Who is destashing in 2010?

[disneyofcourse]

We just went and donated 8 backpacks from our high school / college years and ...drum roll...... 86 shirts, 34 shorts, 12 jeans, 18 hoodies about a dozen PJ's and 6 pairs of good shoes, two pairs of almost new spikes (track shoes) two twin sheet sets that got used once! The closet looks good now! Plus we took anything ripped and made them into one time rags.


Does anyone know if I can donate pillows? I have a bunch I bought and didn't like just sitting in a closet. Also I have 5 nice storage boxes with wheels that are sitting empty too.

 

[bettyann29]

I've started my process of destashing.. Im planning a garage sale here at my house in 3 weeks and then the following weekend will be doing another garage sale at my sisters to try and get rid of whats left plus anything I found inbetween to get rid of..

Im soooo tired of all this crap around here.. its sad to think about how much money has been wasted on things that I just had to have at the time and then use a few times and then dont feel the need for it anymore.. sadly enough sometimes it never gets used and still has the tag on it.. It makes me sick to think about how much Ive spent on things and then selling them for pennies on the dollar at a garage sale or donating them.. which makes me feel good to donate, but sick to waste that money..

Im planning on the garage sale to make a little extra money for our upcoming trip and anything left over will be donated.. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.. Good luck to everyone else!

 

[mackeysmom]

The recent post on "minimum wardrobe for women" had me thinking - I have waaaaay too many clothes and don't know what to de-stash and what to keep.

Basically I have two separate issues ...

#1: I have a ton of clothes that don't fit. My problem is that I am between two different sizes. When I go shopping, one size is usually a too big and the other is too tight. I always play the "I can lose 20 pounds, I've done it before, I can do it again" card and buy the smaller size.

Needless to say, I have not lost the 20 pounds and have an entire (no lie, at least 100 pieces) wardrobe of clothes that don't fit.

What do I do? The problem is that I do have room for them - so they are not encroaching on my living space. I have a huge closet in my basement's utility room. I keep all of the clothes back there.

I plan on moving within a year or so - do I just keep them and say "whatever fits when I moves comes with me and the rest gets sold/donated"? Or do I just bite the bullet and get rid of them now?

#2: When I do find things that I like (and fit), I tend to buy one in each color. For example, Target had these cute one-pocket t-shirts last year. I bought one in black, gray, white, brown, and navy. I did wear them - that's not the issue. This year, Target had them again. I bought SIX more - in different colors.

I must have 50 solid-color t-shirts (Not to mention the 15 floral patterned t-shirts from last year, or the dozen v-necks from another shopping trip).

Where do I start - in terms of paring down?

I'm currently out of work - so this would be the perfect time to tackle this project - but I don't know where to begin

-- Laura

 

[enchantingodin]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[enchantingodin]

The recent post on "minimum wardrobe for women" had me thinking - I have waaaaay too many clothes and don't know what to de-stash and what to keep.

Basically I have two separate issues ...

#1: I have a ton of clothes that don't fit. My problem is that I am between two different sizes. When I go shopping, one size is usually a too big and the other is too tight. I always play the "I can lose 20 pounds, I've done it before, I can do it again" card and buy the smaller size.

Needless to say, I have not lost the 20 pounds and have an entire (no lie, at least 100 pieces) wardrobe of clothes that don't fit.

What do I do? The problem is that I do have room for them - so they are not encroaching on my living space. I have a huge closet in my basement's utility room. I keep all of the clothes back there.

I plan on moving within a year or so - do I just keep them and say "whatever fits when I moves comes with me and the rest gets sold/donated"? Or do I just bite the bullet and get rid of them now?

#2: When I do find things that I like (and fit), I tend to buy one in each color. For example, Target had these cute one-pocket t-shirts last year. I bought one in black, gray, white, brown, and navy. I did wear them - that's not the issue. This year, Target had them again. I bought SIX more - in different colors.

I must have 50 solid-color t-shirts (Not to mention the 15 floral patterned t-shirts from last year, or the dozen v-necks from another shopping trip).

Where do I start - in terms of paring down?

I'm currently out of work - so this would be the perfect time to tackle this project - but I don't know where to begin

-- Laura

Tip for paring down cloths.

