2018 Decluttering Thread

[disneysteve]

I just updated prices on 16 books that I have listed on Amazon. Although Half.com was way better, I will say that Amazon makes adjusting prices much easier. When viewing my inventory, it shows my current price and the current low price for the same item. I just have to click one button to lower my price to match the current low. Very simple. We'll see if that gets me any sales anytime soon. It's not really prime textbook buying time so I don't expect much right now.

[Gailete]

In the first box of DVD/VHS movies, just as a double check that I wasn't getting rid of any movies that he liked, I had hubby go through the box. Turns out he pulled 10 videos back out that apparently, he wasn't ready to get rid of yet. I have seen them, but as far as I know, they have been in my house for years now and he has NEVER watched them and knowing him he never will. He will watch some movies 100 times while working (he isn't really watching) but if he hasn't seen a movie before, he usually doesn't unless it has someone in that he really likes. This is also a guy that is in his 50s that still has clothing from HIGH SCHOOL which he won't let me get rid of! And he makes comments about the clutter (inventory mostly) that I surround myself with! But I assure you I have long since gotten rid of any HS clothing. I have moved I think, 11 times since graduating college and every move is an opportunity to trim down clutter!

Well as an optimist, that means more room in the box for more of the movies that I find. This time though, I won't have hubby double check the box - LOL!

[disneysteve]

This is also a guy that is in his 50s that still has clothing from HIGH SCHOOL

I'm a guy in my 50s who still has clothing from high school and college. And it still fits me just fine. I can't say I wear it often but some of those shirts have a lot of sentimental value. I know it's clutter if I don't actually wear them but I'm in no hurry to get rid of them.

[Gailete]

And it still fits me just fine

None of hubbies stuff still fits by about 80 pounds. One thing I understand his attachment to it as it was a sweater he knit while in school. But the rest, I can't even conceive of him wearing it. Meanwhile his drawers are so packed it is hard to put laundry away.

[Thrif-t]

This time though, I won't have hubby double check the box - LOL!

Yep Gailete this was your down fall

Next time get rid of it and he'll be none the wiser. And OMG clothes from HS. I'd of purged anything of not real sentimental value long ago. In fact I have done just that. But I'm sneaky, first I move the stuff to bins in the basement, because, you know, we need more room up here. Then after about a year, out the bin goes. Years go by and he might say what ever happened to my hockey jersey? and I'm like what hockey jersey

[disneysteve]

I just started an ebay auction for a Game Boy including the unit, charger, 2 cases, and one game. I'd love to get all of that stuff out of here.

I have one other item that I already photographed and edited and will list tomorrow. I may put some other stuff on too if I get to it.

[creditcardfree]

Meanwhile his drawers are so packed it is hard to put laundry away.

ThrifT mentioned this as well, but pack up the stuff that he's saving but doesn't wear and keep it elsewhere. Box in the closet or in the basement. You then are respecting his choice to keep, but making room for what is used. It may also show him the value of decluttering...which is more usable space. AND if he isn't seeing that stuff regularly he will forget about it, possibly enough to let it go at some time in the future.

[Gailete]

ThrifT mentioned this as well, but pack up the stuff that he's saving but doesn't wear and keep it elsewhere. Box in the closet or in the basement. You then are respecting his choice to keep, but making room for what is used. It may also show him the value of decluttering...which is more usable space. AND if he isn't seeing that stuff regularly he will forget about it, possibly enough to let it go at some time in the future.

Thanks for the ideas and you too Thrif-t. I may do that and then I might get my laundry basket back that is holding all his clean clothes for the last 2+ weeks!

I doubt if he would ever let me get rid of them though. But if he goes before me, That box I know can be tossed. At my age, it is time to think about permanently clearing things out to save the kids the trouble.

[disneysteve]

I just started an ebay auction for a Game Boy including the unit, charger, 2 cases, and one game. I'd love to get all of that stuff out of here.

I woke up to already have 3 bids/2 bidders so I'll get that all packed up and ready to go. I'm sure the price will go up a good deal more based on past auctions. I'm curious to see where it ends up.

pack up the stuff that he's saving but doesn't wear and keep it elsewhere. Box in the closet or in the basement. You then are respecting his choice to keep, but making room for what is used. It may also show him the value of decluttering...which is more usable space.

Agreed. Decluttering doesn't just mean getting rid of stuff. It also means better organizing the stuff you keep.

[disneysteve]

I have one other item that I already photographed and edited and will list tomorrow.

That is done and listed.

[disneysteve]

In the process of cleaning the house for Passover, we decided it's finally time to start thinning out our Disney collection and getting rid of items that none of us really care about. Over the years (I've been collecting since 1975) a lot of things have accumulated that aren't meaningful to us anymore.

I'm taking baby steps but there is a set of 5 hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments that I decided to deal with first. I just listed one on ebay and I'll see how that goes.

Some of the stuff isn't worth selling and will just get donated to Goodwill or to one of the Disney-related fundraising events that we attend. I'll try and start with the stuff that will likely do well on ebay.

[disneysteve]

I removed 8 items from the collectibles room today. One is already on ebay. Four others will get listed later. I've started a written list of items removed from that room. I think it will be neat, hopefully, to see how that number grows in the coming weeks and months.

I need to be careful not to get too sucked in to the ebay rabbit hole. As someone who used to keep 100 auctions running at all times, it's too easy for me to list a bunch of items but then get overwhelmed when they all start ending and I've got a ton of packing and shipping to do. So I want to stick to listing no more than 1 or 2 items a day.

[scfr]

I just scheduled an extra trash pickup. Soon, DH's horrible, crappy recliner will be gone and replaced with the new one we just ordered*, and the busted TV in the garage will be gone too!

*The back-and-forth discussion about the chair only took 2 years.

[disneysteve]

I screwed up and sold another book on Amazon today at a loss. I just went and checked my inventory and deleted several books that I still had listed that would have resulted in a loss if they sold. I listed one of them on ebay where I'll make a small amount if it sells. The others will go to Goodwill.

[Gailete]

My son came over and saw the box of movies to go and he rescues another one from the box- yikes! But he did carry the box down to the thrift store pile for me and helped me get some groceries tonight.

I've been working on my office too and have box of books from there to get rid of. Unbelieveable the dust that was laying around. I had to vacuum to get the worst of it up. So much cleaning I couldn't do when standing for a 1-2 minutes casued me so much pain, that I had forgotten how much you can get done in 5-10 minutes. I used to always be very efficient at cleaning and getting clutter under control but this RA and the back pain has squashed so much of that. So working on decluttering has been fun, except for the guys wanted to keep things. If those movies haven't been touched in a year, out they go!