It was another “Get Rid of It” week at the Lipp’s house. You can see our list below.
One of the challenges I was coming up with during the 2014 Things was keeping track of all the things I came across that I knew I didn’t need anymore. I needed a dedicated place to put those things (that also had easy access,) until I could count them and donate.
Finally, I cleaned out a small portion of our closet in the office and put a box in there lined with a large garbage bag. Every time I find something that I no longer need or want, it goes to the closet. Once the bag is full, I count the “things” and then put the bag in my car to donate.
If your “Donation Station” is out in the garage, or down in the basement, you are less likely to go and put those things away, keeping the clutter inside.
Put your “Donation Station” somewhere that you will see it everyday. Let it be a constant reminder to you and your family that you are getting rid of 2014 Things. (And then feel free to hide it when company comes over.)
SO that’s what you do with the things you are going to donate, but what if you’re selling some of your items to take that trip to Disneyland this summer? Or to help pay for home school supplies.
Here is the question posted by Deb Dyer: “Getting a slow start, but looking forward to the challenge. Really enjoyed your message today. Will take some items to Salvation Army. Would like to hear of places to sell some items. Not into eBay though. Do you have any other ideas? Really appreciate it.”
So tell me in the comments below how you are planning on earning some cash from your stash and you could win this week’s book:
Last week’s winner was JULIE DONAHUE!!!
And here is a list of what the Lipps dashed from the house:
2 Coats
4 Shirts
2 Dog Collars
1 Box of Cat Pan Liners
I Box of Plug In’s
1 Umbrella
1 Doggy bag holder
1 Dog Seatbelt
I Deck of Cards
1 Leash
1 Pair of Dog Toe Nail Clippers
1 Cat Brush
1 Food Bowl
1 Keurig Coffee Cup holder (I had 2 – now I have zero)
1 Hole Punch
1 Link Brush
6 Hangers
1 Craftsman tool caddy *
1 Bottle of Japanese soda *
1 Casserole Dish *
For a total of 40 THINGS this week.
* These were items that my kids left at the house after Christmas – they are gone now so they count!!!
I got this website from my buddy who shared with me regarding this site and now
this time I am visiting this web page and reading very informative posts at this place.
I spent part of a day last weekend pulling empty boxes out of our basement and breaking them down for recycling. I’m up to 96 and I haven’t finished yet. EMPTY boxes! And these were just the ones that wouldn’t be useful for moving. I have a long way to go, but it felt great!
On Facebook I have found several pages for Swip Swap in my area. You can buy and sell things to people that live in your own neighborhood and it doesn’t cost anything to join. You can post photos of your items and even leave them on the porch for someone to pick up, and they leave your money under the mat.
I have been utilizing local Facebook Buy & Sell groups to sell some of the goodies that I think someone else would want. So far, I’m up $515 (although not in the big picture because I went and purchased some more crafting supplies and a few clothes). I’ve been amazed at how much stuff I have that I really don’t need – things that I have hung on to for that magical day in the future when I might need it. As for keeping track, I have a couple different note pads that I carry around that I jot things down in and I also have a ‘note’ started on my phone, since between the 3 things, I should have at least one of them handy to jot down the items I’m getting rid of.
Our MOPS group at church hosts an “Everything for Children” consignment sale each April. I have set aside bins and bins of clothing and toys my children have outgrown in order to sell at the sale. In addition, I have used a local facebook group that is an “online garage sale” – no haggling, the seller sets the price and the meet up within our specific geographic boundary for sales. It’s great! Lastly, I have donated a box of items to a friend that is fundraising for a mission trip this summer. She has sold these items via ebay, the online garage sale, and ebay.
Oops – last word should have been “garage sale” instead of ebay.
For those things like clothing & household items that are sellable I have several options of on-line yard sales on Facebook in my area & things seem to sell pretty quickly on there especially if you offer them at good prices.
For all of the books that I have read or know that I will never read I am having a girls brunch at my house where I will let my friends take their picks & then hopefully they will enjoy them & pass them on. I have also resolved fir 2014 to not buy anymore books, & to take advantage of reading those on my kindle! 🙂
The just between friends sale is a huge consignment sale that happens in the spring and fall. I have 3 boys. When they outgrow a toy or clothes I consign it there.I don’t make lots of money, but I get to go to the presale where I buy clothes, toys, etc for my boys. I like that everything that doesn’t get sold is donated to others. I have a box for items for the sale that I clean out at sale time.
Another quick and easy way to keep count is to make a tally mark on the box each time you put something in.
We are having a yard sale.
I also have some nicer items (formal dress, dressy baby clothes in great condition) that I may consign.
Oh, also look for local schools doing yard sales as fundraisers. We plan our yard sale for before theirs, but during the time span they accept donations (the one school accepts donations for weeks beforehand). After we pack up our yard sale, we take the items directly to the drop off or a thrift store. No coming back in the house!
