How do you remove clutter from your life?

Easy

I do as well.

I have tons of books and comic books that I will NEVER spend the time trying to sell on eBay and risk losing my 100% perfect score there. I think I will take them to Half Price Books in Austin and just get a tiny amount of money.

I have 4 giant bags of clothes to give to charity. I just have to drive them to town. Even then, I'm worried that I will dig back in there and keep some of the items.

I just shoot it, and if that isn’t feasible, I just burn it down.

Hire a dumpster and throw it all away.

There's an old saying that I really believe in - "When in doubt, throw it out!!"

Find an enterprising teen to put all that shit on eBay or whatever, and split the proceeds.

If you really want to sell stuff, look for consignment stores. When I redecorated, I took lamps and chairs to a couple of stores run by charities. They take clothes and kitchenware as well.

It literally never fails that when I get rid of stuff that I haven't used in years, I'll need it.

I had an old Lands End anorak that I hadn't worn in years that I got rid of. Then, the lockdown hit, and it would have been the perfect thing for wearing during my daily 4 mile walks for exercise.

[quote] Hire a dumpster and throw it all away.

No way.

I can make money off of some of this shit. Much of it is brand new.

Generators, Stetson Hats, TONS of clothing, brand new chromebooks, shoes (some never used), power tools and equipment, kitchen and cooking tools and equipment that has never been used, cappucino makers, extra flat screen tv's, etc.

I could easily make over a thousand bucks from this crap, but I honestly don't want to organize a garage sale.

Tagging everything, advertising, putting up signs, etc. Too much fucking work!

But I really want to get rid of it.

Sorry, I'm just whining.

$1,000 of crap? Throw it away!

I read that as “How do you remove butter” from your life 3 times on my phone. I need glasses.

As for clutter, take your stuff to the Salvation Army or something comparable and dump the rest. I hate clutter. (But I like butter).

I've heard of people having good luck selling their junk via Facebook Makletplace.

lol R12.

What's a Makletplace?

Clothes--put 'em on the Poshmark app. Stuff--Facebook Marketplace and Craigs list. Do a little at a time and by category--say five items a day. Be realistic about how much other people will want your old stuff. It needs to be close to unworn, no smoke, no pet hair.

Do people still use Craig's List?

If it's new/good quality you can easily give it away, just by leaving it out or similar. The rest you just have to suck it up and throw away. Believe me, I get it, I have a hard time throwing things away. But if you haven't used it for 2 years, you should just bite the bullet and throw it away. P.S. Please don't give nasty junk to charity shops because they have to pay to get rid of it.

I’m in the process of this right now. I’m so sick of crap.

Find that Oriental who spews something about finding joy in cleaning...

R9, Call a junk-removal company and just do it!

I did, a couple years ago: clothing and shoes; hundreds of albums; lots of good furniture; dishes and glasses; other stuff.

Total relief. The thought of yard sales or eBay gives me hives!

Up next: tablecloths; more dishes, pots, and pans; Christmas decorations.

If I live another decade---there go my thousands of books!

I have this problem too ... plus I've inherited even more stuff from deceased friends and relatives. I have a hard time getting rid of stuff, because I always think I could sell it, or might need it, or the other usual excuses. But now I try to convince myself that even if I need something again, most stuff is easily replaced and usually not that expensive. But I could really use someone to help me get rid of things. I mean -- I have my mother's diamond engagement ring. No relatives to give it to. I have two sets of 12 place settings of sterling silver. I'd feel guilty just giving it away.

I’m Trans Oriental and find joy in cleaning. Will I do?

Let me translate for R21...

OP is Tori Spelling. She's finally pulling her life together!

I find that doing one category at a time is best.

Clothes

Empty boxes

Toys

Books

Gadgets

Junk/broken stuff

Just commit to one category at a time. Go around the house, and put all the items of one category on the bed. Go through it and pick only one or two things to keep. Get rid of the rest. Take a break, and see how you feel. Use that momentum to get you to the next category.

One thing that motivates me is watching Hoarders.

Stop being a delusional hoarder OP.

Make a fake ass “estate sale” and bring frauen through you place to buy your shit.

Otherwise THROW IT OUT or hire a junk removal service if you’re too goddamn lazy.

