For me, garage sales have always been the answer when it comes to decluttering. They give me a goal/deadline to work toward. The thought of getting a nice chunk of change also motivates me.
But a few months ago, a thrift store sent out notices that they would be picking up donations in our area on a certain date. Just put your stuff outside your front door with the bright orange card attached, and they would haul it off for you.
I was thrilled, because although I remember my mother often donating things to organizations that did pick-ups, in my small town, we’d never had that opportunity. I knew that you could call and schedule a pick-up, but I never did. Somehow, though, having someone say “we’re coming” motivated me to get it out there on the date they gave.
I didn’t know if it would be a one time thing, but then we received another orange card a few weeks ago.
Today was the day. I put out my boxes of stuff with a spring in my step. I was giddy at the thought.
Put piles of junk outside the door, and in a few hours, it’s all gone.
I even tried to keep an eye out for the picker-upper, but I never saw him/her/it.
It’s like magic.
There are definite benefits to having a garage sale, and I’m sure I’ll continue to have more garage sales than normal people do. If money is the motivation you need, go for it. But even though I actually enjoy having a garage sale, I think I could learn to enjoy this too.
I won’t make any money, but I also won’t have to work for weeks (or months) to get ready, park in the driveway for all of that time, get up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, convince my kids (over and over all day long) that they really do want to get rid of that toy, and then haul off the extra things that don’t sell.
Just letting go, little by little, on a regular basis . . . . that fits with this deslobification process I’m going through. Anything to make this excruciating, never-ending process easier . . .
Donating to the mysterious clutter-eater eliminates so many steps. I can donate anything. I used to try to separate out what was given to me from what I had purchased. If it was given to me, I donated it. If I bought it, I put it in my garage sale. I also knew, because I was a garage sale expert, that I needed to keep things sorted within my garage sale piles. Girls from boys clothes, toys from dishes, etc. But when I let someone take it away for me, I don’t have to sort.
A box of stuff is a box of stuff . . . . is a box of stuff.
While I considered this change in my thought processes this morning, I remembered some advice I was given a few years ago. I was working on a labor-intensive computer project, and got help from an expert friend. There wasn’t much she could do to make it easier, because there were just so many steps involved in the process. But she got excited when she found one little trick that removed a small step. She said, “Any time you can remove a step, even a small one, you should do it, because ultimately, it will save you a lot of time.”
That’s what I’m doing. I’m removing several steps of the get-it-out-of-the-cabinet-then-out-of-the-house-and-out-of-my-life decluttering process.
I’m linking this up to Works for Me Wednesday over at Wearethatfamily.com . . . because giving myself the freedom to make it as easy as possible for unnecessary stuff to leave this house . . . definitely works for me.
Great post. I'm also a big garage sale holder person. The last few months I've just been holding select nicer things to garage sale and donating the rest. I've limited myself to a tote or so. We are always getting calls for pick ups, but I prefer dropping it off. I like the satisfaction of seeing it go in. AND..I can get a tax deduction..so that's a double plus.
I started to drop off this last year instead of saving for a yard sale that kept being put off. And I too can always use the tax right off. I find the longer things "wait" for what ever I have planned the more likely it will be reclaimed. ^.^
We always say we want to have a yard sale then the stuff just sits and sits, so we just end up chunking it on the side of the road. In our neighborhood, it's just like donating it as it's always picked up within 48 hours and requires no effort for us to haul it somewhere.
Another option is FreeCycle, I've listed lots of things on our local FreeCycle site and found good homes for those items, if it's something I don't want to just put on the street.
My method is: if the item is "good", then I list it on Craigslist or Ebay. If it doesn't sell = donate.
If an item isn't good enough for Craigslist or Ebay = donate. (Most of my stuff falls into this category)
Yard sales have never really worked for me – too much work for too little profit.
Deslobification = best word ever!
My husband and I have had this conversation many, many times… we never made enough at a garage sale to justify all the time (and money) that goes into it. If you donate, you get the tax write-off and in our case that is BETTER than a couple of bucks in our pocket! Loving your blog, it motivates me to get rid of "STUFF"… I am up to 113 things DONATED since Jan. 8. only 617 left to go…
What a wonderful idea, donate 1,000 things! I have four months left until the end of the tax year and I am totally going to do this. I am counting the 48 books we took to Goodwill after our garage sale as part of my 1,000.
We just gave up doing yard sales. TOO MUCH WORK!! I recently found a donation place that will come and pick up in our remote part of the woods (yaaaaaay!!!) they also came & went and I didn't see them (I was home, too, go figure!) it was like magic, I agree. It was awesome!
Keep up the great work.
Peace of mind is much more important than a few extra bucks! And, you may be tempted to buy more storage boxes to "save" the potential garage sale stuff… defeating the whole purpose!
I usually donate unwanted stuff but recently a lady has opened a twice a year consignment store near my house. Last year, we made $200. This was a wonderful surprise! I'm hoping to make that much again this coming season, but… I'm decluttering. Its so frustrating to hold onto this stuff, but I remind myself of the money we will make!
Love this post! I donate everything and unaccepted items are FreeCycled. This includes things that are still new and have tags on them and electronics. I feel like I’ve hit a jackpot when I find something new at the GoodWill store so nothing wrong with giving someone else a jackpot! After all, if it were that important or valuable, I’d have used it already. As for electronics, once they’re a few years old they’re only worth a few bucks anyway so no loss. If someone happens to have a garage sale and I can drop off a few items, cool, but otherwise there’s just no time!
with the two older kids… ages 18 and 15 I had many garage sales. Now I donate everything for my 16 mo or give away or hand me down…. so much easier and lesss stuff in my house. She is every spoiled
First, this blog is so what I need. I have no “keep things organized” skills. I can’t wait to read through more of your tips and tricks. Second, gooddonor.com is my favorite website. After you register it shows all the dates in your area for pick ups. I am getting rid of some furniture and I just kept clicking dates until large furniture showed up in the “what are you donating” section. Garage sales are to overwhelming for me so I donate everything when I get rid of it.
LOL i wish we had a pick up service for donations! I have to load up my SUV. Every summer i keep a look out in the paper for when the MOST garage sales will be, load up my front yard with all the stuff i don’t need (yeah i do a binge declutter the day before), and usually just give stuff away to whoever stops by. I live in an area with tons of yard sale junkies, so i usually get rid of 70% of it in one day. the rest goes into my SUV and is dropped off at the donation point. once it leaves, its not going back in.
oh i am so at this cross roads right now!! i have always made about $400 a yardsale…not chunk change. however i don’t feel like having one again this year for various reasons. but oh the stuff. oh the stuff, stuff stuff i have to get rid of! again. I’m thinking of donating a ton of it….but then it makes me feel lazy because i know i could make enough for a new computer:) or i could look at it as truely giving and be done with it:) hmm..thanks for the post!
I am an expert donator, I know every trift store and what they take and what they don’t take.
I have never gotten myself to do a garage sale.
What I get is a lot of hard time from all my friends because I should be selling things on garage sales or craiglist.
Thank you for the post, I an giving myself permission AGAIN to just donate. I’ll happily take the tax deductible receipt.
I have been decluterring for about 4 years and last week I moved to a 350sq ft studio and I couldn’t be happier. I just need to turbo declutter now. My friends also say that I need to keep the “stuff” for when I buy again and move to a bigger place…I say when I move to a bigger place, I’ll go and buy everything at thrift stores and it all comes full circle.
Love this perspective, Paula!