There used to be a TLC show called Clean Sweep. One of the organizers was Peter Walsh (I think that was his name.) One of his tag lines was "Most people wear 20% of their cloths 80% of the time."

His advice was always; If it doesn't fit, you haven't worn it in 6 months or it doesn't make you look good - get rid of it.

Now that may be a lot to handle or part with at first. So another trick he used was hang up everything in your closet backwards. Meaning the hanger. If you wear the item hang it back up the right way. In 3 months everything you haven't worn, as in, still has a backwards hanger - can be let go. Because you didn't really use it to begin with.

 

[Juliegirl1]

I watched Hoarders all weekend - then got off my butt and took TWO carloads of goodies to Goodwill. I decided that all of the stuff that I was saving for the garage sale which will probably never happen needed to go. I feel sooo much better now. I'll just deduct the donation from my taxes and will probably get more value in the long run that way.

I also decided that all of the really cheesy holiday decorations are going out as well. I'm just keeping the really nice ones. NO MORE CRAP!

 

[mrsklamc]

#1: I have a ton of clothes that don't fit. My problem is that I am between two different sizes. When I go shopping, one size is usually a too big and the other is too tight. I always play the "I can lose 20 pounds, I've done it before, I can do it again" card and buy the smaller size.

Needless to say, I have not lost the 20 pounds and have an entire (no lie, at least 100 pieces) wardrobe of clothes that don't fit.


Where do I start - in terms of paring down?

Been there. Now, Peter Walsh says 'Wish clothes exist for one reason- to mock you.' He says get rid of everything that doesn't fit, unless you are actively dieting and exercising, then you can keep one fabulous piece for motivation. When you lose the weight, you can buy a new wardrobe to reward yourself.

But for me that reality was very difficult at first, because there were one of a kind pieces that I knew I wanted to wear again and I knew I wouldn't be able to replace.

My suggestion? Just dig in. Start working through your collection and deciding what you CAN bear to part with. I found that things I had saved, just knowing I would love them, were no longer my style. Also, put like items together...then you can ask yourself if you really need 15 perfect black t shirts.

I still have a few unique pieces that are 'wish' items, but I mostly found that the more I got rid of, the less I wanted to hold onto.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I watched Hoarders all weekend - then got off my butt and took TWO carloads of goodies to Goodwill. I decided that all of the stuff that I was saving for the garage sale which will probably never happen needed to go. I feel sooo much better now. I'll just deduct the donation from my taxes and will probably get more value in the long run that way.

I also decided that all of the really cheesy holiday decorations are going out as well. I'm just keeping the really nice ones. NO MORE CRAP!

I donated the cheesy holiday decorations out of my garage, too! I put them in a Boy Scout fundraiser yard sale and they were our first sale, good riddance!! My garage looks so much neater now!

 

[mackeysmom]

So another trick he used was hang up everything in your closet backwards. Meaning the hanger. If you wear the item hang it back up the right way. In 3 months everything you haven't worn, as in, still has a backwards hanger - can be let go. Because you didn't really use it to begin with.

That seems completely do-able, I think. I guess the timing is perfect since we are going into the change of the seasons.

Thanks for the great suggestions

 

[mackeysmom]

My suggestion? Just dig in. Start working through your collection and deciding what you CAN bear to part with. I found that things I had saved, just knowing I would love them, were no longer my style. Also, put like items together...then you can ask yourself if you really need 15 perfect black t shirts.

You hit the nail on the head with that one - I was looking at the "too small" stuff last night and there are so many similarities between the clothes (be it colors, style, etc.)

I think I'll break them out by season. Maybe I'll pick out a dozen of my favorite winter items and put them in a bin with a note saying: "Donate if it doesn't fit by Dec. 1st". And then do the same with the other seasons.

 

[weluvdizne]

We are having our city wide garage sale this Friday. I am so excited. I have so much to sell. I went through the master bath linen closet last night, and just could not believe all the junk I had in there to get rid of.
We had our first ever garage sale in June, and I only made $63. I learned so much from that sale. #1. Price it to sell it, or you'll just take it back in the house, or to Goodwill. So, I'll be adjusting my pricing strategy this time. I also learned that there is so much sitting around this house for no good reason. Sell it, get rid of it, and put the money, however much it is, toward our next trip. We're going for 14 nights, so we'll need the money for the trip, more than we need the junk sitting around cluttering up our space in our house.
Last sale, it rained all day, so that was part of my problem with low sales, and the weather for Friday is sunny and 74 degrees. Perfect!!! DH is off all day, so I'm glad he'll be around to help this time, too!!!
I'll be sure to report back to let you know how it goes. Wish me lots of luck!

