tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post1522489727204641014..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: The Declutterer's Dilemma: When to Donate? When to Sell? Peter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-82250418081852554352019-05-12T07:51:02.587-04:002019-05-12T07:51:02.587-04:00Never too late to chime in, P. Welcome!Never too late to chime in, P. Welcome!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-75622321996151547162019-05-11T22:07:20.189-04:002019-05-11T22:07:20.189-04:00I'm fairly new to your blog & love it! I ...I'm fairly new to your blog & love it! I live in a somewhat rural place. We almost never sell anything unless it has enough value to make it worth the while, such as a high mileage used car or almost new large appliance. Where I live I either put something on the side of the road with a 'free' sign or take it and donate it somewhere or give it someone I know. But, I know what you mean about depression era parents. My Mom would talk about that time now and then. Somewhere there's a balancing act on stuff, acquiring it and parting with it. She was of the opinion that you shouldn't buy something you didn't need. Oh but I've picked up things that were free to try them out with the option of then parting with them if they didn't work out. To weigh in even though you've long made a decision - I don't have the desire to deal with trying to sell something on-line. Maybe someday.Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01139176428622005807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-21642859342327679652016-02-27T22:16:05.470-05:002016-02-27T22:16:05.470-05:00You're right -- eBay isn't always worth th...You're right -- eBay isn't always worth the trouble.Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-1725490051004217722016-02-27T21:03:56.878-05:002016-02-27T21:03:56.878-05:00The thing about selling on eBay is that it is expe...The thing about selling on eBay is that it is expensive - not just in eBay fees which are very high (listing fee, final value fee, paypal fees) but also the packaging materials to send the item in - bubble envelopes, bubble wrap, cardboard boxes. As the saying goes 'You have to spend money to make money', but at the end of the day you don't want to be spending money hand over fist. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and just get rid of it otherwise you could be sitting on it for ages. eBay is very time consuming as Peter said - taking photographs (in some cases more than one), writing an honest description, listing the item. If you have all day to do this then great, but if you work full time the last thing you want to do is sit in front of a computer for a couple of hours every night listing stuff. Even though it's great when something sells and the money comes in, the time and effort it took to make that happen might not make it worth it in the end. I take my unwanted items to the local PDSA store (Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals), a veterinary charity which helps people who are on welfare care for their pets by charging less in fees.<br /><br />From<br />Cee Jay/Leigh on Sea, Essex, England, BritianCee Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08093953760664583379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-51014913708272754682013-10-08T10:22:59.094-04:002013-10-08T10:22:59.094-04:00I donate everything and the only time I even consi...I donate everything and the only time I even consider selling is with my books (which I still end up donating and usually just end up keeping). I live in San Antonio, which is physically larger than Rhode Island, and takes longer than an hour just to drive across, and there are a few places that will do drive by pick up. There is an organization that drives by my house every 3 weeks or so and I try to make sure that when they come by that I have given them a box full of anything we don't need, which is relatively easy considering I have three young girls that seem to grow out of things very quickly.Kimberlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452366492486662984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-40421423243598239792013-10-07T19:47:30.191-04:002013-10-07T19:47:30.191-04:00I'm enjoying your process of lightening your l...I'm enjoying your process of lightening your life. I give everything away. It is so much easier, and like Myrna said, it is a way of giving back.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15711792521348799922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-13631994595435196452013-10-07T08:33:11.581-04:002013-10-07T08:33:11.581-04:00Obviously I try to sell things such as patterns an...Obviously I try to sell things such as patterns and I do sell the occasional book on Amazon, but if things keep hanging around waiting to sell, it is THAT much harder to get rid of them in the end, so most of the time I just give them away as the spirit takes me. It's very freeing and really, nothing is usually worth the time to sell.Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204598010453409678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-36944613224243976962013-10-07T07:04:27.449-04:002013-10-07T07:04:27.449-04:00I have the same struggles when determining what to...I have the same struggles when determining what to sell and what to donate. I usually revert to if there is a label that would motivate someone to purchase it. In most cases I donate ... because it's easy, and why not give it to someone who is in need.<br />Thank you for the motivation. Your posts have helped motivate me to clean my closet! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-55081878745296691062013-10-07T03:06:43.518-04:002013-10-07T03:06:43.518-04:00When we first bought our house and were doing it u...When we first bought our house and were doing it up, 90% of our belongings were in boxes for two years. When we came to unpack, I realised that if I hadn't needed to go hunting for something during those two years then what was the point of keeping it? The majority of the boxed up junk was then dumped or given to charity. Very liberating and I've far more ruthless since then. Good luck! xJanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06618367450900385828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-19666542789192659032013-10-06T18:49:05.689-04:002013-10-06T18:49:05.689-04:00My curent plan is to have a clean garbage bag on t...My curent plan is to have a clean garbage bag on the go, and drop it off almost every week at "Filles", an abbreviated version of a charity shop's name. They sell very, very cheaply, are open only 1 day a week, and do not trash items given. On the other side, we are ardent charity shoppers ourselves, which is a sure way to save money, be green, and have fun. I sew almost exclusively with rummage items. Just now sewing a tangerine T, with apricot trim, and reading my 1943 Constance Talbot sewing book. Lots obout being resourceful there. So thanks so much for generous donators, and savvy charity shops, for helping so much! Cathie, in Quebec.Cathienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-68684450974092045742013-10-06T18:35:11.445-04:002013-10-06T18:35:11.445-04:00My hubby just spent a couple of hours in the loft ...My hubby just spent a couple of hours in the loft looking for a lego ship he promised our son. It turns out we sold it on ebay in 2008! That was disappointing mistake, but trawling through my ebay records reminded me of the many things I am glad to be rid of! Decluttering can be emotionally draining, but often it feels great. And there are other lego ships.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07940364258373151201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-44675127689983226852013-10-06T18:02:40.242-04:002013-10-06T18:02:40.242-04:00Anybody recall the George Carlin routine "A P...Anybody recall the George Carlin routine "A Place For My Stuff!": "A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it...it's where you store your stuff ..while you go out and get MORE stuff!"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12953860520686822991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-69192145053481143702013-10-06T15:54:53.984-04:002013-10-06T15:54:53.984-04:00When I declutter, giving it away is more satisfyin...When I declutter, giving it away is more satisfying than selling. That's how I let go of 'stuff' including the feelings that I associate with it Peter.velosewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18241344721302194932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-59407249454954703802013-10-06T15:14:41.195-04:002013-10-06T15:14:41.195-04:00I think it really depends on whether or not there ...I think it really depends on whether or not there is some emotional event associated with a particular item. I saved pretty much all the baby clothes and things from all my kids. This was great because my oldest is a girl and we took really good care of her clothes, so her younger sister has worn them. I just had baby #4 and because I kept my son's things I'm able to avoid shopping for things for him, with the minor exception of winter clothing, since my older son was born in the spring and the clothes for 3-6 month size are summer clothes; the new baby will need winter clothing in that size. However, I already have a lot of gender neutral things that he can use that were worn by his sisters. Anyway, now that we're done having kids I've been going through the baby things and I've given away quite a bit of the girl baby stuff to friends/acquaintances who have baby girls. This makes me feel good, since I know the items will get use from their new owners. Things that are sized 2T or bigger are going to my niece, because my brother and his wife have a really tight budget and anything they don't need to buy is a good thing, and I get the added advantage of seeing clothes I have fond memories of worn by another little girl that I love. Allowing these clothes to leave was a bit difficult, especially ones I made. The solution is that I've kept a few garments for posterity so that if/when my girls have little girls they can wear them. I did this with a few select handmade dresses from my childhood and my daughters loved having that connection with me. <br /><br />When it comes to things like papers & such, I'm really bad at getting rid of things. I'm learning to do a