Decrapify
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Its seems to be ATR (all the rage) these days, and I keep reading it over and over on all these crafty home blogs I read: simplify. simplify, simplify, simplify. Hm. Sounds like a great idea. Over the past six years Sean and I have been married, we've accumulated a lot of crap. And actually, some of the crap we still have is crap that we should have thrown away before we ever joined our hands in marriage. But at the time, I couldn't bear to part with them (photos, journals, trinkets, frames, CRAP) so we've just kept it all. And moved said crap more than 7 times. Hm. Friends, its time to decrapify. I've read all the blogs about how to do it, tips on where to put things, what to do with it to get rid of it, etc.... but the bottom line is, I just need to start tossing stuff.
In college, I would clean my entire dorm room before I could effectively study. Nowadays, I just get stressed out if the house is a mess for too long. And I've reached that point. Too much crap. So now here is the big question: to garage sale or not. Keep in mind, California is hot in the summertime. Its hot in the Fall and in the Spring, too. But especially the summer. So would it really be worth it? Even just $50 made at a garage sale would be more than we started with.... but again, would it really be worth it?
What are your thoughts? Is a small amount of money, say under $100 really worth days worth of sorting and setting up, then sitting out and sweating, followed by cleaning up and dumping? Or should I just get it over with and give it all to Goodwill?
PS- I apologize for the overuse of the word crap. But if you looked inside my cabinets and drawers, I promise, that'd be the mildest word for the masses accumulating there. :-)
4 Lovely Words
We had a yard sale. I wanted to make it as easy as possible. I didn't label prices on everything. Just made sure to have plenty of tables and tried to group things together. I started it around 6am and ended it when people stopped coming. Towards the end the prices went out the window because I didn't want to pack it up to take to Goodwill!
ReplyDeleteBut if it's easier just to toss it, then do it. One trashbag to toss, one trashbag for Goodwill, and knock yourself out.
And all the blogs and books are right- your life will feel so much more simple. And it's so much easier to clean! Everything has a specific place because you actually use everything you own!
Good luck with everything!
oh, and btw, my email address is fowlersusane at gmail dot com
I feel your pain Sheyenne! I never realized how much crap I have! So I am set to have a yard sale in July Yes it is hot but I am just going to do it in the morning and end at noon. Not sure if you have ever had a yard sale in California but even if you say it starts at six you have people there at five- the die hards. They come ready and let's be real they scare me but they make it better! People usually stop showing up like an hour before you are even done also because of the heat. Have the sale and see what you get- then donate the rest! You can join mine if you want!
ReplyDeleteThen after you are done you can organize and maybe even buy some cool organization kits with your money!
After having moved from NYC - I finally have all my "crap" under one roof and realize that while my house is at least 4x larger - I still have to much stuff.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't feel like it's enough to have a yard sale. I'm thinking about asking the neighbors if they want to join in on a street sale in Sept. (heat issues here). I'll be able to meet the neighbors as well as have stuff for folks to buy.
I'd say team up with a friend who is also trying to pare down. Have the sale at whoever's house gets the most traffic. That way you can advertise as a "multi-family" sale. Mention of furniture in the ad helps boost the number of folks that come (as well as bright & easy to read signage). And I agree with the early folks - but I never try to go early if it's stated that they don't want early birds.
If you decide to go for the sale let me know. I know a few high traffic sites you can advertise for free.
Oh and be prepared to bargain - I rarely pay the price marked.
I should have added - What would Uncle Dave say? Pretty sure he'd say "SELL IT!" ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts! I'd love to hear from you!