 

[weluvdizne]

Well, not exactly as I had planned, but it worked out in the end.

The weather was great for our garage sale today. Sunny and mid 70's. Got everything set up and priced to move. However, not much traffic. We only made $16. Yes, that's right, $16. I was not happy. Most of it came from the kids selling cold pop, bottled water, and bags of chips. At least we sold that. A neighbor a few houses down had a sale today, and she didn't do any better, so I didn't feel too bad.

When packing everything up, I told DH to just put it all in the van and we took it to Goodwill before I had a chance to change my mind. I always read about people doing that, and never thought I could. I want to declutter, but I want to make a buck on it, and would rather sell it than just donate it. However, I think I was bummed enough by the lack of traffic and sales, that I just wanted to get rid of it and not mess with another garage sale. As we left Goodwill, I felt so good about the donation and the fact that the stuff will NOT be coming back into my house!

 

[bigmama67]

Count me in. I just found out the other day that the town is having a garage sale and for $10 we are included on the map, list, and publicity for the sale. It's a week from tomorrow and I am motivated!

 

[mackeysmom]

When packing everything up, I told DH to just put it all in the van and we took it to Goodwill before I had a chance to change my mind. I always read about people doing that, and never thought I could. I want to declutter, but I want to make a buck on it, and would rather sell it than just donate it. However, I think I was bummed enough by the lack of traffic and sales, that I just wanted to get rid of it and not mess with another garage sale. As we left Goodwill, I felt so good about the donation and the fact that the stuff will NOT be coming back into my house!

Good for you

I'm sure it was difficult to avoid the temptation of bringing it all back in the house for a future garage sale.

 

[talulabelle]

Well, my destashing had seriously stalled since we were so busy over the summer. But, I found out that I am expecting baby #5 (SURPRISE!!!). This is giving me all sorts of motivation to destash, especially since I need to clear out the guest room to make a nursery. Problem is, I was just about to destash my basement and get rid of any toys that were too young for my current baby who is now 7. Before I found out I was expecting, it would have been very easy to go down there and pitch, pitch, pitch. Now ,everything I pick up , I think " I better save this for baby" SO this is really a double edged sword for my destashing.

 

[4 Ears]

I was able to destash 2 watches and 2 packages of batteries for them while out with a friend who is going to nursing school and was about to buy a new watch.... Feel great they will be going somewhere they will actually be used!!

 

[hugabearjo]

I am almost done... I have 2 boxes of misc. stuff left and then a few boxes of clothes from my teen boys room that they don't seem to be able to part with.... lol.... I will help them. Literally years of stuff that have junked up my life are going away...... I am way excited... I know that I have touched every item in my house and said, "Do I use this or can I sell it"

I have never cleaned like this.... once I got started I was addicted. It has taken me almost two weeks of non stop work 12 hours a day. ( I can't currently find a job so this is occupying my time and giving me a project)

The extra stuff to sell will hopefully make our medical insurance payment next month...... Destashing is great!!!!

 

[comicguy]

Just sold 6 comic book art pages and 5 comic book TPB's.

I bought the art pages(about 4 years ago) to frame and display in my office but they have sat in a large folder (unframed) simply taking up space. so I decided to get rid of them. Good news is that I sold them for what I paid for them!!!

I am trying to really thin out my comic related books and sold 5 over night!!!

I also boxed up 6 pairs of dress pants from last years school clothes, when I replaced them for this year. Plus a pair of jeans that did not fit right!! Will be dropped off to the church this afternoon!!!

 

[PaulaSue]

‎3 bags to donate, 1 bag to give to a friend and 1 bag to trash. Girls need a little shopping done and then they are all changed over for the season.

 

[starwood]

Garage sale this coming weekend. I went up in the attic Saturday and found clothes I had put up there from when my son was 3-4 (he is now 18). I can't believe how much stuff I found - like an old okidata printer.... and I still have parts of the attic I can't get to.