@gouf78, i had a similar question about my kids clothes… should I consign them, have a garage sale, or just give them away. I kept them way too many years because I MIGHT sell them. I’ve never had a yard sale, and never consigned anything. Eventually I gave them away.
I highly recommend donating to Dress for Success if your clothes are professional/business wear.
I have donated to Dress for Success but they now have a difficult drop off place and time so I just donate to the local Salvation Army. I never get my act together for consignment or sale so I know I just donate and take the tax deduction
My younger daughter, who buys pretty but not very expensive clothing, never had luck with selling her clothes to resale stores. The one around here, Plato’s Closet, bought a very small percentage of what she brought there to be evaluated.
Donated 5 bags of clothes today. There is not one pair of pants in the universe that will ever bring me joy.
Resellers look for brand name stuff with little wear and tear and made from good fabrics. If the item is trendy, then age/season matters. If it is a classic thing like a wool pencil skirt, it can be a bit older. I believe RealReal asks for 5 years or earlier, but vintage Chanel, Loboutins, etc. are usually accepted.
Mostly I have been doing the September Sweep, but with that had some items to go to donation so today I also packed up 3 bags of winter clothes I had been holding for a fall donation. Off they went!
6 bags to go away. Mostly clothes. Yea!
Next…all that electrical stuff–computer cables, old mouses, chargers etc. Way too many.
Gathering them in a bin. Ugh. Not pretty–mostly because I need to ask H what half of the stuff actually does. But figure it’ll be easier to toss than keep. I’ll never find what I need again even if I need it and then it’ll be old anyway.
I shouldn’t bother to ask–just toss.
I just toss random electronic stuff. If I begin asking Mr., it would take him ages to sort it…
So far, we have not missed any of the junk.
@BunsenBurner-- consider it tossed! Totally right. We’ve bought whatever we need new for just about every new acquisition. Cheaper to just junk it–if I needed it I’ll just put the lost cost in my " very cheap therapy" column.
That just reminded me of a basket of cords I was going to go through - off they go to the car, along with 3 other bags I filled today doing an impulsive purge in three different spots.
Those cords are always a mystery. I’ll do a big cleaning and put all the cords I find in a box and label it with the date. The next time I do a big cleaning, anywhere from 6-12 months later, any cords I haven’t used in that time get tossed.
Only a half a bag of cords to leave the premises. I honestly thought there would be more. Rats.
Think I got totally bored with the task and gave up…since I didn’t know what I was looking at.
And needed to plug stuff in. and consider it’s use. Blah, blah, blah.
I threw something away and then realized 30 minutes later what it was and what it belonged to and that I NEEDED it . That sort of slowed the “throw it out” mantra big time as I dug it out of the trash pile.
But at least I now have enough space carved out for the survivors without over flow so it’s still good.
So then I hit the cookbooks–two bags gone with a few stragglers I haven’t decided on. I should say another 13 inches of bookshelf space recovered so far.
Donated three bags today. Almost done with my whole bedroom. Geez I saved way too many things for way too long.
Have been steadily filling a box with stuff that will not go into kitchen cabinets.
I cleaned off my front porch last weekend. I had a few plastic bins full of misc items and a few pieces of outdoor furniture out there – all stuff that came from the cleaning out of my late mom’s house when it was sold last year. I was stuck, and couldn’t decide what to do with these things, so they were on the porch for way too long. On Sunday, I took it all to the “swap shack” at the transfer station (aka the town dump). It is full of interesting, useful things and occasionally, one can discover a treasure there. I felt liberated… but there was still one item I had trouble parting with: the late 1950s grandfather clock that had been in the house I grew up in and then went with my mom to her smaller house when she sold the family home. It was not a “fine antique”, but it was a lovely clock and a beloved fixture in my childhood home. The clockwork needed repair, and I didn’t have a spot for it… but I just couldn’t let go. So it, too, has been sitting on my porch for many months, making me feel bad each time I entered or left the house. On Sunday, a neighbor walked by and I was suddenly compelled to ask “Hey, do you have a minute to help me with something?” We loaded the clock in the back of my SUV and it went down to the swap shop too. I attached a note describing its lovely chime and pleasant personality, and said that it needed a new home where it would be repaired and loved. I took a photo of it and said goodbye. And I felt awful as I drove home. When I came back half an hour later with more junk from the basement, the clock was already gone… given a new home by our village police chief. I feel SO relieved… I really struggled with that decision. And now I wish I’d done it a year ago.
“I’ll do a big cleaning and put all the cords I find in a box and label it with the date. The next time I do a big cleaning, anywhere from 6-12 months later, any cords I haven’t used in that time get tossed.”
This is a great method for those who are just sure that they will need something as soon as they get rid of it.
Reorganized a drawer and found pants and shirt to go away. Going back to give the rest of my drawers another pass. It’s been like an onion; every time I think I’m done it’s easier to revisit and find more to pare down.
DH has been burning some of late MIL’s paperwork. It’s slow going but we don’t want to miss anything critical. He got rid of one of the cardboard boxes in our entry.
How many scarves are too many? And pairs of socks? I’m down to the last few drawers in my closet and trying to resist the urge to throw everything out. I almost never wear brown or tan so why am I clinging to those socks? I wore scarves when I worked but don’t now. Will I again? Who knows!
In that situation, I do the Kondo spark joy assessment. Last go-round I donated new with tag socks. Best to let someone else actually use them. imho
Did the same with beautiful silk or wool scarves that are just no longer my style. A minimalist wardrobe/closet is my goal. I hope to get there one day. Thinking about the “why it’s nice to have money” thread, it just isn’t necessary for me to hoard clothing or accessories I could buy again in the remote chance there’s ever a need.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself.