Just three weeks before moving day, I looked around my house — at the furniture, the decor, my kids’ plastic dolls and play sets. I didn’t know how I was going to pack it all. And in fact, I didn’t want to pack or keep a lot of it.
Baby clothes? Didn’t need them anymore. The rocking chair in my bedroom? Never used it. Salt lamp? Just clutter.
I listed things for way less than they were worth.
I shrugged when a friend asked, “$30 for that stroller?” examining what was once the $400 star of my baby registry. I wasn’t trying to make a fortune. I just wanted to get rid of stuff, save myself trips to the donation center, and maybe score a small token (usually cash for a Starbucks indulgence) that could serve as an incentive to actually get things out of the house.
By the time I moved, I’d made $571, gotten rid of a ton of stuff, and taught myself the value of letting things go.
I always struggle with spring cleaning
I’ll admit I’m a little bit of a hoarder. It’s not that I’m collecting empty soda bottles and stacks of newspapers, but I do like to hold on to things. I’m always struggling to find free space in my closet, and my cluttered garage has been a point of embarrassment for years.
But with three young kids now, I wanted a yard, something my small townhouse couldn’t provide. This meant a larger place, in a more affordable city, and a big move. My mom recommended selling some stuff, and I liked the idea. Even if I swapped lesser-loved goods for just a few bucks, maybe a little incentive was what I needed.
So I walked around my home, taking pictures of things I thought people might want, and posting them on Facebook Marketplace. I wanted to declutter before the move, so I priced everything low. In an effort to get rid of my kids’ old wagon, I looked up listings for similar wagons. The going rate seemed to be $20, so I listed mine for $10.
I kept a little log on my phone of what I sold and how much I sold it for. It was kind of fun. I liked the small feeling of accomplishment I’d get when I both got something out of the house and made some cash.
Selling stuff gave my clutter worth
Whenever someone wanted to buy something, I’d pack the item in a little gift bag, complete with tissue paper, before putting it out on my porch for pickup. Sometimes, if I was selling baby clothes or puzzles, I’d leave a little card in the bag saying, “I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!”
I thought the buyer would appreciate the extra effort, but I mostly did this for me. When I dressed my old stuff up like a present, it made the item feel new again. It felt less like I was getting rid of old clutter, and more like I was passing along a little treasure.
As I put gift bag after gift bag on my patio, I realized why I’d always had trouble paring down. I felt sad putting things I once wanted, and even loved, into a trash bag, and tossing them into my trunk before dropping it off in the alley behind the Goodwill.
Sure, it felt good and helpful to donate useful things like clothes and blankets. But a lot of my donations were just “stuff.” And while I liked to imagine the stuffed animal I cherished as a kid would get adopted by some little girl roaming the thrift store, I knew that some of what I donated would sit in a dusty storeroom for months, and plenty would probably end up in the dump.
Now I felt I was giving some of my things worth, or at least knowing they were going to a good home. And I didn’t need money to do that. Some stuff, I gave away for free.
When I posted a big bin of maternity clothes for $20, and a woman messaged saying she wanted them but would need to wait until her husband got his next paycheck, I packed a can of unopened baby formula in the bag and gave them to her for free. The same thing happened with a bag of baby clothes and a new grandmother who was sending clothes to her daughter. I packed some lightweight baby toys and books (easier for shipping) in her bag and said it was a gift.
I want my kids to have a better relationship with stuff
When my 5-year-old asked about the little gifts I was setting out on the porch, I told her we were done using those things, and they were going to the next person.
I felt like this was a good lesson, and I hoped she’d latch on to this idea of items being transient; that we don’t need to hold on to things forever. It’s OK to say goodbye.
When it came time to move, she asked what would happen to our old house now that we were no longer living in it. I told her that, just like the stuff we didn’t need anymore, we were passing it on to another family who would hopefully enjoy it as much as we did.
Read the full article here
