Stuff

Can I be honest for a minute? The day after Christmas I nearly had an anxiety attack from all the stuff that found its way into our house over the two previous days. Though I am not a minimalist, I don't like clutter. And though I am not an amazing organizer, I like things to have a "home" within my home. Instead, I was met with great piles of things that needed to work their way somewhere into our home.

For Christmas my kids got an unrealistic amount of stuff. It blew my mind. It also obviously blew theirs. Not only did they never ask to watch tv on Christmas, but also in the days that followed, they asked every single person we saw if they got them a present. So. Incredibly. Embarassing. And if someone did happen to get them A present, they responded with "Only one?"

Here I spend so much time and energy trying to keep our home peaceful. And I also tried so hard to keep Christmas as least materialistic as possible (each kid gets three gifts from us - wear, play, read) yet that's exactly where it went. And there I was, on December 26th, feeling so incredibly overwhelmed with all the stuff we had gotten and trying to find homes for it all.

I took the kids to the playroom and had each kid pick five toys to get rid of. It literally didn't even make a dent. That's embarrassing to me. Especially embarrassing because I don't want to be that person, that family, that places an extreme value on things, stuff. And I almost feel like it's being forced on me. As if I say not, I'm the bad mom or the mean person not allowing people to "bless" my children.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I really don't. But when stuff becomes overwhelming, when it becomes anxiety inducing, what is one to do? I really don't have an answer. Obviously a more thorough purge in sin order. But what's hard is figuring out what toys are most logical to get rid of. Is it the ones that take up the most room? The ones that are the least sentimental? Or maybe the ones that are the most annoying?! Because, in the interest of honesty, my children claim all their toys to be their favorite and too special to part with. But now that we are in January, and the kids are headed back to school, I am sensing a major purge and reorganization of the kids stuff coming my way...which, incidentally, I swear the kids have so much more stuff than Ian and I.

How do you part with kids clutter/cherished items in your home? Do you involve them in the process?

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How {and where} to sell your stuff

I have always enjoyed selling my unwanted items. It really started after Ian and I got married and I sold some unwanted wedding gifts on ebay...expensive things that I couldn't figure out where to return. Then, I branched out and sold stuff laying around our house and even our old clothes. Over the years, my love of selling (and buying) no longer needed items has grown and I have figured out the best ways to get top dollar for my things. 

Ebay - In my opinion, ebay isn't what it used to be, but it still is useful. The thing is, you have to know you have an item that is desired or you are just wasting your time and money. Often times, ebay does promotions where you can list for free, saving you money. But, there is no way around paying a percentage of the sale price. And the big thing with ebay is making sure you know how much shipping costs. Because if you estimate wrong, you can loose a lot of money. When selling anything online, it is always important to take good pictures of your items and write accurate and detailed descriptions.  

Etsy - I got into etsy to sell old baby clothes of mine and my brothers. Vintage items are all the rage right now and etsy is a great way to sell that stuff. They charge a flat fee to list and then take a percentage of your sale price. You name the price. To get an idea of pricing, I always look up other similar items and usually go on the low end so my items will sell. Good pictures are key. Just like ebay, you need to make sure you get the shipping costs right. 

Craigslist - Craigslist is free so all you are loosing if your items don't sell is your time. I tend to use craigslist for larger items and/or name brand items. If you aren't familiar with craigslist, it is the online version of classifieds. I have sold everything from a car, to clothes and furniture on there. The big downside to craigslist is there are a lot of scams, so you need to be aware. Never respond to anyone talking money transfers. And unless it is a really large piece of furniture, I always meet people during the day at a public place. I prefer Starbucks or Target parking lots. Also, you tend to run into flakes from time to time. But, in general, I have had good experiences. 

Facebook buy/sell pages - These have just taken off. You have to find one in your area. Basically you post a picture of what you are selling, a description and a price and people comment with questions and if they want to purchase it. I find I have the best luck with little things on these and also the best luck selling things in season (that means Christmas decorations before Christmas and clothing in season). The sky is the limit on what you can sell on these. The nice thing about these pages is you can see if you have common friends with the person purchasing, so you can feel better/safer about meeting them. I also find I get more money for smaller items than I would selling them at a garage sale.  

Sell to a secondhand store - Besides consignment stores, there are both secondhand baby and adult clothing stores in my area who will buy items either in cash or in store credit. If you take store credit, they will give you more. Selling in season clothing items is key. And look over the items to make sure they don't have stains or anything. Don't expect to get much, but at least it is something. 

Garage sale - When I find myself getting a lot of random items I want to sell, I do a garage sale. I actually have a garage sale box and when I come across something I no longer want, I toss it into it. I feel like the bigger the garage sale, the more people come. If I don't have too many things, I happily invite friends or invite myself to a friend's garage sale. I find advertising on craigslist is key, as are good signs from a main road. 

After going off on how to get top dollar for your stuff, I would also like to talk about donating things. One of the ways I am trying to be more generous is passing on good items to others that need them for free...because really do I need to make a buck or two on every single thing I own?! This could look like me giving hand me downs to a friend or cold weather clothes to a homeless ministry. The key for me is making sure these items go to people/places that will actually use them. 

So, tell me, what do you do with your old stuff?

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