Every mentally ill hoarder believes their shit is worth sooo much money so they just have to keep it. If you want it gone hire someone to take it AWAY!

Many Chinaman make light work. Me help you clean?

I have a fool proof plan, op.

What seems to be paralyzing you is the process of trying to sell.

Just give the stuff away on various neighborhood apps. It’s so fulfilling to give away stuff and they come and pick it all up.

Selling everything on EBay or CraigsList is a mega pain in the ass. You have to waste tons of time and you never get what you expect to

Donate what you can -- and that's a low bar... but if it's in decent shape, someone can benefit from it.

I go the by the have I opened it, used it, or worn it in in the last year? That doesn't mean I part with everything but I part with most of it.

the other thing is, if you have storage space, box it up and inventory it. It's contained but you know where it is.

Years ago I moved from a huge place to a small bachelor and I paid storage every month for my crap and later on I regretted it. After spending thousands of dollars to hold on to my useful but valuable shit. I finally got rid of storage and just got rid of it. If you can't use it right now just get rid of it. Giving it to somebody else to sell and then splitting the profits sounds like a good idea.

OP, r9, unless you you are a porch pirate and that’s how you got all that expensive stuff you don’t use, you obviously have money to burn. Give it all to charity, many will pick it up, and be glad to be rid of it.

R20, Keep your mother's ring. Or use the gems for a pinky or signet ring.

As for the sterling, yikes! I didn't have that problem. I know there are places and companies that would buy the pieces, but at criminally-low compensation.

I have a collection (over time and places, including England) of Wedgwood Christmas plates, plus other pieces. Wedgwood doesn't sell on eBay.

Not being collectors is the younger generations' revenge on us Boomers.

Burn it all down, collect the insurance money, and start fresh. That's the DL way!

Op, I have been where your are two moves ago. I agree with everyone that the mostly unused, or new stuff should go to charity. Some will even come and pick it up from you. What charity doesn't want, believe me, throw it away. The heartache of seeing all your prize possessions going into the trash will, hopefully, make you think twice before buying more stuff to replace it. It has for me, sorta.

I feel for you OP. I have so much crap I don’t use. I have a linen closet upstairs that’s stuffed and untouched since I moved here 3 years ago. I have a good sized kitchen with every cabinet and drawer stuffed with kitchen crap. Plus there are 5 bedroom closets stuffed with clothes. Unbelievable

I joined a Facebook group called Buy Nothing where you can give stuff away for free or request items you need or want. It’s a cool way to pass your stuff along to people who want it. True you don’t make money but it’s much less of a hassle than trying to sell it. It’s local area specific so there might not be groups in all areas.

OP, I cleaned out my closet recently for the first time in probably a year. I threw away at least $60-100 worth of clothing from when I was a teenager. Ugly outdated checkered dress shirts. 2012 Hollister didn't age too well. But I was able to reclaim a cute lightweight Hollister jacket from that mess that'll go great with just about anything.

Clothing dry rots, so it's difficult to know what's worth and not worth keeping. Tech boxes, Amazon boxes? Nobody cares, throw them in the garbage. I keep Apple boxes. I also have a lot of gaming PC box stuff but I'm about to do a mass exodus with that too. Just throw shit away. Biden gave us money to buy things, use it to replace old shit you don't even like anymore with more shit you'll eventually not like. Or more tech boxes. Or whatever private affairs you keep in your cupboards. I'm actually sneezing horribly right now because of all the dust I disturbed from the closet mass exodus.

I would love to be able to live out of a backpack.

It seems like that would be the ultimate freedom.

All of this junk just weighs us down.

Get a bunch of extra-large trash bags, fill them with all the clothes and crap that's been in your life for decades because you MIGHT want/need it one day and it's a shame to toss it. Dedicate a day or two to taking the trash bags of clothes and crap to a charity or call a charity to come and get it (some charities will do pick up). Whatever the charity won't take, put it outside by your garage bin (someone will be happy to take it, believe me), take it down to your local homeless shelter/community center.

All the clothes and crap you've been pack ratting for decades are not doing you or anyone else any good crammed into your closets. Toss it. ALL of it.

Wow, the casual racism on this thread.

I feel the same OP. I've got a lot of sorting out and getting rid of to do.

Op, call College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving® offers full-service local movers dedicated to providing you with dependable five-star packing services. Plus, if you give a bigger tip, they might do it shirtless!

