declutter

Declutter 2014 Update

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

Growing up the development (or subdivision) where I lived had a community yard sale every summer. My family lived in the back part of the development – we detested the yard sale (never participated) because it was a major traffic jam getting out of there (only one way in and out).  We would joke about going away for the weekend.

Fast forward to last summer, I joined a friend in her community for a yard sale. We both got rid of items and made some coin and we had fun hanging out.  I think it was probably my success there that got me starting to think about how much I need to de-clutter!

My community sent a notice out a couple of weeks ago announcing a community yard sale.  And the good news is I could actually participate.  Most of the times when they are scheduled I’m not around.

I got myself organized and even decided to really unload a lot of kitchen items that I either don’t use anymore or haven’t ever used.  I had a friend stop by last night for some wine and pre-shopping.  Got up early this morning and loaded the car (I have a good reputation for packing a car – so I was able to get a lot of ‘treasures’ in the car).

The event started at 8 am this morning (funny thing is the annual yard sale of my youth was going on the same weekend) – I got there for set-up a little after 7 am (and I was kind of late) – although I did get the spot I wanted to set-up at – easy access to the road and my car.  Before 8 am – I had made a few sales – I wasn’t even completely set-up.

There were a lot of people set-up and there was a great turn-out.  I had some company too.  My friend (who’s community yard sales I joined) – joined in as well (we had a great time catching up and grabbed some lunch afterwards)

Here is what sold well (a combination of items from both of us):

  • Guy Stuff (my friend calls it this and one of the guys who bought some things quoted her too!) – this includes outdoor light fixtures, tools, door knobs, locks – you get the picture.
  • Kids Toys – including Beanie Babies (I unloaded quite a bit)
  • Kitchen Items – cookware (8 items), small appliances (crockpot, blender), plastic containers (5), Appetizer on Ice (1)
  • Decorations – sold 2 pillows – an older woman drove a hard bargain with me – she got a great deal.  We saw a lot of people buying home decor – pictures and other decorations
  • Make-up & Brushes – new – never been used was a huge hit
  • Bags – we had mixed success but each were able to get rid of some handbags or totes
  • Beach items – I sold a beach chair – saw some othe beach items as well.

It was a good day – I netted a little over $200 – I got rid of some stuff and the extra cash will go to a good cause – my football weekends!

PS:  I plan on putting some items on Freecycle.org – I put 11 paperbacks and a yoga mat – already got a hit with plans for a pick-up in the morning – Yahoo!! 🙂

My Adventures in FreeCycle

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

As I mentioned in my Declutter 2014 post, my goal this year is to really declutter my house. I’ve accumulated so many things and never had a chance in either of my big moves to get rid of things.

Over the past year, I’ve been donating quite a few things via Good Donor. I love it – they pick up and leave you a tax deductible receipt.

So my new favorite is FreeCycle.  It encourages recycling via reusing – all items must be FREE.  I love this concept as I really hate throwing items away because I no longer use them and they are still in good working order.  And I’ll be honest some of the items I’ve recycled aren’t necessarily items that I want to deal with selling via eBay or at a Consignment store (note:  I do have some items I’ll be using eBay and Consignment Stores in the area – I’ll share my experiences in later post).

I belong to the Mercer County FreeCycle Yahoo group.  I’ll be honest with you, I was a little apprehensive to list items on a site and then have people come and pick them up at my house.  However, it is super easy – I leave the items at my front door and people pick them up.  Anything you want to Recycle you post as OFFER.  Once you get a response you post PPU (pending pick-up) and once it is picked up you post TAKEN.  If you are looking for something in particular you post WANTED.  I’ve been completely impressed with how quickly some of the items get responses or how many responses I actually get.

Here is what I’ve FreeCycled already:

  • OFFER:  4 Head VCR and VHS tapes – 4 interested; first email in less than 10 minutes
  • OFFER:  3 Unopened bags of Halloween candy – 5 interested; first email – 4 minutes after posting.
  • WANT:  Table Lamp and Clip on Light.
  • OFFER:  50 Misc (non dry cleaner hangers) – 1 interested; less than an hour
  • OFFER:  4 Ceramic Tile and Stone Grout Finish – 3 interested; less than 10 minutes on first inquiry.
  • OFFER:  35 Historical Romance Books (and yes I like to read trashy novels on vacation!  🙂 ). – 1 interested; 4 minutes from posting and picked up within an hour of posting – WOW!!

So I’ve gotten rid of quite a few things in a short period of time and I’m not cluttering another room as I stockpile waiting for the larger good donor pickup.  I will still use Good Donor – I have a pick-up already scheduled for February (and remember with Good Donor you get a receipt – so tax deductible).

What I’ve learned – delcuttering can be very overwhelming (I haven’t even made a dent at my house – I have a long way to go) but also liberating – I get pumped once I post something to see how long it takes for a response.  I know I’m odd!  But is also encourages me to continue to focus on this decluttering journey! 🙂

Decluttering 2014

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

I’ve been off for the past week with hopes of doing some major house cleaning (and maybe even decluttering) since I wasn’t hosting Christmas this year. Well – the best laid plans. I ended up with a nasty head cold / bug (no fever luckily) all week – I didn’t do much except sleep, Christmas gatherings and look around on Pinterest.

I received an email from Pinterest highlighting the best of 2013.  One of the highlighted items was Inspiration to Live with Less – Best Becoming Minimalists Posts 2013.  I scanned through it but the post that caught my attention was 10 Decluttering Principles to Help Anyone Clear the Clutter.  Her tips seem easy enough.  And I know I’ve accumulated many things over the years.  I was never able to declutter when I moved from Dallas back to the east coast – I tried when I moved to my condo but I haven’t done a major declutter in a long time.  I do make donations but I also seem to feel ok letting more stuff in since I donate – that needs to be on of the things to stop and it is on the list.  I think the two that I really like are declutter one thing at a time and declutter the easy stuff.

Once I went through the blog post, I actually went to Colleen’s blog:  365 Less Things.  Lots of great posts and ideas to really made me think about how much stuff I really do have and haven’t touched in years.  I know there will be some items with sentimental value that I may never let go but if I declutter some of the other things – maybe I can actually enjoy some of those sentimental items which are packed away still.

I think one of the things that keeps me from decluttering is I really hate throwing things out that still work.  I used to sell things on ebay, but I honestly don’t really have the time to sell things on eBay anymore.  Most recently, I’ve been using Good Donor – you register online and they have scheduled pick up dates in your area – they pick up at your door and leave you a receipt for donations.  Another local group I like to use is Homefront.  You have to drop off, but it is for a very good cause and the items stay local.

A recommendation from Colleen’s blog is Free Cycle – all items are free – you can search for your town or county.  You can post if you have OFFERS (items to get rid of), WANT (if you are looking for something) and TAKEN (if someone has accepted your OFFERS).  I found a freecycle group for my county and I posted a few things today:  VHS Tapes (4 different categories) and a 4 Head VCR.  Since I’m new to the group, my posts have to be approved and they haven’t shown up yet.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Anything that you have used in the past that have worked?

So my goal for 2014 is to really focus on decluttering – 1 item each day.  Anyone else interested in joining me?