monthly paper purge, which is difficult when you have a lot of children's artwork and they want you to keep it all I have them pick 2 or 3 each month that they want to keep and file them to be put in a scrapbook for each child. The rest goes in the recycle. <br /><br />Other items are a conundrum for me. My dad was born in the Netherlands in 1940; it was already occupied at that time and he had little in the way of personal belongings. He used to tell us stories about how someone had given him a toy truck and that he was afraid it would get taken away because it was made of metal (metal was confiscated and used to melt down to make weapons). I don't have this truck but I do have papers that have historical family significance: my dad's ration card, a letter of safe conduct for my grandmother and dad when they had to travel, the map my grandfather used to escape from the Germans when he was working with the Dutch resistance. I don't want to get rid of these because they hold so much value in terms of family history. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-71625998607959505532013-10-06T13:49:48.847-04:002013-10-06T13:49:48.847-04:00I have to comment on Patti Playpal. When I was a c...I have to comment on Patti Playpal. When I was a child I received one for a present from Grandmom. A few days later the arm fell off. My parents took her to a doll hospital for repair. But it wasn't a successful repair. She continued to have arm problems although I never was one to play with dolls much. I have no idea when or where she disappeared from the house. Funny to see one after so many years. Need less to say I never really missed her.Gailnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-69832244776459960562013-10-06T11:32:45.933-04:002013-10-06T11:32:45.933-04:00A month ago, our second delivery came after moving...A month ago, our second delivery came after moving back from overseas. This was the stuff that we had put in storage for 4.5 years. Oy vay. I had just gotten things settled in and then such a depressing onslaught from the past. We live in a house, but it has no attic and only a crawl space. So there is great incentive not to put anything in "deep storage". Yesterday I had a garage sale -- never really an effective way of decluttering. But I got to sit out on a lovely day with my sister and gave our daughters a chance to have a lemonade and cookie stand with good traffic. We still have an enormous pile of stuff that AmVets is coming to get on Wednesday. Sigh. I do have a little box I held back for photographing and selling on ebay, too. Thanks for tackling this all-too-common issue in our stuff-filled world!<br /> Erzulimojohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475371609166418042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24570224278359480922013-10-05T16:35:47.350-04:002013-10-05T16:35:47.350-04:00I have sold on Ebay & Craigslist, but now far ...I have sold on Ebay & Craigslist, but now far prefer donating. We have SO much, that after a couple of years, we still haven't made a dent. But I have never thought back and regretted donating anything. The few items I sold were really big - nice french horns, or large sets of furniture that we simply couldn't even take to a Goodwill store ourselves. And as I said in an earlier comment, you can actually see some "profit" (if you want to call it that) by donating. Keep track of your donations, and you might be surprised what you can deduct from your taxes. Mountain Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13928260982025523084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-75464682824233577612013-10-05T11:41:40.314-04:002013-10-05T11:41:40.314-04:00Peter I didn't have time to read all the comme...Peter I didn't have time to read all the comments so forgive me if this has been discussed. But as someone who has issues with stuff (due to a love of thrifting similar to yours) I tend to declutter at least 2-3x a year so that things don't get out of control and always have a place. My suggestion is for the harder to decide stuff, put it in a black garbage bag and seal with a rubber band or tape. Give yourself a time limit, such as a week or a month. If you don't have any regrets in that time take it right to the sally ann without opening it up. You will find most of the time you can't even remember what is in it! Once in a blue moon you reconsider an item but you can take it out and ditch the rest of that hard to decide on stuff!Caitlinhttp://twitter.com/caden_cotardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-50857028884179982622013-10-05T11:38:36.705-04:002013-10-05T11:38:36.705-04:00It does help, Myrna. Thank you!It does help, Myrna. Thank you!