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I realize that those are my only choices; I was just curious how other frugal people dispose of unwanted items.
Without angst.
I lost my husband almost 2 years ago, and he was a hoarder. Having one is good, having two was great, having 100 is not enough. So I not only had a house to clear out to sell, I had a lot of stuff to clear out. I cannot spend the rest of my life on eBay or craigslist selling one piece at a time.
I donated, I took receipts, and the tax deductions and donated donated donated.
His T-shirts alone where I think about five carloads. And here’s the thing, old furniture, nobody seems to want it anymore. You might be able to sell the kayak.
Totally not sure about the bike. The other thing is a lot of outlets for the stuff that I’m going through, aren’t taking anything right now. Everything seems to be Covid closed still.
And not only with everything closed for Covid I ended up with Covid and had a run of weird health problems after Covid which I came through with flying colors. I’m just getting my feet back under me. Got to get back to selling (taking books to Half Price Books) and donating.
I lost my husband almost 2 years ago, and he was a hoarder. Having one is good, having two was great, having 100 is not enough. So I not only had a house to clear out to sell, I had a lot of stuff to clear out. I cannot spend the rest of my life on eBay or craigslist selling one piece at a time.
I donated, I took receipts, and the tax deductions and donated donated donated.
His T-shirts alone where I think about five carloads. And here’s the thing, old furniture, nobody seems to want it anymore. You might be able to sell the kayak.
Totally not sure about the bike. The other thing is a lot of outlets for the stuff that I’m going through, aren’t taking anything right now. Everything seems to be Covid closed still.
And not only with everything closed for Covid I ended up with Covid and had a run of weird health problems after Covid which I came through with flying colors. I’m just getting my feet back under me. Got to get back to selling (taking books to Half Price Books) and donating.
I can relate! My large family home was not hoarded, but neatly and compactly full of 50 years worth of things... My parents', my sibling's (who didn't care enough about the stuff to come help me clear the house out), and even my own. Every item had to be picked up, considered, and have something done with it. It was physically and emotionally draining.
I, too, ended up giving a lot away, even throwing things away, and auctioning off (in one batch) what I could for what turned out to be pennies on the dollar. The most satisfying was "gifting" items of sentimental value.
That experience certainly broke me of the bad habit of bringing home things that were free or a great buy! But, unfortunately, I took too much stuff with me to my next home. Now I have to dispose of those items.
Yes, I'll try to sell the kayak... AND the bike... And if the antique furniture won't sell, I'll donate it to the humane society's thrift shop. It'll make someone just starting out very happy and the animals well fed.
It doesn't pertain to some people's situations, but my solution to getting rid of junk is to not bring it into the house in the first place.
I very carefully consider whether or not I really need it before I buy it. I never buy anything that has to be dusted. If I decide I want something, I wait a few days and see if I still want it. I try to buy things that will survive usage and not break down while I still need them.
I confess, I do have some inherited stuff that I cherish, but because I cherish it, I don't have to figure out how to get rid of it. I keep it instead. Some of that stuff is really useless, like my great grandmothers flax spinning wheel. Seriously, what would I ever use it for? And it takes up a lot of room. But I'm keeping it and my son has already committed to keeping it, so it stays.
My sympathy to those who inherit households full of worn out stuff and to those who are partnered with hoarders. It's a lot to sort through, both the stuff and the emotions.
Yes; I now practice the "one in, one out" rule (if you are gifted or buy a new book, article of clothing, picture, etc., one in the house has to go). Mostly, though, I've stopped dropping into thrift shops for the sheer entertainment value... Being frugal, once there, I had a hard time passing up a bargain!
I lost my husband almost 2 years ago, and he was a hoarder. Having one is good, having two was great, having 100 is not enough. So I not only had a house to clear out to sell, I had a lot of stuff to clear out. I cannot spend the rest of my life on eBay or craigslist selling one piece at a time.
I donated, I took receipts, and the tax deductions and donated donated donated.
His T-shirts alone where I think about five carloads. And here’s the thing, old furniture, nobody seems to want it anymore. You might be able to sell the kayak.
Totally not sure about the bike. The other thing is a lot of outlets for the stuff that I’m going through, aren’t taking anything right now. Everything seems to be Covid closed still.
