Strategies for Getting Rid of Stuff: Declutter your House

I have a confession. I am a certifiable organized pack rat. My house isn’t quite hoarders level or anything, but we definitely have a lot of stuff. Over the years we have been given things, purchased things on our own, and have even won a few things. We also seem to be professional hobbyists (as in, we are constantly trying new things). That coupled with our, “but we might need it later” mentality has led to a house that is overly full of stuff. Because of this, I have a few strategies for getting rid of stuff.

Recently my husband had some unexpected time off and we were motivated to tackle the rooms we had been neglecting since we moved into our house almost four years ago. You all know the ones I’m talking about. The catch-all rooms. The ones where things are just thrown in because they have no home and you dig them out once in a blue moon when you need them. (If you don’t have a space like this, go you!!)

Anyway, the massive exodus of stuff all started in a large closet that sits on the addition to our house. Eventually that spilled into the playroom, which then led to the garage and from there into other areas of the house. Can I just say, it’s been AMAZING. Like, completely and totally awesome getting rid of stuff. This baggage that we have been carrying with us for years.

After making multiple trash runs and between 4-5 Goodwill runs, I have come up with a few strategies for those of you who might be wanting to get rid of stuff too.

1. Depending on your need/want for money, Craigslist is a great way to get rid of stuff. Sometimes it takes a little longer to sell, but if you price things fairly (or are willing to negotiate), you can recoup some of the cost of the original item.

   • Do a search of the same/similar item and price just below or in the middle of the price ranges listed. (Depending on how quickly you want to get rid of things.)

   • A good rule of thumb, (if it’s not an antique/hard to find/expensive name brand) is a 1/4 to 1/3 of the original cost of the item.

2. eBay is another good way to sell things, but there are more steps because you typically have to ship things, and that takes longer.
3. If Craigslist or online sales groups (there are a ton on Facebook) aren’t your thing, you can always offer a sale on your items on Facebook or just give them away. I posted some furniture that had been given to me for free to friends on Facebook. The items were gone later that day. It was great getting things out of the way and even better because I knew they were going to someone who needed them.
4. Goodwill/Savers/Thrift stores that accept donations are another great way to get rid of stuff. We load everything into the back of our vehicle and then take a photo when we drop it off for donations. And we get the receipt so when it’s time to file taxes we have visual proof of what we donated.
5. Trash it. Some things are not meant to be kept, sold or donated. It’s okay to throw things away. I promise, it will be okay.
6. If you are a sentimental person, who likes to keep every craft your child ever made, try taking a photo of them and then throwing it away. You can keep it in a digital form without excess clutter. (There is also a great app called “Artkive” that allows you to keep all of your kids art in one app and print photo books with them in it. Definitely worth checking out.)