We have an interfaith non-profit here that provides support via social services referrals and they accept clothing and household goods donations. It all stays local. Their volunteers and staff have the gym set up (their facility used to be a school) like a store and clients can ‘shop’ for what they need. Everything is free, but the setup offers some dignity. They do tremendous work in our community and they get about 75% of my donations. My craft donations go to another group who sells them as ‘pay what you can’ and the proceeds go to the arts center where they are located. Anything else that could be sold goes to the thrift shop run by the friends of the county humane society. I wind up making a few stops when I have a carload, but that’s ok.
Have a couple things I will put out for Buy Nothing (mainly extra plant pots). Have gotten some furniture that way, too.
I saw this request in a local FB group: ISO: broken or old electronics or small appliances for our 12 year old to take apart. (there was also a cute photo of the kid in his little workshop area).
Oh, I think there may be a few people responding to that. Porch pickup is easier than a run to the hard-to-recycle items place (about a half hour away)
I am on another roll. Nothing like touring potential apartments to get me going. Put 2 sets of drinking glasses out on BN this week, and took advantage of both kids being in my house today to go through some more “stuff” (mostly my late H’s). Already scheduled a pickup next week for several things and the kids are taking stuff as well.
A few weeks ago I got rid of a big meat smoker. It was very nice, but it’s been just sitting in the garage. H used it once. A neighbor of a local friend wanted it and 15 minutes after we texted he and another guy arrived with a pick up truck and picked it up! Easy peasy,
Our younger friend wanted to get rid of things her family no longer uses and asked us to help take them to the dump. She did not want to bother with FB etc. We came over, assessed the situation, and suggested putting stuff on the curb rather than hauling to the dump. She was amazed that everything was picked up, even the old lawn mower and empty gas canisters!! Well, one of them had a gallon of gas, so almost $6 gain for someone right there!
I know not all neighborhoods allow this but we can put just about ANYTHING at the curb and someone will take it. Waste not, want not! Last night we put out two giant sized heavy plastic tubs that - in good shape but no lids - gone within an hour. Last week I put out a metal plant stand that I have sanded and spray painted several times - but even so I decided it was looking sort of pathetic - but it was fully intact. Gone within an hour. My rule usually is put something out there and if it’s not gone by the next morning, then it goes to trash. This has rarely happened.
We had this same request on our Buy Nothing page, and I live quite a distance from you (SE Denver). Seems weird that there requests for this as we ALL have electronics that need to be recycled.
We have ‘large item pick up’ as part of our trash service once every 9 weeks (used to be monthly). I try to get everything out the afternoon before because many people come by to go thru the stuff. Some is really trash and that will get picked up but other stuff is still good. Last time I put out carpets, skis, other sporting equipment, some patio chairs. Most were gone by morning. I really didn’t want to take it to the donation center as I’ve seen skis there before that aren’t really safe (these all were, practically new shape but years old so bindings need to be set by the owner as a ski shop won’t do them).
Often neighbors will post ‘look what is available’ posts on that day to alert others that there is a bookshelf or couch or bird cage @ 123 Street.
County wastemobile was collected junk and hazardous materials not far from where we live. Dropped off a bunch of stuff like batteries and drain cleaner so yay! Inspired by that, we took a bunch of empty nursery containers to the big plant nursery for them to reuse.
Another roll this week. S is here visiting and will be taking some of the stuff I was keeping for him. Some was thrown away and some is being either donated (next Monday’s pickup) or put on Buy Nothing. We took three boxes to D’s house last evening. She has more storage space than I do!
I finally feel as if I have gotten the vast majority of cleaning out done. I will continue with this and when I am ready to put the house up for sale , it will be easier to stage. I will still likely need 1-800-Got Junk, especially for the garage stuff.
I’ve been visiting parents… looking at their house. Wondering if anybody has experience with house listings that say something like - “contents of garage, workshop and attic stay”? (I do have a neighbor that had a listing where she could leave ANYTHING behind… but that was a house unlikely to pass mortgage inspection, a heavily discounted “cash only” deal.)
To what degree is the garage, attic, workshop occupied? Is it stuffed? Is it fully functioning useful stuff? Is it 70% junk so to speak? Part of the reasoning behind clearing stuff out is so that a prospective home owner can imagine those spaces for themselves - moving is daunting enough without more rooms to deal with before even moving in! I could be wrong but I would expect a darn good deal to accept a condition like that. Maybe better to pay someone to empty them out - you’d recoup those $ in the sale of the house.