Clutter?

How do you remove peanut BUTTER from your life

College hunks are not hunks but ex-cons like most hoard haulers. They changed it to H.U.N.K.S. (Acronym) because the people who show up are decidedly NOT hunky

For every one thing you regret throwing away because you eventually could've used it, there are nine things still sitting in your house that you'll never use. So when you find out later you got rid of something you could use right now, go get a replacement and don't beat yourself up over it. Just be glad that most of what you got rid of you never needed again.

All this shit you're keeping because you think you'll someday use it will be somebody else's problem when you're gone. You can either not give a shit about that (you'll be dead anyway) or you can think of your loved ones having to deal with it and take care of it yourself while you're here!

Another good tip is if you have something of sentimental value that you hate to throw out but it's sitting in a box in your basement, simply take a photo of it then toss it.

How do you remove Clutters? Just tell Richard Hickock and Perry Smith they've got a fortune in their safe.

I donated 24 boxes of books, records (LPs), CDs, clothes and household appliances two years ago - they came and picked it up. I asked myself this morning, do I miss any of it, some of it I've saved since high school. The answer is NO. I just cleared out a few boxes of crap clutter and left it downstairs in my building for them to throw out, and I can't wait for the charitable organizations to start picking stuff again up post-covid.

Moral of the story is that you won't miss all of that precious crap you've been saving for 20 years. Really.

[quote]Generators, Stetson Hats, TONS of clothing, brand new chromebooks, shoes (some never used), power tools and equipment, kitchen and cooking tools and equipment that has never been used, cappucino makers, extra flat screen tv's, etc.

How do you have extra brand new TVs and Chromebooks?

The generators and kitchen equipment can go to a local shelter of some sort, I'd bet. My local VFW takes items for veterans and will give the rest to Goodwill and they'll pick up for a small fee. I'm currently getting a few boxes together of stuff that I think is useful.

However, you should really consider throwing a lot of that out, or posting on Craigslist or a Facebook group that you're leaving it out on the curb at a certain time and letting people take it. When I sold my parents' estate the auctioneers sold off tons of things that I don't think should have been sold, like little baby jars full of random nails that my dad had kept, and I felt guilty when an older gentleman bought them all. I imagine his wife was beside herself when he got home.

for all those that don't want to sell online, find someone to do it for you. The most I think you would be charged is 50% of the sale which is more than you would get anywhere else.

Another issue is that fewer and fewer people want books. Hard cover, paperback- they don't read books like they did . Now what do I do? (I wish I had a fireplace)

Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sister will PICK UP you books, R54.

R54 RECYCLE. Paper recycling bins are also for books.

r55 Never deal with the horrendously anti-gay Salvation Army.

When you want 200 pounds of old books picked up, you're capable of dealing with ANYONE.

And if you do have 200 pounds of books, call a paper pulper. They'll pay you a few cents per pound for all you've got.

I have some experience with this but my attorney has advised me to keep quiet at this time.

You'd be surprised what you can throw out. Put it on the side of the street for someone else if it's still useable.

What do you do with porn?

This guy may still be in business, R62.

R62

you keep it forever…….

If you had all the time in the world to go out and buy all this shit you don't need, you can't be bothered to spend an afternoon hosting a yard sale to get rid of it?

OP says he's lazy, so I suggest Hefty Cinch Sacks and the next bulk trash pick-up.

Hire one of those companies who come to your house and organize garage/estate sales.

If you have general interest books, drive around to the Little Libraries in your town and drop them off.

Donate housewares to shelters for domestic violence victims.

Please don’t throw useable stuff away. It ends up in a landfill and is bad for the environment.

[quote] How do you remove peanut BUTTER from your life

Have your dog lick it off your pussy, R45!

[quote]Have your dog lick it off your pussy, [R45]!

I've tried it. Didn't work.

R37, I was you! Kept my "schoolmarm" skirts, blouses, blazers (wool and linen), and shoes for 20 years after retirement, never once since in donning any of them!

2019, I took a lot of black 30-gallon trash bags upstairs, dumped in the abovementioned plus sweaters I'll also never wear again, called a local hauling (de-hoarding) company, and never looked back.

MOREOVER, I got rid of the bureaus and cabinets that held the discarded clothing, because Nature, vacuum, and all that!

