As I have mentioned, I’ve been doing the Konmari method of decluttering my home. I made it through my clothes and accessories, and am working through books and paper right now. It’s overwhelming how much stuff I’ve been able to get rid of. I took 9 bags of clothes to Goodwill and have a huge box of books for our library donation. And the shredding, oh, the shredding.
I’ve come across a few things that I wasn’t so sure about donating, clothing items that were new or expensive. So I did some research to see if there was a better way to get rid of these items.
One key to note is my theory on reselling items: If I’m not using it, it is worth zero dollars. If it has no value to me, it has no value. So if I can get even a small amount of money for it, it’s worth it.
I had a nice triathlon kit that I never wore because I didn’t like the fit. It wasn’t returnable, so it just sat in my drawer. I listed it for sale in a Facebook group for less than half of what I paid for it. It was snatched up immediately. Free money!
I also decided to try sending a few items to Thred Up, an online consignment store. I’m still waiting to see what they will give me for my items. I’m not expecting much, but again, if I’m not using it, it has no value, so more free money!
I don’t want to become the person who lists everything online for sale because I don’t want to deal with selling and shipping. I’ve done the online book sales thing back when I was a student and selling my textbooks. It got annoying because I had to sit and wait for items to sell. Not worth my time. I want these items out of my house quickly.
I can’t wait to see what else I discover in my house. I just finished shredding bank records from all the way back in 2001. Clearly these are not things I need to keep. I am keeping copies of my tax records from back then, even though experts say I don’t need any more than 3 years worth in my files. All those years of meticulous personal finance record keeping just make me extra cautious. Maybe the next time I Konmari, I will get rid of them.
So far, so good. It’s refreshing to get rid of so much stuff. I’m excited to finally get my office cleaned out and not just have a room filled with junk.
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