And not only with everything closed for Covid I ended up with Covid and had a run of weird health problems after Covid which I came through with flying colors. I’m just getting my feet back under me. Got to get back to selling (taking books to Half Price Books) and donating.
If you are talking about bike as in bicycle, you may be able to sell it back to a shop if it is a good one. If not, a place like Nextdoor. Those have been in demand since Covid and prices have gone up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
Yes, this is my problem. I see friends making bank selling their junk online, and I want the same. I just can't bring myself to do it!
Here is my thing with selling. You have to buy stuff to sell it. A lot of people who buy, buy it new and then brag about how much they made after the garage sale. They leave out the part where it was junk they never needed in the first place. They were just people who mainly like to buy. I've also known other people who are able to use for a little while and resale. Even some of those are so obsessed with wear and tear, stains, etc., it seems like a hassle to me.
Here is my thing with selling. You have to buy stuff to sell it. A lot of people who buy, buy it new and then brag about how much they made after the garage sale. They leave out the part where it was junk they never needed in the first place. They are just people who mainly like to buy...It seems like a hassle to me.
You have a point there. I, on the other hand, now buy NOTHNG but necessities. Virtually everything I have to sell was either bought years and years ago - used - and used until I upgraded (the bike and kayak) or were things given to me or gotten for virtually free. So I have very little money invested. Therefore, it shouldn't bother me to get no money on the backside of it. I just have to keep reminding myself of this!
It depends on how much I have and my mood. I have had moving sales, listed online, and given it away. Just went through this as I divorced my semi-hoarder husband and we are both moving into smaller places with no yards. This house had 2 patios so lots of outside furniture. Anyways had a 2 day moving sale and made 550. Listed some stuff online and the rest out in the front yard for free and people took it.
I can relate! My large family home was not hoarded, but neatly and compactly full of 50 years worth of things... My parents', my sibling's (who didn't care enough about the stuff to come help me clear the house out), and even my own. Every item had to be picked up, considered, and have something done with it. It was physically and emotionally draining.
I, too, ended up giving a lot away, even throwing things away, and auctioning off (in one batch) what I could for what turned out to be pennies on the dollar. The most satisfying was "gifting" items of sentimental value.
That experience certainly broke me of the bad habit of bringing home things that were free or a great buy! But, unfortunately, I took too much stuff with me to my next home. Now I have to dispose of those items.
Yes, I'll try to sell the kayak... AND the bike... And if the antique furniture won't sell, I'll donate it to the humane society's thrift shop. It'll make someone just starting out very happy and the animals well fed.
I explained CONSTANTLY to friends that the stuff that my husband brought home had no emotional connection so I didn’t have to do that, the “pick it up and consider it” and then deal with it somehow. I could just chuck it, or donate it.
They never did get it. There is such a hard core mentality about stuff in our generation that they could not understand that that was actually an easy thing to do. This stuff had no meaning to me. Friends couldn’t accept that, so I flipped it. Instead of explaining it again and again… And again… I basically just said yes but I’ve been coping. Much shorter.
The worst part is everybody also assumes that everything is worth a boatload of money. When in reality, today it’s not. The generation now who’s buying new furniture, they don’t want old stuff. And thanks to Marie Kondo, everybody is clearing out. So when I take stuff to the Salvation Army, there are huge bins overflowing with donations. And the donation truck comes and picks it up at least twice a day to take it to their huge center where they sort.
I couldn’t find anyone to sell his autograph collection to because they wanted me to take photos of it and send it to them and then they would tell me what they would take. He literally had 14 binders 3 to 4 inch binders, the biggest binders you could buy, filled with signed photographs in protective sleeves, two to a sleeve.
That wasn’t till I found Todd Mueller. I had totally forgotten about him. I told him what I had and he said go to the post office, get the biggest boxes they have, open up the binders, put it all in, don’t even look at it, send it to me, I’ll give you a price.
Done. His policy was to send back the fakes and the unsellable‘s. I hardly got anything back so my husband apparently knew what he was doing.
I kept a few that I loved. And I think that’s the point of this. I went from being a daughter and not really having a full say in my life, to being married which is all about compromise, to now it’s just me and I can do what I want. Don’t get me wrong, I really miss my husband. But I am really working hard to find the joy in this and it’s getting easier.
__________________ Solly says — Be nice!
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Solly says — Be nice!