Had two "business" desks in one room; got rid of one.

Albums? Fuhgeddaboutit! Jettisoned my entire Fisher stereo/turntable/cassette player-recorder/woofer/tweeter/whatever jargon, plus two tall floor speakers! So why keep vinyl?

Nostalgia, schmostalgia! I got to the point of Deputy U.S. Marshall Gerard:

"I. Don't. Care."

R70 is a racist.

R65, Your query is illogical.

You compare a (probably) lengthy period of time with one day.

You equate buying to selling.

You suggest that perusing items for sale is as relaxing as keeping a watchful eye on potentially thieving cheapskate strangers handling your goods.

Finally, what's it to ya?

R71, WTBLOODYH ARE YOU ON ABOUT?

Oh, I see. I should have used the famously non-existent RAINBOW trash bags.

Keep your day job.

R48 I agree. I’ve dealt with four residences of now-deceased older relatives, all of whom lived through the Great Depression and whose parents had lived in countries where everything could be taken from them in pogroms. I have never begrudged them posthumously. Unfortunately, I have inherited their habits, so I appreciate your reminder to think of the people that will have to take to take care of my stuff after I’m gone. It’s a good motivator to throw things out.

Call us, The Trans Asians! We can trans-port all your old junk before you can say sayonara!

Donate it! Don't be cheap. Let poor people have some benefit from it.

On a semi-related note, it blows my mind to see the same record albums I discarded years ago for sale now at stores!

Those would have been worth a lot of money right now, R77.

You should have held on to them!

R73 I'm starting to think there's someone on here who is randomly yelling insults at people because that is about the fifth time I've seen an accusation that doesn't make sense!

Some people don’t know when to put down the crack pipe r79

R79 Someone? There’s an army of ‘em out there.

Buy a bigger house!

Ethically, I can't donate to Goodwill anymore. They grossly underpay their workers (far below minimum wage) who are disabled. There's some legal loophole that allows them to do this.

Salvation Army, well we all know about their anti LGBTQ past.

See if there is a GreenDrop near you. They distribute the donations to various charities, you can pick which one you want to get your stuff.

^ But I want a tax deduction

[quote] For every one thing you regret throwing away because you eventually could've used it, there are nine things still sitting in your house that you'll never use. So when you find out later you got rid of something you could use right now, go get a replacement and don't beat yourself up over it. Just be glad that most of what you got rid of you never needed again.

This is true, except that I'd say it's more like 1 out of 100 items (rather than 1 out of 9 items).

[quote] Generators, Stetson Hats, TONS of clothing, brand new chromebooks, shoes (some never used), power tools and equipment, kitchen and cooking tools and equipment that has never been used, cappucino makers, extra flat screen tv's, etc. I could easily make over a thousand bucks from this crap, but I honestly don't want to organize a garage sale. Tagging everything, advertising, putting up signs, etc. Too much fucking work!

OP maybe has a shopping habit. I just looked on eBay and you can buy a Chromebook for under $100. Flat screen TVs -- how old? Stetson hats? What era clothing?

Another common mistake hoarders make, I did this before too, is thinking your crap is worth as much now as when you bought it. Even if it's brand new. False! You go by how much it is worth now.

I enjoy cleaning out stuff and throwing away clutter.

So fulfilling

In our current Chinese crap economy, everything loses value almost immediately after you buy it because the next version is right around the corner.

It’s easier to give shit away than trying to sell. Plus EBay takes a huge cut of your sales

Exactly. My friend had about 50 old books to give away after his dad died. I have tried to sell books before. I told him they aren't worth the gas you use to drive to the store. Best to just give them away or find a place that will take them and resell them for pennies.

r89 Can I hire you?

[quote]^ But I want a tax deduction

Do you still itemize your deductions? Fewer and fewer people do anymore, with the huge increase in the standard deduction and the cap on state and local tax deductions. If you don't itemize, you can't get any benefit from non-cash charitable contributions.

DUH, R93.

R93, lots of people still itemize their deductions, including me (self-employed).

