Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

De-Cluttering: The Peace (and the Goldmine!) that Awaits You!

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Friends, I can think of 1 and only 1 item that I have ever gotten rid of only to regret it later: a funnel. Yes, I donated a kitchen funnel because I never used it, and then started to find myself in need of one again and again. So I had to go buy another one, which cost me all of $2.

Everything else I have let go over the last 13 years of marriage, and it’s been THOUSANDS of items, has not been missed. You see, one of the important lessons I have learned since starting Stuff Parents Need is that you don’t need as much stuff as you might think. I’ve also learned that you will be much happier when everything in your home has a place to live, and when you understand that not everything you own needs for its place to live to continue to be in your home.

Little by little, this year I have been doing some intense de-cluttering in our home. I read the bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo, and while not everything in the book spoke to me, I did pick up on some key points, especially her point that if an item doesn’t bring you joy, it doesn’t need to keep living with you. By keeping that point in mind, I have had a much easier time letting go of things that I had previously rationalized keeping because they were “ok enough” or because I “might possibly one day maybe” need them.

For additional ideas to help all of us de-clutter this fall, eBay has partnered with Marie Kondo to develop 15 brand new tidying tips created exclusively for eBay users. You can find them here.

There are plenty of reasons to check out the tips and start your own de-cluttering process! In addition to helping your house feel more comfortable and even more inviting to guests, which is especially important during the holiday season, de-cluttering your home of objects gently used, new or like-new objects that you don’t love could have another great benefit: it can bring in some extra cash! Have you ever tried selling on eBay? In the past I have strictly been a shopper on eBay, but as I have been clearing away the excess and the unloved in my home, I’ve realized that these items might be just the thing someone else is seeking!

DiscardThenOrganize

Image credit: Jackie M. Graham for eBay

And if you don’t have time during this busy season to list items for sale on eBay yourself, try using eBay Valet, a professional selling service that makes it SO easy to sell your items. You simply visit eBay.com/valet, request and print a free postage paid shipping label, and ship your items in any box. eBay Valet also offers access to experts who will showcase items in the best light, in front of the largest online shopping audience. You can even use eBay Valet to handle estimating prices of your products to handling the shipping process to your auction winners.

I had some great finds going through my girls’ rooms, and in fact, the average household has around 52 extra or unused items worth over $4,000 just sitting in their homes taking up space.  Wouldn’t you like to turn all that unwanted stuff into something you definitely want ($$$)? Selling on eBay has never been easier, and with 157 MILLION active users, the odds are quite good that the items you no longer want are very much wanted by someone (or maybe SEVERAL someones) out there on eBay. From clothing, electronics to popular household items, you can find it (and sell it!) on eBay.

ebay_valet_sellitnow

So what’s the best way to get started? Well, step one is to de-clutter your home so that you can discover some of those great finds that might do well for you on eBay.  As I mentioned, Marie Kondo has partnered with eBay to offer 15 tidying tips that are perfect for eBay users – you can download these great tips here and make your de-cluttering mission a family affair. Your home will feel more peaceful and happy, and you’ll get to have a lot of fun by turning your clutter into cash thanks to the beauty of the global market on eBay.

 

Moving Past, “I Might Sell That One Day” and Finally Decluttering!

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The Pile

pile of stuff to sell I have a “pile” in my house. Well, ok, I have a lot of piles in my house. But today I’m highlighting one pile in particular. It is a LARGE mass of stuff that my family no longer wants or needs, and that I have been completely unwilling to donate to my local thrift store. And I donate stuff all the time (at least once a month!). So why the reluctance? I’ll tell you why.

The Possibility

Because this stuff MIGHT be worth some money to someone. Maybe. When you are only a (mostly) one income family, tax deductions don’t really help out much. Last year we had over $2,000 worth of donation receipts but still ended up taking the standard deduction over itemizing because it worked out better for us. So unless we’re donating something worth several thousand dollars, we don’t benefit financially from our donations. That doesn’t stop me from taking stuff in regularly, though. But if I believe that an item has value such that the thrift store would ask for $10 or more for it, I’m REALLY reluctant to part ways. I feel like I should find a way to sell the item and get that little bit of money back into the hands of our household.

So I tell myself, “I will sell this on Craigslist or Ebay!”

The Reality

Here’s the reality, though. In Chattanooga, the Craigslist community is NOT vibrant. There just isn’t a lot of action going on, and I’m finding that people often want to pay garage sale prices rather than Craigslist prices. I have been offered $10 for a table that I listed at $50, for example. People also want curbside service even when you state that the buyer is responsible for picking up the item. I’ve been asked to drive 30 miles from my home to drop off a $10 pillow. Which of course, makes absolutely no sense.

As for Ebay, here’s the deal: I’ve purchased quite a few things from Ebay over the years but I have NEVER sold anything. I know that to be successful with your listing you need to have quite a bit of savvy so that you don’t end up paying someone to take your stuff (people sometimes don’t factor in the true weight of what they will be shipping, including the packaging itself, or the fees that go to Ebay AND to Paypal). Basically, I know enough about Ebay to know that it would be a mistake to just snap a picture of my stuff and list it for 99 cents with free shipping.