Great job, Kathi!! I’m a part of several Facebook Marketplace groups where I list my things for sale. I donate most of things because it’s not worth making arrangements for people to come pick up when it’s only a couple dollars here and there. But I have had a lot of success with selling things I’m glad I didn’t just give away.
Also, just fyi, I’m counting each email group that I UNSUBSCRIBE to, as getting rid of one item. I think that counts! and means less coming in to my inbox AND less opportunities to buy more things! Have a great day!!
I LOVE the idea of unsubscribing to certain email groups – there is certainly a temptation to “buy” each time I see certain messages in my inbox. Great tip!
If we weren’t planning to have more kids or donating to RealOptions (pregnancy clinics in San Jose & Mountain View), I would sell baby and kids items at consignment events such as the Lollipop Market (Los Gatos, February 28-March 2) or Outrageous Outgrowns (Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in May). I’ve never done it before, but I like them because they done unsold items that sellers don’t want back to charities like RealOptions.
I sell my items at a flea market or a swap market. They are open in the summer and I get rid of a lot of stuff. I have a dresser and lamps that I no longer have use for. The bummer is if it doesn’t sell I need to bring it back.
I generally donate (I want stuff out quickly so I don’t reconsider keeping it!), but if you want a really easy way to make a little money from books, movies, or music, it is fairly easy to sell on Amazon (it takes a lot less time than making an eBay listing).
OR with some items in very good condition Amazon will actually ‘buy’ them back from you and ‘pay’ you with an Amazon credit. They’ll email me a pre-paid shipping label, and after they receive the item from me, I get a credit on my account. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200302910
I was going to mention a local swap for maybe selling things instead of ebay. There is also an online consignment shop I have used called ThredUp. http://www.thredup.com/r/JXADLR They send you a bag and you load it with clothes and return it- postage paid, then you can use your funds there or they will actually send you the money. They only take name brand clothes though, but I have made 40$ on their site towards a fundraiser before and I only shop thrift stores and most of our clothes are hand me downs. I mostly only sell my homeschool books though, the rest I just donate to a thrift store that supports a good cause.
Thanks for tips Kathi! I can use any and all!!
Praying the Lord will help me be more organized this year.
And what do you do when you are the only one interested in getting rid of clutter? Any tips?
I am keeping a journal of the items we get rid of this year. The lady that turned me on to the 2014 Things Challenge also kept a journal so I thought it would be a nice idea to look back at all the items we have donated, thrown out and even sold though out the year. My family of 4 has also been excited to participate!! We keep a brown paper bag by the door and donated items go into the bag and once a week on our way to my daughter’s piano lessons, we drop this bag off at a local Disabled Vets thrift store. To earn money, I have posted items on Craig’s List and Facebook. These items for sale go into a box in my office until they are sold. I have decided that if an item is on CL or FB for longer than 2 weeks, it will be donated. So far this hasn’t been a huge money maker, but I have noticed that this month, the items we are getting rid of are “easy” to part with, so there isn’t a whole lot of “value” associated with them. I can image as the year goes on there will be tough decisions to make about bigger items in our live that either need to find a useful place in our live or they will need to go!! I am also excited that I have inspired several of my friends to take this challenge, one friend said she got rid of nearly 70 items just from under her bathroom sink alone!! Wow, good for you, Lynn!! I hope to continue to inspire my friends and family as they declutter their lives and don’t allow “stuff” to own them!
I have three “donate” bags for our stuff. I’ve recently learned that if i start off having everything foretaste I’m more likely to get rid of it…so one bag is for a girlfriend with a young grandson that can benefit from my sis things as her grows out of them (toys and clothes), another is for our local Womens Resource Center and the third is intended to sell at consignment stores but i usually end up giving it away! If i don’t separate it then it piles up and i get too overwhelmed…i can’t wait to read some other posts and get more ideas though!!
Starting last Friday night, we have cleared 1,066 things from my basement! A lot of craft things that went to a woman at my church with 4 girls, We have a couple of dozen things going to Salvation Army, and the rest has gone out in the trash. Most importantly, we have organized a ton of decorating stuff (Christmas, Easter, patriotic) into bins that will protect them when I’m not using them and make them easy to find when I need them! Also, my daughter has all of her school stuff in boxes. So my crawl space has never looked so good! We have about an eighth of the main room, the small space under the stairs and the laundry room left. What ai thought would take weeks will probably be done by this Sunday!
As far as selling stuff, I don’t have the time to do that, so getting the tax deduction for Salvation Army will have to do.
At our house I have managed to purge over 330 items. Everything from craft stuff to outgrown toys. To make some money I have consigned clothes and movies and sold some stuff on a local mom swap/buy site. We also gave friends four boxes of “garage sale” stuff for a friend to sale at a garage sale raising money for a mission trip.