I don't know where you live OP, but in my part of the world there are "estate sale services" that will sell what is saleable and give away or discard the rest and take between a third and a half of the proceeds. These people are not emotionally attached to your stuff and have an objective idea of its worth and whether it will sell. And because they work on commission they have a vested interest in acquiring as much for these items as the market will bear. Typically people over value their surplus possessions. It is my understanding that Gen X'ers are not interested in antiques or vintage furniture. Perhaps these items will enjoy a revival in future but in the meanwhile, to pay the exorbitant storage costs month after month year after year seems like a waste. Good luck.

r95 Far, FAR fewer than used to -- especially in high tax states like California and New York.

find a place to donate some of it to in your area. Then, trash for the really crap. Some organizations will pick up boxes (or you drop off) then they go through the crap/stuff.

Ah fuck…plastic will be the death of us……solidified toxic chemicals….

Selling your shit always sounds good….. but it never quite pans out the way you envision it….save yourself the headache and just .toss it into the landfill

I've tried to explain this to someone before. The only way to get rid of clutter, is that stuff cluttering the house, must be moved out the door. There is no "removing clutter" by moving it from room to room or floor to floor.

I donated a ton of books to my local library. I also donated a lot of never opened sheets and towels and barely used kitchen items to Crisis Assistance Ministries. They provide items to battered women starting over and families who were in trouble. They picked up everything right from my home.

This thread inspired me to stop collecting things I'll donate "eventually" and toss what I can't give away. Unfortunately our Buy Nothing group won't let me join and their link to rules & policies goes to a Rickroll, so I'll have to find something else. There's not a lot of options here in town, people generally give their old stuff to their church who will then hold a garage sale, maybe.

R93/R97, why do you keep repeating yourself?

I wish I had your will power, R103.

I just can't bring myself to dump all my useless shit.

I've been dumping old crap out all afternoon...it wasn't planned, but once you start you have to continue because "cleaning up" creates a bigger mess than was already there.

you need to have some rules:

-Like get rid of all plastics crap. Unless, you are using it and has a high function. Plastic is recyclable.

-Get rid of worthless glass. Again, recyclable.

-get rid of old newspapers, magazines, old paper crap. Again recyclable.

-if it is broken throw it out.

-if it is ugly (non antique) throw it out. or give it away.

Start getting rid of things that you have limited attachment too.

Also, people often store items that have value (monetary, heirloom, sentimental) with crap. Throw out (or donate) all the crap and keep the stuff that you love and cherish. You have more room for heirloom pieces to be displayed, if you get rid of the crap.

-Just pick a drawer or a cabinet and go at it.

-Pick a room and reorganize it.

Does it spark joy?

Simple rules and fuck all that spark joy shit. Clothes - if you have not warn it in a year donate or get rid of it. Stuff. Sort into three piles keep, get rid of and donate. Once you got through that once. do it again.

about clothes:

if you do not wear it, it has NO sentimental value, you do not like it and/or it has holes/rips in it , Get rid of it. Keep doing this monthly. Get a box and start donating clothes/shoe that you do not like to charity.

You want to keep seasonal clothes, classics and pieces you will wear. You want to get rid of stuff you do not like (donate) and crap.

Go through summer clothes, during the summer. Go through winter clothes, during the winter.

Remember, people's weight can fluctuate, so you what to keep clean, good and classic pieces in your size range. If it too trendy, you can donate it as well.

So what makes people reluctant to throw things out? For me it's, 'I might want or need it in the future, I'll regret throwing it out, I spent money on this'. How do you get past that mentally?

I keep this thread in my sidebar to remind me to declutter, and it's working!

But also I appear to be a hoarder because I have half a box of lovely but useless space photograph postcards and I'm having trouble putting them in the recycling bin. There's no reason to keep them so what's my problem?

R112, photograph the box and post it on Craigslist saying it’s free. Put it on your front steps. Someone will take it.

Or maybe ask a science teacher at an elementary school if they can use it.

Keep stuff out of landfills. We are drowning in garbage.

I wouldn't throw them away, I'd recycle them. That's a good idea to ask if a teacher or even a home-school parent could use them, thanks.

[quote] Clothes - if you have not warn it in a year donate or get rid of it.

Oh, dear!

I warned it to get out of my closet, but it wouldn't leave!

I moved a few years ago, and had several things I had no interest in keeping, but no time to sell. I posted an ad on Craigslist, listing items, a few pics, and said free, first come, first serve. All of it was gone within a few hours. You would not believe what people will show up for when everything is free.