So “learn how to sell things on Ebay” has been on my to do list for about 3 years. Seriously. And I haven’t gotten around to it, yet. Meanwhile, my “pile” continues to grow, taking up very valuable space in my small home and making me feel guilty and anxious every time I look at it. I just don’t have the time, and honestly, lack the interest to learn all about how to sell stuff on Ebay. Craigslist is also a big time suck. I’ve sold a few things there, but for the most part, my stuff has languished, with no buyers in sight.

The Alternative

Then I learned about a site called Listia. At first I thought it was just like Ebay and I wasn’t interested at all. But then I researched it a bit further and I realized that it is a way to get rid of your stuff without exchanging money. Through Listia, people accrue points on the site by offering up items to the highest point bidder. You don’t have to offer free shipping for your items, but I’ve noticed that the auctions with free shipping tend to do much better. Then you can use the points you have accrued to bid on other items. Obviously, the goal here shouldn’t be to trade your junk for other junk. But it is a way to find new homes for the things you know will be valued and appreciated by someone, and you get to find your own treasures in the process.  Here’s a video that breaks it down for you if you still aren’t clear on how it works:

Why Listia Makes Sense

I finally had a “come to Jesus” meeting with my pile of stuff, and I added up what I thought I could realistically sell everything for on Ebay, Craigslist or a consignment sale. The total was around $250. Now that’s not chump change in my world, but it was really eye-opening to realize how much time and mental energy I have put into trying to sell this stuff and then feeling bad about NOT selling this stuff. It is TOTALLY not worth the $250 I could theoretically earn. Because it will take HOURS AND HOURS and lots of research to be able to successfully sell it all. I’d much rather be doing a million other things with my time AND I’d much rather have the space this pile takes up reclaimed in my house.

With Listia, I can “sell” the items in about 10 days. Boom. Done. Over. And then I can treat myself to something fun with the points! Forget about the money, because the pursuit of money for these items is not working out so well for me. Time to let it go!

Your Pile

Do you have a pile like mine? I want to encourage you to go through it and be very realistic about how much you could actually get for the items. Also think about how much time it is going to take you to be able to sell them. Then ask yourself if it is really worth hanging onto all of this stuff and letting it clutter your home while you try to sell it? If so, more power to you. Maybe you can teach me a few things about how to be a power seller in a city without power buyers! But if you reach the same conclusion that I did, maybe you should give Listia a try. All you have to lose is stuff you don’t want anymore. Listia even starts you out with 500 credits so that you can do a little shopping! And if you sign up using the link above, Listia will give you 100 bonus credits in addition to the 500 everyone is offered. Woo hoo!

This post is brought to you buy the wonderful folks at Listia. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Decluttering Your Home Challenge: Tackle Your Keys!

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You may remember that I wrote a post last week about my “decluttering your home” mission. Specifically, we are going to get rid of 730 items in our home by the end of the year. Oh yes we are!

Would you believe me if I told you that we’ve already gotten rid of 100 things? It’s true!

Even if you aren’t interested in getting rid of this much stuff in your own home, I hope to be able to give you some very doable challenges over the coming months that can help you eliminate some junk without taking up too much of your time.

when decluttering your home, start with your keys! This week, I want to encourage you to take a good, hard look at your set of keys. You know, the super heavy thing that you carry around with you every single day! I bet for 90% of you, there is at least 1 key on your keyring that opens who knows what…you certainly don’t! When I looked at my keys, I found 4 keys with no purpose that I could recall. They are gone now, and that makes my keyring look less cluttered. And now I’m not carrying around that little bit of extra weight every day. Hooray! You may also have 3 or 4 key chains, and I’d encourage you to consider getting rid of all but 1 of them, just to simplify your life a little bit.

If you participate in this challenge, let me know how many keys or extra key chains you get rid of!

 

A Great Way to Lose Some Weight This Year

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Did I get your attention? I’m joining in on a weight loss revolution. But it might not be the kind you are thinking about! I’m talking about getting rid of some serious STUFF! Amy at The Finer Things in Life recently announced that she planned to get rid of 730 items in her house over the next 365 days. That averages out to 2 items per day. Some days she may get rid of nothing, while other days she may get rid of 20+ items. But at the end of the year, the total will be at least 730 things that she will be donating, selling, passing along to a friend, or when necessary, throwing away.

I am SO joining her on this mission! We have so much more in our home than we reasonably need. And have you ever noticed that when it comes to stuff, you experience what economists call “diminishing marginal utility?” That basically means that the more you have, the less joy you get from each object (sorry if that is a rough explanation, I took econ 10 years ago). I frequently feel frustrated, zapped of energy and totally overwhelmed in my home because it gets so messy so quickly. This happens because we have so much stuff! So all of these great things that I have are more of a source of sadness than joy. That means that they need to go!

If you’d like to join in, let me know in the comments. I will try to update you a few times a month on our progress.