My daughter bought a house where a lot of the stuff was left, especially in the backyard sheds, basement and garage. In fact, the garage had a car in it which belonged to the seller’s brother and while that was excluded, it took him a while to get it out of there, so long that my brother threatened to keep it. (My brother happened to know seller’s brother!)
I’d say it was a mixed bag as to what was useful and what was junk. Daughter did get a dumpster and a lot went into the dumpster, but most of the dumpster was construction waste as they put in new floors before moving in. This daughter is a minimalist so didn’t want most of it. The seller had grown up in this house so there were years and years of stuff and of course she was downsizing too. I think it was just too much for her to think of emptying the basement (narrow stairs to climb) and my SIL did use some of the wood down there (it had been a workshop) for projects. I think the ‘junk’ included two refrigerators and freezers in the garage that worked but were old and not worth the electricity to run them.
My mother bought a house from people who did leave a lot behind and we are still throwing out stuff almost 20 years later. Again, some useful but most junk.
When my mom moved into independent living, she took what she could and had an estate sale for the rest of her stuff. The woman who did the sale said to not throw out anything because it’s surprising what people will buy.
When my mil moves out of her house, we will also employ an estate sale company. Her neighbor works for one so we will use them.
When my mom went to AL the estate sale company took everything out of the house. Like literally everything. They paid us ( put much of the stuff up for auction) but it was pennies on the dollar. We could have made decent money putting a lot of my parents stuff on EBay or selling it ourselves but that requires a lot of time and energy.
My mother did a lot of this herself, thank goodness. But there was still a lot of stuff left in her 600 sq foot apartment. Much more though that she had in my basement. Much of it I’d like to review with my sister before trashing… and for now our focus is in NY tending to Dad and his wife. (And worrying about their large house full of stuff.)
Just curious - what have people done with things that MIGHT be wanted for adult kids who MIGHT have children? (If it happens, it will likely be in the next 5ish years for me).
I did let me son take “his” childhood dresser, which I still have matching bunk beds to (He didn’t want them, then). I have toys I’ve been saving - just the “good” ones - an art easel, Thomas the Tank Engine stuff, etc.
Both of my adult kids told me to just get rid of their things (both meaning things in their closets & in our playroom) when I was beginning the downsizing process. However, they both ended up coming twice to sort through their stuff and each retained quite a bit of stuff. D’s second trip was the weekend of my yard sale and she went home with 5 American Girl dolls & their accessories, BRIO Mec set which will be good for the almost 3 year old boy in a few years, etc., etc. She could barely see out of her car when she pulled out for return trip to Nashville. S packed up lots of Boy Scout stuff, all of his cd’s, a number of games (he is a hoarder with his obscure board games which doesn’t go over well with his wife and I don’t blame her), etc.
I kept a fair number of books and toys and they have been well loved through the small grandchildren phase. I was just getting something out of my balcony storage closet and struggling with the high chair I’ve used since 1987. I think I’ll be able to send it to Goodwill or FB Free status next year, but it’s been a highly useful thing for family meals since first grand came along in 2017. I guess the answer is different for each person and it’s all about the room you have available for storage.
When we moved from our current house we asked the kids which toys they wanted saved. Answer: very few.
D and SIL have a good size house ( and 2 kids). Most of the stuff is in her basement storage area because her kids have a ton of their own stuff. The only thing being played with is a really nice dollhouse my FIL and the furniture and family got it ( totally ‘90’s vibes).
S has a few boxes in my attic, he will have to figure out what to do with them when I move soon.
Neither had any interest in their childhood furniture.
Decide how much real estate you want to dedicate to storing toys,books, etc for potential future grandchildren. A shelf? Two boxes? A closet? Then pair down from there. Keep the stuff YOU want to see your grandkids use if your kids haven’t shown interest.
Just me, but once my kids are on their own if their furniture was older I want to update it. Sell once away and refresh to be stuff I like. Everyone still has a place to sleep when they are here and it’s probably nicer than what they had through a childhood!
When H and I moved a couple years ago any kids who had their own living spaces and some storage took what they wanted.
I kept things like Marbleworks, BRIO train stuff, legos, waffle blocks, little tykes doll house AND oodles of fisher price little people play sets. All fits in a closet in containers that take a small portion of the good sized closet.