If you don't want people in your home, just drag it out on the lawn, post an ad, and I can almost promise you it will all be gone by the end of the day.

[quote]So what makes people reluctant to throw things out? For me it's, 'I might want or need it in the future, I'll regret throwing it out, I spent money on this'. How do you get past that mentally?

This is my problem, too. Especially, "I spent good money on this and I've hardly (or never) used it!" The sad thing is that I am fairly well of and could easily replace just about anything, but my frugal mindset is deeply ingrained.

[quote] Keep stuff out of landfills. We are drowning in garbage.

Well you're just delaying the inevitable. It will end up in a landfill eventually.

I had a storage unit full of old stuff. Friends said they wanted some of it but they would never actually schedule to get it. Finally I just called 1-800 got junk, they hauled it all away and I canceled the storage unit. The monthly fees will add up to a lot more than the value of most old items.

I was able to donate books to prisoners via the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh. They only wanted cookbooks, mysteries, and gay fiction and nonfiction, preferably in paperback.

I donated clothing to a veterans organization. They came and picked up trash bags I left on the porch. Google "veterans donations schedule and pickups."

And Habitat for Humanity has shops around the country. They picked up dishes I didn't want any longer, plus some old IKEA shelving.

You do realize, in all your preciousness, that a whole lot of those "charities" don't do shit for anyone except the executives of those not for profits. You would not believe how many of those institutions are really in the real world for profit in terms of how much the executives make.

Go take a look at the shoe resale that goes on through Goodwill Outlets. Seriously, let me know what you figure out with that.

But please, continue to pretend that you are so precious.

I stock up my car and take it to a local charity.

"Take my wife"

[quote] But also I appear to be a hoarder because I have half a box of lovely but useless space photograph postcards and I'm having trouble putting them in the recycling bin. There's no reason to keep them so what's my problem?

This one's kind of simple. You can scan these postcards and then recycle.

Who would want space photograph postcards? Astronomers? Perhaps advertise on an astronomy subreddit / forum? Be generous and mail for free.

[quote] So what makes people reluctant to throw things out? For me it's, 'I might want or need it in the future, I'll regret throwing it out, I spent money on this'. How do you get past that mentally?

Everything you keep / hoard takes up space in your house and in your mind. Things need to be stored, dusted, maintained, kept track of, etc. These things are still "costing" you, way after you paid for them at the store.

I would use a "cut my losses" mentality on these items. Clear them out, free yourself.

It's also called the "sunken cost fallacy" or "throwing good money after bad."

[quote]But please, continue to pretend that you are so precious.

This doesn't even make sense.

I wish some of our crankier Dataloungers would learn how to direct their anger to the appropriate targets. No one here can do a thing about your problem with charities. You're only yelling at DLers because we're the only people you ever talk to.

An old thread I know but it's after 4:00AM so hopefully no one will mind if I bump it.

We cleaned out the linen closet and part of a bedroom closet last night and I discovered we had a lot of stuff I'd kept "just in case" which was completely useless, but even so I had a real problem throwing stuff out. It wasn't good enough to donate or give away but I have major trouble getting rid of things like linens and luggage. Why do I want an old cheap knock-off set of soft luggage from the 1980s that has spots inside from where lotion bottles and foot sprays leaked? I don't know what's wrong with me.

[quote] I have my mother's diamond engagement ring. No relatives to give it to. I have two sets of 12 place settings of sterling silver. I'd feel guilty just giving it away

Sell it R20. Your mother's diamond engagement ring is not going to do you any good. "Pinky ring", FFS. And the two sets of sterling; it depends on how many pieces each set has in total and the weight (adjusting for knives with steel handles), but they should be worth just shy of $2000 to 3000 or 4000 for a set or more pieces, $5000 or more for a really desirable set wit many pieces by a preferred maker and in a preferred pattern, with Tiffany worth the most in the U.S. unless it's a rare 19thC pattern. Mostly though the value is determined by weight, by melt value. If that hurts your feelings, think about not bending down to pick up what looks like a roll of maybe 200 $20 bills. Silver is at a high value now, to melt, not for riparian entertainments. Nobody wants that shitty carbuncular Wallace Baroque stuff now except dead old ladies, the big 20thC silver patterns are nearly out far out of fashion and custom now, but the great thing about silver is that the silver sets your mother had were once coins, or platters stolen from a ducal palace, or church silver sold off by a church that didn't want to pay the insurance anymore. Silver continues to be mined but it has also been recycled and recycled and recycled again for centuries. Sell all the stuff that has obvious value and make a point to devote some of the money you get to doing one nice thing or buying one nice thing that your mother might have liked to see you happy in doing.

