I just cleaned out my parents’ house as they are downsizing. They are actually pretty good about not keeping “junk”, but after 40 years in one house, it tends to accumulate. We rented a large dumpster, and my brother and I ruthlessly pitched a bunch of stuff that could’ve been used by other people if we had the time to sort. This has been a motivation to clean out my house, and do it in a more controlled, thoughtful manner.
Some of you have mentioned Freecycle and Next Door as good resources for getting rid of stuff. I have another: “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook. These groups are intended to promote community by sharing freely with your neighbors. It’s local only, and the moderators of my group do a pretty job of clearing out any sketchy people. I post a picture of the item I want to give away, several people respond with a comment of why they’d like it, and I pick someone to come get it off my porch. For larger items, it’s much easier than hauling it somewhere. And I get a warm fuzzy feeling for helping someone in my own community.
So far this month I have given away: Twin loft bed, large bookcase, small bookcase, bean bag chair, plastic storage bins, bedding, picture frames, and a very large stuffed cow.
We were doing a walk through with the buyers of our house right before the closing, and the kids got disappointed that the “plushies” were no longer there. Apparently, the kids had fun playing with some of our kiddos’ stuffed toys we used for staging the playroom while the parents were doing inspections etc. We were happy to take the large IKEA toy hanger back to the house. I have no idea if the parents appreciated it or not, but I am sure the kids were happy to see that stuff.
As far as getting rid of furniture, we asked our young Olympian friends if they needed anything. Nope, but their buddies definitely wanted some! A vanload of sturdy young men showed up, and the furniture was gone. Even the stuff I thought no one wanted.
I need to attack a section of the basement that has several rubbermaid storage totes (full of off season or otherwise not being used clothing), shelves with…stuff. But I don’t want to
There is nothing like that anticipation of a new set of wheels that will make a man so motivated to clean out the garage… we made a lot of progress in the house, too. There are three large boxes ready to go to Goodwill. I got ruthless and cleared out things I though we needed as I was opening boxes and putting stuff away. I guess I was greatly mistaken when I thought that.
We have some first edition Harry Potter books, Pokemon cards (they’re S2’s), VHS tapes, vinyl records. Not sure how much any of them are worth, and if it would be worthwhile to price them.
I have two furbies (one for each of my kids)…one is still on my dresser after almost 20 years. Still works too! I love toys…
You’ll have to let someone with knowledge take a look at the Pokemon cards. A friend of D’s makes a fair amount of money on e-bay through Pokemon cards. Most aren’t worth anything and then there is always the gem…
To me, something has to have more than $200 value to waste 2 hours of my time on advertising and selling it. I will let kiddo deal with her Pokémon cards. She has a bazillion of them. Ditto manga books and other stuff. I just tossed the gameboy.
I get that Bunsen–we’re talking a lot of money and worth the time if you have a clue. Especially if your kids were initial players of the game. Not like cards take any room.
Her friend has a clue–(he’s made it a part time business) and does VERY well. We are talking above your 200 for some cards. Most are 25-50 bucks at least–pretty good money.
But if you don’t know what you’re looking for it wouldn’t be worth the time to research on your own. Most of all those cards are worth zero. So like any collectible you have to have some expertise. You probably needed to grow up with them to know what would be worth anything (if at all). I just “keep 'em all” and let the kids have a run through of their cards.
But if you know some youngsters…ask.
I probably have another perspective on this particular scenario…
My dear cousin collected baseball cards since he was very little–and his mom cleared them out when he left for college–to the tune of at least 10K. From only one box. He had a lot. He shudders to think what it would’ve been worth today.
All he says is “it was a SHOEBOX! how much room did she save?” On the plus side, he still loves her!
But still says she could have at least ASKED!
We are set to close soon, and that is when I begin packing in earnest. No more stories of collectibles having value. Waaaay too many Beanie Babies from my kids
We had TONS of Pokémon cards. I don’t know where they wound up. We still have tons of beanie babies, but that’s only because I haven’t tossed them. We have many magic cards too. I dont know enough about any of them to make any money, and I don’t think the kids care or have any interest.