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-49495593569760461282013-10-05T11:35:47.550-04:002013-10-05T11:35:47.550-04:00I'm thinking it's a mistake (at least for ...I'm thinking it's a mistake (at least for me) to look at ebay when decluttering. Finding out something is really worth some decent money and you were going to give it away or trash it - now there's another decision of "is it worth the time". And said item is still in the house while pondering that... I don't really want to start ebay sales, so I've been selling on Craigslist for a bit less than ebay prices. No shipping, cash only, "as is" only, less hassle. And no possibility of disputes.JustGailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08948391538309176039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-79438850044266217822013-10-05T11:24:05.870-04:002013-10-05T11:24:05.870-04:00This isn't a topic I struggle with so I'm ...This isn't a topic I struggle with so I'm not sure I have any advice to offer. I'm a minimalist and I prefer clean, uncluttered, relatively open spaces and I don't believe in storing stuff just because. If I'm not using that item, it needs to go otherwise it is emotionally weighing me down, taking up valuable space, creating clutter that agitates my system, and stopping the flow of energy and preventing new things from coming into that space - especially creativity.<br /><br />When I no longer want an item, I give it away. If I know someone who would enjoy it, I give it to them and if not, I give it to a charity. I think of this as a way of tithing or contributing to the community or sending generosity around and what goes around comes around. Again, it creates positive flow. <br /><br />The amount of money I could earn from selling my unwanted stuff is not enough to solve whatever money issue I want to solve. Very rarely have I given something away I wished I'd kept and my philosophy is - that's life, what is, is. <br /><br />Not sure that'll help but I'd say keep going because less clutter is an amazing feel. So light and full of potential. Myrnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08322129605868685006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-49729797543390275762013-10-05T04:49:30.735-04:002013-10-05T04:49:30.735-04:00For me, it depends on whether I really care what h...For me, it depends on whether I really care what happens to the goods in question. UK charity shops only keep items on the shelf for a few weeks, then clothes go to the rag man & books to be pulped. Sure they still make money, but sometimes I don't want things to meet that fate. I do donate clothes my sons have outgrown, & seperately-bagged offcuts from my dressmaking which go straight to the ragman.<br />But I couldn't bear all my mother's vintage craft books & patterns to be pulped, so have set up an Etsy shop (AnniesBookshop) to make sure they find appreciative homes.pennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06082275282887372873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-44694629592387155672013-10-05T03:15:20.422-04:002013-10-05T03:15:20.422-04:00Along with most of the other commenters, I always ...Along with most of the other commenters, I always donate. The hassle of selling and, most importantly, the time it takes makes it just not worth it to me. I already have too little free time for the things I like to do, and that time is worth more to me than the small amount of money I'll make from selling my (not intrinsically valuable) stuff. Plus, in London there are many people struggling to make ends meet under our current government, and hopefully both they and the charities I donate my stuff to will benefit more from my stuff than I would by selling it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984755022387357252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-27148329849928506972013-10-05T03:07:24.131-04:002013-10-05T03:07:24.131-04:00I almost always donate, both because I think it...I almost always donate, both because I think it's a win-win situation for the charity and the people who buy from them and also because I'm too lazy to bother listing and posting most things. We also hand down good used kids clothing to younger cousins and friends' kids because I think it's the nice traditional way to do it. Some of my daughter's clothes have been handed down through three kids and that pleases me enormously for some reason! Other things I will sell though, big stuff that will probably fetch a decent amount of money - appliances, furniture etc, especially things I can make people come and pick up! I don't know what the tipping point is though, when an item becomes worth the hassle of selling, it would be an interesting study!Jacquihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01192730590127098720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-79280362888893648932013-10-05T02:52:13.584-04:002013-10-05T02:52:13.584-04:00I get the dilemma. For me, my time and a house in ...I get the dilemma. For me, my time and a house in which I can breathe and have people over without them having to clear a space on the couch is worth more than the money I would make from selling it. Plus, selling it would indicate I have to organise a place, date... to sell everything. That sounds very complicated. In my situation, a lot of people need the stuff I am giving away more than I need it. + In Flemish there is this saying: "If my aunt had a beard, she'd be my uncle". Meaning: you can think about maybe and what if as much as you like, you never know what life will throw at you!<br />You should try and to the best you can and don't look back!<br />(+ donating = more free time for sewing!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com