Just destashed so much "STUFF"

[elcodfish]

I got a postcard from the Vietnam Veterans asking for donations so my husband and I tackled the boxes in the basement. This morning they are picking up 4 boxes and 12 bags of clothes and household goods! There were also at least 6 bags of garbage! It feels awesome to get rid of stuff that is just taking up space! I found some serving pieces I can use for Thanksgiving as well and a set of dishes I can give to MIL since she asked for some!

 

[ksloane]

I love that feeling. That's what I've done this week as well. I was paying $50 a month for storage. We emptied storage on Sunday and brought it all home. I've gone through every box, and I now have about 9 empty plastic boxes and burnt many cardboard boxes and old papers. Planning to go through some more before the week is over.

 

[Zhoen]

Hooray for you both!

Isn't that a great feeling!?! Enjoy the freedom of all that extra space, and not spending the $50/mo for storing stuff you never look at! Bonus points for sorting it out and recycling some of it to charity instead of just dumping it, too!

 

[secretpantssam]

yay!!

we just did that too...it's great! We had almost 2 car loads of stuff to drop off at thrift stores. I don't even know why I was holding on to so much for so long!

 

[pigget74]

Headed to our church thrift store with the SUV loaded. Wish I would have done this a long time ago!

 

[elcodfish]

A lot of it was stuff my family and friends gave us when we moved in like 7 years ago. Just bins and bins of Tupperware and serving plates and stuffed animals and just stuff! The sad thing is there is still a ton to go through. After Thanksgiving I am going to try to pare down on the Christmas stuff as well, I have at least 15 bins of decorations.

 

[crjack]

I got a postcard from the Vietnam Veterans asking for donations so my husband and I tackled the boxes in the basement. This morning they are picking up 4 boxes and 12 bags of clothes and household goods! There were also at least 6 bags of garbage! It feels awesome to get rid of stuff that is just taking up space! I found some serving pieces I can use for Thanksgiving as well and a set of dishes I can give to MIL since she asked for some!

I love the VVA! They make donating so easy with their postcards and pick up. I usually have a running "donation" pile in my closet of various items and when it gets big enough I schedule a pick up.

 

[Diegosmom]

I love the VVA! They make donating so easy with their postcards and pick up. I usually have a running "donation" pile in my closet of various items and when it gets big enough I schedule a pick up.

I get there cards too and have donated and was thinking about making a big donation...but I wanted to do a little research first to make sure all the money was going to a proper place and the heads weren't taken a huge salary (like angle food).

 

[Jill in Chicago]

This won't help with what you still have to go through, but a good tip for from here forward is a constant "to donate" box. The box needs to be easy to get to. This is key, or you won't put the stuff in the box. LOL! Garage if you have space. Right around the corner in the basement storage.... Even under a bed.

Every time you open a cabinet, drawer, closet.....and you see something you know you do not use IN the box it goes. It is so much easier to keep up with the stuff this way. This is especially great for clothes. You look at something or try something on and you know you will never wear that item again. IN the box it goes. No "wait until I have time to do the whole closet." Just do it.

I know you hear this tip all the time, but do a little bit each weekend. It is so much easier to tackle one box at a time.

I am so impressed that you went through all that stuff!!!!

 

[friend2Figment]

I just started my donate piles. So far brought 2 bags of clothes up to the school, a garbage bag to the nurse and one to the K5 classrooms. They were so excited since it is the time of year they can always use extra dry clothes.
Hopefully the boot, snowpants and coats will be next week.

 

[SandrA9810]

I find the hardest thing of getting rid of stuff, is the little things. The amount of little things that maybe cost a dollar or two at the store new. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's not the kind of thing people would buy used. Like my aunt had a bunch of plastic serving utensils, seemed wasteful to throw it away, but not worthwhile to donate either.

 

[C*Beans]

I have been going through our whole house and it feels GREAT to be rid of all the stuff that has been cluttering it up. I know that it will be so much easier to keep the house up with less stuff. :

And the suggestion of keeping a donation box ready is one that I am going to implement. Excellent idea!

 

[princesspwrhr]

Like my aunt had a bunch of plastic serving utensils, seemed wasteful to throw it away, but not worthwhile to donate either.

Take an extra minute to stuff a bunch of the serving utensils into a gallon size ziploc before you put it in the donation box. You're right - people probably won't buy one or two plastic serving utensils separately, but they'll probably buy a bag of them.

 

[Kitzka]

This is great! Ww usually do a purge right before Christmas and often right after. We tend to donate to the vets or lupus foundation.

The good going with the clothes is that I have a cousin about 3 years younger than my DD and she loves and appreciates everything.

Lara