He just picked up the easiest thing and didn’t think. I am kind of the dictator in our house; everyone does what I tell them to do and nobody actually thinks for themselves because I do it all for them. I keep saying that I can never die, because when I am sick or away, nothing gets done.
I know better, and I know about delegating, but I am incapable of not being a control freak. And my husband is adept at managing up, so we’re a great pair. I think? 
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We live near a lake and go there every day all summer. Family of two…8 beach towels.
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I have both local and travel beach towels. Nice, thick ones for the pool and beach here at home but also some thinner ones to stick in a suitcase for a stop at the beach/lake on a trip. I would say 6 to 8 for a family of four, assuming you go to the beach or a pool regularly or do a beach vacation. One each to use and some extras for friends or to be in the wash.
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Just opened up the big box of american girl doll sutff my daughter had. Probably thousands of dollars spent on this stuff. I am hoping to find a family in need that I can donate some of this to. Interesting, both of her actual dolls have gotten sorta grey toned on their skin (a little creepy in my opinion - but I think big dolls are creepy all around).
I did go through everything decorative in her room with my daughter yesterday (over facebook) and she decided what to keep and what to dump. Feels very productive as her room was the last one still filled with stuff on the dressers.
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Have another stack to go to goodwill with tomorrow. Also, have a possible charity that will take my furniture and use it for immigrant apartments. Hope that works out.
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How do you make peace with throwing away perfectly good things?
As I go through my stuff, I list it on FB, Craigslist, etc. for free. Sometimes a week or two goes by without any takers. While I know I can stick them in the bag for the Salvation Army, I doubt they would be able to sell them. For example, I have the parts to an Arduino car. They are perfectly good but their value is probably less than $5 so its not worth trying to find (and driving to) a Maker space to donate them.
I know it seems crazy that I’m worrying about something with such small value but it just bothers me to send them to the landfill.
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I agree, I have a variety small or incomplete items, looking for right fit. Maybe local school? Scout group?
Recycle as electronics? Best buy or municipal recycling?
I have so many of these miscellaneous things - it kills me to throw them away but they really aren’t worth the effort to research and find someone that might want them. However, I also have a bunch of old laptops and chargers so thanks for the suggestion of Best Buy and electronics recycling.
I have given lots of perfectly good things as donations for local rummage sales. I see it as win win - out of my house - into the home of somebody who wants it - money made for the church or charity running the rummage sale.
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There are a lot of steps before I throw something away. Can I use it? Can someone in the family use it? Can I sell it? Can I put it at the curb for free? Can I post it for free? Can I donate it?
In the end, some things just get tossed. They may have had a good life. Wore out clothes, books that are tattered, Knickknacks or gadgets that don’t entertain or work well anymore.
Do your best but you dig a mountain high of stuff that you can’t beat if you do t at some point let go. (Or stop buying/taking!)
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Today I literally gave away a bag. I was at a book event with a strand bookstore canvas tote bag that has a picture and quote from a book on it (I can’t even remember the book - it was one I had never read). I had gotten the bag many years ago as a gift. A woman sitting near me told me she loved my bag and that it was her favorite book. So, I emptied the canvas tote and gave it to her. She was so happy and proceeded to tell me it was her birthday. Best bag of the week I have ever gotten rid of!
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I was tackling a closet where I’ve stored photos for 20 years. I couldn’t face opening those totes yet, but I looked up to the top shelf and I had saved the original box of every high-priced electronics item we have bought since moving here. I know, I know…
I was about to throw out the Nintendo boxes and decided to check eBay. Those empty boxes can be worth something! I’ll probably try to sell them this winter, when I’m not still in the thick of gardening tasks.
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I have had no luck selling old video game stuff online (and we had plenty). You might want to go to a local video game store and see what they might be interested in. We found one that bought some stuff but they were very clear about what stuff was sellable and what stuff was not. (for example nobody wants those guitar hero guitars but they were happy to get the dance revolution mat.)
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That’s why I use Buy Nothing. I have gotten rid of a lot of good usable stuff I wasn’t using but someone else can.
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I have as well. But there are always things that have no takers and I struggle with putting them in the trash.
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If truly junk, it probably belongs in the trash. If you don’t know what to do with it, maybe it is still worth donating to an agency. Some things will not be accepted (large older TV’s for example). But I’m assuming for other items, the agency will know better what to do with an item and either sell, send to recycling, share with other agencies that are better suited (books, for example), or ultimately trash.
Just went through a huge pile of scarfs I had knitted. Have a big bag that is going to the clothing collection bin in town today!
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I had saved my sons’ pack and play. It’s now 22 years old. I went to set it up and the mechanism wouldn’t latch to hold it open. That went to the trash. I did keep the mattress pad though. May use it as a dog bed. Sheets went to thrift store.
Our recycling center has an electronics bin. I’ve put a number of things in it that my husband had bought and were now obsolete.
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We are now into Week 4 of our clean out. Most of the low hanging fruit is gone (recycled, donated, trashed) and now it is more a slog through boxes, cabinets and The Basement.
I enjoy the days we’ve put small “accessory” furniture/‘storage solutions’ out on our curb in the morning and by midday it has been taken away by invisible, good fairies. I only hope we aren’t inadvertently contributing to someone else’s stockpiles of stuff.
Fingers crossed we see some real improvement in the next few months. For the most part, even after 4 weeks of steady progress, no one coming into our house would believe how much stuff has already left it, it still looks quite full of stuff*.
*It’s never looked like hoarders live here, but I had been hoping it would feel more minimalistic at this point. Still feels like there is a lot more than we need, even if it looks fine/well kept.
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This is what I worry about! We put two old wood rocking chairs that we never refinished by the curb yesterday and I sear they didn’t stop rocking before our neighbor it’s came and scooped them up!
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