Community Chat

[Lisa Y]

@Rose429  you and me, both! I could open a store with all my clothes, jewelry, shoes, and purses. 

[KentuckyWoman]

I had a lot of Fenton Art Glass.  I was a collector for a long time even before they were on QVC.  I sold all but the full Nativity set and maybe ten other pieces.  I also took a lot of my handbags, jewelry, shoes, boots, and clothing to a consignment shop and made and tidy sum of money. 

I have absolutely no idea what to do with all the fine china.  I have my mother's, some of my mother-in-laws, mine, and a lot from one of my aunts.  I have Notitake, Haviland China, Blue Cornfield, Depression Glass and a lot more.  Most of it is stored away in boxes.  I hate to donate it but what else is there to do?  I never use it.  We just don't entertain like we used to and if we do, I use our everyday dishes.

I donated several boxes of Christmas decorations and decorating items after the 2018 holidays.  I have already started going through more Christmas decor and will be donating it this fall.  Every box that goes out of this house makes me feel lighter 

[queendiva]

@KentuckyWoman  and others: Check with replacements dot com to see if they will buy some of your china. Last year I bought quite a few plates in a Lenox Christmas pattern. I sold them to that site and made quite a nice profit. The items you would like to sell must be in near perfect condition.

[gidgetgh]

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@queendiva wrote:

@KentuckyWoman  and others: Check with replacements dot com to see if they will buy some of your china. Last year I bought quite a few plates in a Lenox Christmas pattern. I sold them to that site and made quite a nice profit. The items you would like to sell must be in near perfect condition.

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@queendiva @KentuckyWoman - I’ve sold to Replacements a few times. The problem is that you have to pay to ship the stuff to them.  When I sold to them, you had to ship by post office as they wouldn’t accept UPS.  In my case, my husband and I actually drove the things to them.  No way could I have shipped it all. Too expensive. 

[jannabelle1]

I no longer go to garage sales or estate sales or consignment shops. I no longer buy anything for my small townhome from QVC or any shopping channel. I'm 71 and have gone through a rough divorce, sold my big home and all of the sets of china, crystal and flatware that belonged to my mother and from my first marriage. I'm still left with family photo albums and small "stuff" that I just need to get rid of. What was important to me when I was in my 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s is no longer important to me. My life is simpler now....time to get rid of the "stuff" that I still have. Thanks for the reminder that I need to keep going through all of it! It's not easy, but it can be done.

[tucsongal]

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@morganjen wrote:

Has anyone ever donated clothes to a Dress For Success organization?

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We don’t have a branch in Tucson but I recently sent a small box full of nice jewelry to the Phoenix location. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to do that with a lot of clothing because it would be costly, but I was very happy to spend a few dollars to share the jewelry so it will be worn and enjoyed.

[Yahooey]

It has to be a total commitment if you really want to purge. I did so last summer. Threw out all my mixed tape cassettes from yesteryear. You know how long it took to make a 90 minute cassette by recording records - yes records

I threw them all out - didn't even glance at the song titles. Threw out all my records. Yes - some may say sell them. I needed them out - left them out by the curb and hoping that someone would take them. A construciton worker came by and carried the 2 full boxes and carted them off. He came back later for the turntable.

Salvation Army put my pickup a few weeks out and I couldn't lug those records to the basement as I did for the clothing that I donated. I had to clear out the room for painting.

Clothing that was in my closet - that I could wear if I lost some weight...

Clothing that I should no longer wear even if I lost some weight...

gone gone gone - you have to purge being a bit cold hearted - otherwise it will creep back into the house

I did go back and took some items out  - my softball glove that I haven't used for 30 years but I have such fond memoreis - It was a Goose Gossage (was a huge Yankees fan) and 2 tshirts

[bobby5]

I have to remind myself when Valerie Parr Hill is on...NO MORE STUFF! My daughter doesn't decorate the way I do. I think it's becoming a thing of the past. Kids today are minimalists. I enjoy looking at all my decorations but getting them all out & then putting them all away is getting to be a chore.😕

[Pqfan]

I once packed so much stuff in a hall closet that when I walked by the door busted open and pushed me. 🤪🤣 

[Oznell]

Great inspirational post, dear @Witchy Woman!   And others who are systematically clearing out.  This and the long-running "what have you purged" thread in the "Home" section are so helpful.

I feel good when I have even a thin stream of donatable stuff coming out of the house on a consistent basis.  Have gotten so I'm taking things to the rummage rooms (a church-based sale that goes on all year) at least every two weeks.  The loss of familiar, unused items is more than compensated for when you think of the pleasure they will give new owners, and the good that the profits for their sale will do for various charities...

If anyone wants some more ongoing inspiration, here's adorable Dawn Madsen of "The Minimal Mom" talking about effectively dealing with difficult decisions to cull some of our sentimental items.  It's neat to see someone in her late thirties get a handle on all this, so young in life!  I wish I had had a little more of that attitude earlier on too, but better late than never:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9go0-q2UMU