what kind of things are you selling on ebay?
gimmethesimplelife
1-8-11, 9:02pm
Books, movies, lots of clothes I bought in my pre-simplicity/mall/credit card days, winter clothes from my time at the Grand Canyon Winter 2008-2009, decorative knicknack clutter junk from my travels, and some things I have purchased at thrift shops that have become clutter. Just excess stuff I'd rather have money for, frothing to see my credit card balances coming down yet more.....Rob of the Valley once more
Moving back overseas so we are definitely paring down our posessions also:
The biggest hurdle is convincing/reminding my DH there won't be room in the small Japanese apartment for all of our stuff!
1 coffee table & matching end table - I'd like to try Craigslisting these
2 bedside tables - Craigslist, maybe also
We have a great Thrift Shop on the other side of the block so just 50 feet up the alley is a place to drop off items. I have NO Excuses not to bring things there!
books
clothing
A local art group I'm in is having an Art Swap/Exchange: Bring in supplies that have been sitting in your studio; such as fabrics, knitting needles, canvases, etc and give them a new home to someone who is still into that hobby. It's our first so we'll see how it goes =)
Dhiana
Kudos to you Rob. I find that I feel much freer and happier with less stuff. Unfortunately, sometimes people who get rid of their stuff often get the "empty nest syndrome" and want to begin accumulating again. Lots of tricks to avoid that besides just dicipline. One thing I do to keep me from getting the urge to splurge in the future, is to make a list of every item I get rid of and what it originally cost. Even inexpensive things from the thrift store add up over time. Seeing the actual $$ figure I spent on all the "somewhat useless or unneeded" items that ended up getting tossed, sold or donated can be staggering. REALLY prevents me from buying more crap when I realize not only how much money I have spent over the years, but also how much time spent shopping and caring for the things I ultimately didn't really need or want. Lindi
Miss Minimalist
1-11-11, 3:53pm
Go Rob! Getting rid of the excess can be so liberating, both psychologically as well as financially. Sending you good decluttering vibes!
Dhiana, you're moving to Japan? (Wondering if there's an emoticon for jealousy...)
I've used FreeCycle for several items I wanted to get rid of. You don't make any money with it but it feels good to pass something along to someone who might need it yet not have the funds to buy it. I also try to practice the 'one in-one out' technique. Just reread Elaine St James' books and was reminded of the 30-day list (put whatever you want to buy on a list for at least 30 days and see if you still want/need it at the end of that time or if you can't come up with a more creative way than buying it). Gotta start doing that one!
gimmethesimplelife
1-13-11, 11:35pm
Go Rob! Getting rid of the excess can be so liberating, both psychologically as well as financially. Sending you good decluttering vibes!
Dhiana, you're moving to Japan? (Wondering if there's an emoticon for jealousy...) Thanks for the decluttering vibes.....definitely is liberating to allow myself to be free of this STUFF.....Rob of the Valley once more
My year of no-buying is going really well so far! Part of my plan is to suspend purchases this year, with of course the groceries & toiletries exceptions, and pare down each room to what I most love. I've done one round over the winter break, and each month I'm tackling a new space. As I'm going, I am appreciating what I'm keeping, and enjoying & using those beautiful objects. This is in prep for an eventual downsize of our home when the housing market picks up again, whenever that may be.
gimmethesimplelife
1-14-11, 12:41am
My year of no-buying is going really well so far! Part of my plan is to suspend purchases this year, with of course the groceries & toiletries exceptions, and pare down each room to what I most love. I've done one round over the winter break, and each month I'm tackling a new space. As I'm going, I am appreciating what I'm keeping, and enjoying & using those beautiful objects. This is in prep for an eventual downsize of our home when the housing market picks up again, whenever that may be. I LIKE that idea - suspending purchases for a year, and I have heard of groups where the members give each other support to stick to it. Did you do this on your own, or with some friends or online support? Just curious.....Rob of the North Rim once again May 2011
clear water
1-27-11, 2:15am
a year of no buying is a great idea! My husband and I are moving south and downsizing in two years. So I have that time to find a home for all the stuff we don't need. Other like minded familes are joining me in a garage sale. We'll probably donate the money we recieve to a good cause. We haven't moved in sixteen years, not a good thing in the clutter department. I'm encouraging my adult children to buy less, telling them how little of the stuff I have now that I really need or want. What a waste
Rob, we're aggressively paying off CC debt - and are doing a damn fine job, I must say. I decided that I needed to stop my addictive shopping. The Goodwill is on my way home from work, and I stopped there at least 3x a week. I was spending probably $100 a month there. That is a LOT of stuff. I loved to go there. Thus far, I am on my own, with an incredibly supportive and happy husband. He does not spend $$!
Now, I've furnished our 3 bedroom home with lots of gorgeous curtains, pillow, blankets, dishes, tables, lamps, and so on, from GW. Great stuff too - silk curtains, vintage Bauer & Fiestaware, antique oak tables, etc. But enough is freaking enough. It had been my detox from work place, where I relaxed. My corner bar, and it seriously became an addiction. Like any addiction that is to something not necessary for life (I'm a compulsive overeater too, but one cannot abstain totally from food), I went cold turkey. From all shopping.
I am also decluttering, and in the process, I'm thoroughly enjoying all the things I am keeping. On New Year's eve, I took 6 boxes of vintage dishes I no longer wanted to a weekend party with friends, and they all divided it up. It was so much fun! As I decide to keep something, I use it. Find a new place for it, polish or iron it, and appreciate it, my good taste, my discerning eye, and my incredible GW karma.
I still have probably 500 pieces of vintage dishware in the house - a 50's Franciscan set (Trio), a 70's Metlox set (Wild Poppy), and an enormous amount of Fiesta, vintage & modern, as well as Bauer and Russell Wright pieces. They are gorgeous, and we use them. Some day, they will all be sold or given away.
I have a rep in my tribe of friends as being the GW Queen. All of them are missing my forays, as I also shop for others - frequently calling a friend saying " I'm at the GW, and I found ___ for you". I know the tastes, sizes, preferences and house colors of most of my friends. If I could make $$ being a personal thrift store shopper, I'd kill. Oh well. I had to do this, to break the cycle of compulsive buying, to stop the clutter, and to direct that $$ into debt reduction. I don't use credit cards any more, but $100 a month is serious cash.
So that's the tale. It's my personal commitment to our fiscal health AND clutter reduction. It's only been hard once so far. I'll keep all y'all posted!
redfox,
I feel a little like I'm inviting somebody out for a drink after an AA meeting, but I just have to ask -- have you ever considered setting up an Ebay shop to resell all your finds? You clearly have a strong knowledge of what is desirable in a lot of different areas, and maybe it would be a fun way to make a bit of cash on the side to throw toward your debts and/or retirement savings.
OK, more sensible people can hit me over the head now....
lhamo
Some things don't change!:cool:
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