my STUFF is making me crazy!

[something glorious]

on the outside you probably wouldn't know it :no i keep my home clean, and things appear organized :shrug but i am drowning under the weight of all of our STUFF. our closets and drawers are full. our basement is overflowing with boxes, bags and plastic rubbermaid tubs. i justify holding on to much of it so i can sell it and make back some of my money....but the organizing, cataloging, photographing, uploading, pricing.....it is taking over my LIFE. i think i could spend 8 hours a day on those tasks, and probably it would take 2 weeks to complete the task. but since i have a 3-yo, there is constant interruption, and so it just remains this incredible, looming, overwhelming task. :(

i've HAD IT. i want my life back. today i am donating EVERYTHING that doesn't have absolute value that can be quantified in a pretty immediate way. and then i'm going to stop spending my life reselling my unused things. 'cause i'm going to STOP buying so much junk.

i watched a really enlightening video the other day, that talked about how only 10% of new purchases are still in use 6 months later. :jawdrop it surprises me, and yet at the same time....with the state of my basement being what it is, i believe it to be 100% true :(

ugh. pray that i can push through, perservere, and unload this BURDEN of STUFF once and for all :banghead

[luvinmykidz]

:hug2

[expatmom]

:hug2 I get overwhelmed by our stuff too.

[MarynMunchkins]

:hug Consignment sales are the way to get rid of kid stuff. You tag it all, drop it off, and never think about it again. They mail you a check and you get what you get. :tu

[ShangriLewis]

We did this when we moved and it was freeing! We live in a much smaller home and I love it. I was just out visiting family and realized how much I love the way we live now. There is definitely some kind of energy moving around there when you hold onto stuff.

Have you considered find a young teen girl that could come and spend some time with your little one every day. You could probably pay her very little. Then you could actually take pictures of everything. My dh gets overwhelmed with Ebay. But, when he has a lot of stuff I just push him to get it on without it being perfect. He many not make as much, but then it isn't sitting around calling out his name.

[HummusDip]

:hug2 Decluttering feels so good.

[KatieMae]

Maybe online selling isn't the best option. :think I've sold lots of stuff in the past several months & here's how I determine how to sell it:

* A specialty/collectors item should be on ebay to get the biggest sale potential, assuming the value is enough to cover the hassle & fees.
* Nice things that people would specifically look for online should be on Craig's List.
* Mommy or kids' stuff can be sold on FSOT boards like the one on GCM or other mothering websites, or I could take the things to a consignment shop, or make a little more money on it if I take them to a seasonal consignment sale but have to tag them myself. (Again, it's a hassle factor to consider!)
* Common things should simply be sold at a yard sale. Anything that doesn't go can be listed on a Freecycle website (like have your sale 7am-noon, and then noon-1pm is Come & Get it for Free!) or just bag it up & have a charity come to pick it up the next day.

Unless you have zero-energy left to deal with your stuff, I would hate for you to give it all away & then feel guilty about the money that was wasted. Just use the easiest route to get rid of it for at least a *little* money :) Good luck! :heart

[ProudMommaof2]

(((Lauren))) I can sooo relate to this!! I have such a hard time parting with things, but have been doing better and trying to "purge" things I don't need. What you described about the daunting task of trying to sell things is exactly why I have never attempted to try it...I'm just not organized enough for that. In the past I have donated items to the Rescue Mission to bless others and get a bit of a tax write off. You can go to ItsDeductible.com and list the number of different items you've donated and it will assign a value to each item and total them up for you. If you use Turbo Tax it will even carry the info over automatically, but I think you could print it off if you have your taxes done a different way.
I also like Mary's idea about the consignment store. :yes Much as it breaks my heart I think it is time to part with several baby furniture items and other things, and I plan to make my first leap into the consignment process to see how that works out.
I know it's hard friend. :hugheart I struggle with feeling like I'm drowning in stuff too. :yes2 No matter how you organize it, it always is just *there*, and I think it feels so much more peaceful when I simplify and pare down. It is a constant struggle for me. I'm with you...doing my best not to accumulate more things all the time as much as possible. :yes
:heart Praying for peace for you friend, and the joy of progress as you persue your goal of simplifying. :hug

[WanderingJuniper]

:hugheart
You can do it.
I was in that place last year and I told Bart that I was done. I wanted to be able to breath. In two weeks I got rid of all but the sentimental or seasonal items through freecycle. I'm about to do it again as the play room is just out of control. Once I pushed past some of the guild I had in getting rid of things without profit I felt free, light and I could breath in my laundry room. :rockon I keep having to remind Bart, "It's just stuff." :yes

[Dandelion]

I am right there with you! I have come to this place recently where *stuff* is just such a burden to me. And I am getting rid of massive amounts, but it is so overwhelming. I will be thinking of you and praying for you while I haul my excess away :hugheart

[crunchymum]

:hug2 :heart i hear ya. (and if you come across any more cute purses, i can think of someone to donate them to... :shifty )

another mama and i were recently talking about saving stuff to sell... in the end, it really does suck away so much time & energy....


:nak

[JoyfulMom]

good for you for taking your life back! I've been putting off doing the same thing until we move into our new bedroom we've been adding on to our house. I'm getting tired of waiting for it to be finished. I'm ready for a neat home again!

[joystrength]

i watched a really enlightening video the other day, that talked about how only 10% of new purchases are still in use 6 months later.


:nak2
but first of all .... :lol :clap :clap :clap :clap to you!!!

and next ... what's the video?? ;)

[Marielle]

I was a big seller too. But now unless it's furniture (which might cost me more to transfer someone else than sell) I'm donating it to the VVA. You call a 1-800 # and they pick up at your front door the following Friday.

Like you mentioned it's just drawing out a painful process having to invest valueable time ON TOP of the money initially invested in the item. If the item is no longer working for you and your home spending your precious time trying to sell it and fend off ridiculous non commital buyers then it's a waste. There is value in time, there is value in space just as much if not more than the value in the object.

[Mama Bird]

We have a wonderful privately owned children's resale shop near our town. I get an appointment, then put all the clean clothes in a big tub and take it in. I tell her I just want credit for it, because she sells very nice things there. It's hassle-free for me, because I don't have to tag anything, just take it in. I drop it off and she lets me know later my cash value and my credit value. I feel like I'm re-using the clothes that way. :yes Do you have anything like that?

[something glorious]

well, i'm making some headway :yes

yesterday, about 5 things went to new homes via freecycle, and i have a big donation box and bag filled up in my basement :yes

today i'm working on assembling and photographing my swap packages, and also listing some of DD' outgrown clothes on craigslist and/or ebay, depending on what i know the resale value to be like :tu

we have a GREAT consignment store over near where DH works....and some of the stuff will definitely end up there :yes but some of it that i know will bring a MUCH better profit on craigslist and ebay, i'm gonna hang on to and do myself :shrug

thanks for the encouragement, everyone :yes

oh, and the video is over at: www.the storyofstuff.com (link broken b/c i think we're always supposed to do that :scratch )

[Mama Bird]

Way to go, Lauren! Mucking out feels so good, doesn't it? Very freeing! :clap

[bananacake]

We are SO there :yes2

[musicmama]

Lauren, I am *so* with you! We are purging greatly here, we even had 2 people come at the same time from Freecycle yesterday! :haha

I had to get over "getting the most money for my stuff" and I found that actually really freeing. I just found that a local store here does consignment and does most of the work, and so that's what I'm doing! I'm actually kind of excited about it. Your Ella's stuff is *so* gorgeous, some other kid will look so awesome in it! We love our "Ella clothes" and shoes, too!! :hearts

[crunchymum]

oh, and the video is over at: www.the storyofstuff.com (link broken b/c i think we're always supposed to do that :scratch )


wow, excellent... :yes i forwarded that to a bunch of people...

[illinoismommy]

If you want some inspiration, I think The Simple Living Guide might work for you.... I haven't read it in a year now though and it was a library book so its hard to remember but it was that one and/or Your Money Or Your Life that really helped me grasp non-clutter-- they took it to more of an extreme than I will, but still :)

[made4more]

but... I'm going to miss your sales on sns .. *sniff sniff* lol do what you gotta do girl! I LOVE letting things so. You could have a garage sale though, THEN donate the rest!

[bananacake]

If you want some inspiration, I think The Simple Living Guide might work for you.... I haven't read it in a year now though and it was a library book so its hard to remember but it was that one and/or Your Money Or Your Life that really helped me grasp non-clutter-- they took it to more of an extreme than I will, but still :)


I found 8 books at my library called Your Money Or Your Life: do you remember the author?

[illinoismommy]

If you want some inspiration, I think The Simple Living Guide might work for you.... I haven't read it in a year now though and it was a library book so its hard to remember but it was that one and/or Your Money Or Your Life that really helped me grasp non-clutter-- they took it to more of an extreme than I will, but still :)


I found 8 books at my library called Your Money Or Your Life: do you remember the author?


by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

[apmommy]

:rockon

[something glorious]

If you want some inspiration, I think The Simple Living Guide might work for you.... I haven't read it in a year now though and it was a library book so its hard to remember but it was that one and/or Your Money Or Your Life that really helped me grasp non-clutter-- they took it to more of an extreme than I will, but still :)


i actually read that book (on your recommendation, i believe :giggle ) last year :rockon it is one of many things inspiring me in my quest to be free of stuff :yes (and 'your money or your life' is on my amazon wish list ;) )

but... I'm going to miss your sales on sns .. *sniff sniff*


oh, don't you worry one bit :no i still have LOTS of stuff lined up for SnS. in fact, i'm about to post a huge listing of 3T stuff :tu

[illinoismommy]

in fact, i'm about to post a huge listing of 3T stuff :tu




went to look for it.... not there :poke

course it depends on how fancy it is :O

[something glorious]

in fact, i'm about to post a huge listing of 3T stuff :tu




went to look for it.... not there :poke

course it depends on how fancy it is :O


i'm trying to get my crazy house in order for tomorrow's showing :crazy but by sunday, it should be up :tu thanks for hanging in there....

[made4more]

well durn, I won't have a girly in 3t for a long while :) you have the cutest stuff tho- I think you have great taste!