R129 I have the same problem, which when I was younger stemmed from financial concerns, but now those are over, so I think it’s mostly laziness now. If you can afford it, you could hire an organizer to assess and remove items you’re hesitant about. They have no emotional attachment to the client’s stuff, and unlike a family member trying to help, you never have to see the organizer again. My partner’s sister was stuck and hired an organizer who helped her remove a lot of stuff she no longer needed but couldn’t motivate herself to get rid of.

Anything that's in decent shape is given to the SPCA thrift shop.

[quote] I wish some of our crankier Dataloungers would learn how to direct their anger to the appropriate targets. No one here can do a thing about your problem with charities. You're only yelling at DLers because we're the only people you ever talk to.

Lol, R128. OUCH!

I love this thread. So many great suggestions and techniques.

I know this is an old thread but it's the most recent one we have on getting rid of clutter, I think.

I keep this thread in my watched sidebar to help me remember to clear some of the junk out of my house. Just spent all morning in the linen closet which is also where we keep things like shampoo and aspirin. So far I've tossed and recycled a trash can worth of stuff and ordered some cheap stacking baskets to get all the small stuff organized.

For now I've decided to keep all the empty storage boxes just in case I need them before I'm done with the house, but once I'm done I'm going to give what I don't use away on the local Buy Nothing group. That's several months in the future, though.

The easiest way to get rid of clutter is to just throw it away. It's too much work to try to get anyone to buy some of it, particularly items that aren't worth much. Just throw it out!! It feels great!

Take an objective look at you home. When was the last time you ever used specific items, despite all the plans you had for them?

[quote] I was able to donate books to prisoners via the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh. They only wanted cookbooks, mysteries, and gay fiction and nonfiction, preferably in paperback.

They specifically wanted gay fiction?

Inflation has made all your junk more valuable. You're rich!

I rent a small room at an antiques mall in Plymouth and make on average $500 a month selling things I no longer want. I also go to estate sales or other antique shops that I like and find good buys and then mark them up for resale. This year I clipped faded and dried hydrangea blooms from my many hydrangeas and bundled them in groups of six to eight, wrapped them in brown craft paper, tied them with jute twine, and sold them for $10 each. I sold them all and could have sold more. I need to plant more hydrangeas just for this purpose!

We recently bought an old house in a college town and the previous owners left behind some attic clutter. The Nextdoor app has been great for getting rid of that junk but you need clear rules to weed out flakes. Deadlines for pickups and not offering holds on freebies has helped.

Fraus in yoga pants love to pay by Venmo and swing by on their coffee runs. We rarely meet any of them. If it's a smaller, less expensive item we leave it on the porch at the agreed upon time and they send a message post-pickup to say thanks.

R9, $1,000 is not worth the hassle. Fuhgeddaboutit! Hire a junk-hauling company.

I did, several times, and I live directly behind a Goodwill store and collection center.

But then, I'm quite the lazy sot.

R142 is writing from the ghetto

But...but my shit is GOOD!! And it has SENTIMENTAL VALUE!

If you're lazy (like OP), ask someone to help to sell your stuff. Give him or her a cut of the sales. You made a few bucks and got more space.

[quote] "I spent good money on this and I've hardly (or never) used it!" The sad thing is that I am fairly well of and could easily replace just about anything, but my frugal mindset is deeply ingrained.

Here's my suggestion. Just because you paid $___ for something doesn't mean it's "worth" that much. It could be "worth" more if you love it and use it a lot. It could be worth less if it ended up not meeting your needs, it takes up a lot of space, etc.

I've bought expensive things, like my iPad, that turned out "worth it" for me. I've also bought inexpensive stuff like an Oxo spatula that I've used so many times, it's amazing value.

Yes, I've "wasted" money on things that didn't work out. (I've gotten rid of those kinds of things.)

My point is that it does balance out.

Some items will *never* give you a return on investment, no matter how long you keep it.