Comments on: 7 Steps to Get Rid of Stuff!

By: Lynne schlumpf

Lynne schlumpf — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:06:53 +0000

I love reading stuff by Dave of the 100 Things Challenge. Aguynameddave.com and search on Facebook for 100 thing challenge. He really changed my life and continues to write great stuff on this subject. He has a big following now, too.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:16:29 +0000

Just popping back in. Cherie, I’ve revisited this post (and the comments!) as a source of inspiration, for lack of a better word, to attack my own stuff. It really does help you get “unstuck”. Thanks!

I’ve been exploring the idea of livin’ large thru livin’ small for a while. Tough to do when your parents have recently moved to a different city and guilted you into becoming the “curator” of family heirlooms and such. Older generations put a lot of emotional emphasis on leaving a legacy of “stuff”, and that can be difficult to navigate. Digital media, inexpensive picture books made from digital layouts, and the gesture of putting an APB out to family members to claim certain things is a great way to ease the pressure of giving up stuff that has sentimental value but little use. If it has monetary value, well, you don’t have to give new meaning to “Antiques Roadshow”. Find a museum that will allow you to put the items on extended loan, take the advice stated in an earlier comment and “loan” it to a friend or family member, sell it and put the money in a family trust or donate proceeds in family name to a favorite family charity.

Also, if you have your house up for sale, having small cards on certain furniture pieces–a description and a price, or “make an offer”–can help you sell stuff to home previewers or even the potential buyer, especially if the item is a good fit for the architecture (tho you do want to have your home “staged” with minimal stuff).

By: Cherie Ve Ard

Cherie Ve Ard — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:15:17 +0000

Thank you for stopping by, Cathy! If you have any other questions we can help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:26:42 +0000

I found your blog today through Christine. I already have spent hours reading over it! We are getting ready to take our family of 7 on the road indefinitely and have so many questions and concerns. Your blog has helped to answer some of them. Thank you! .-= Cathy´s last blog ..Vegan Fajitas =-.

By: Cherie Ve Ard

Cherie Ve Ard — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:59:42 +0000

Hi Raam.. thank so much for stopping by and commenting!

I love your statement about the abundance mindset, that’s so absolutely true. As with many things in life. When you live from a place of abundance, you just think differently – and realize that when you need something, there will be a way. A scarcity mindset keeps you always hoarding for ‘just in case’.

And when you’re carrying your home with you (whether on your back, or behind your vehicle), ‘stuff’ physically weighs you down too. Everything we bring into our home is carefully considered.

By: Raam Dev

Raam Dev — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:36:54 +0000

I recently (a month ago) moved to India with one 30L backpack. I used to own three houses (investment properties), two cars, and more stuff than I could ever remember long enough to make a list.

Getting rid of all that stuff and simplifying my life has been the best thing I’ve ever done!

Realizing that we need very, very little to actually survive and taking an honest account of the things we actually use on a day-to-day basis, it becomes very apparent that we often own much, much more than we need.

It’s absolutely a mindset, an abundance mindset. If you believe — if you KNOW that you already have everything you need, you won’t feel like you’re missing anything.

I now see “stuff” as things that soak up freedom. The more “stuff” you have, the less freedom you have (be it financial freedom, travel freedom, or mental freedom).

I arrived here through your recent comment on Sid Savara’s blog about Organizing your Life and Getting Rid of Clutter. This isn’t my first time here, but my first time commenting (I think).
.-= Raam Dev´s last blog ..My First $100 in India and a Message of Thanks =-.

By: Chris Dunphy

Chris Dunphy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:17:54 +0000

Absolutely! I did exactly that when I purged a lot of my old touristy knick-knacks, and even some of my favorite old tech gear.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:36:35 +0000

Here is another idea for things that are too valuable psychologically like an old t-shirt from graduation: Take a picture of it and throw it away. This way you can still look at it and get your memories back. And it only weighs some kBytes on your backuped hard drive.

By: Joerg Baach

Joerg Baach — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:51:01 +0000

When I was about to set off to my travels I went through the following procedure:

- consider everything not being owned any more
- for each item consider how much I would pay to now have it
- set a threshold (5 EUR worked for me at the time)

Cheers,

Joerg

By: Chris Dunphy

Chris Dunphy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:39:55 +0000

Jennifer — Another option is to give some of your stuff to various friends on “indefinite loan”.

I did this with some furniture, and particularly with some of my favorite art objects.

It feels great knowing that some of my favorite items are being used, viewed, loved, and appreciated rather than sitting gathering dust in an expensive storage unit.

By: Cherie Ve Ard

Cherie Ve Ard — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:01:30 +0000

Totally understand that concern. My first year on the road with Chris, I considered it a trial phase. While I purged a lot of stuff (clothes, books, knick-knacks, old files, etc) – I didn’t actually sell my house and furniture until I knew that going on the road was going to be a long term thing – and that if I ever did settle down somewhere, I’d be a much different person who would have a different style anyway.

By: Jennifer @ Living in My Car

Jennifer @ Living in My Car — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:10:16 +0000

I am in this process as I plan to hit the road. I struggle most with larger (expensive-ish) furniture items that would have to be immediately replaced (and hard for me to afford) if I went back to sticks and bricks. (Queen mattreses, sofa, dining table, etc.)

I guess I just need to do the math on the storage fees to see if it is worth paying to store or if I make up the difference…

Great post!

Take care,

Jennifer

By: Nomadic Narrative

Nomadic Narrative — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:51:28 +0000

I went through this two years ago and I have found that I not only feel “freer” but that I also consume much less now. This gives me more money to spend on experiences, i.e. travel!

By: Carmen

Carmen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:24:01 +0000

Great post! I love purging my stuff on a regular basis. We did a big purge before we got on the road. Since we were renting part of our house out while we are gone we had to get rid of a lot of stuff. Now we’ve been each living from one suitcase for 6 months and believe it or not, I’m going to purge from that stuff before our return! Need to make room for bringing home some gifts to friends and family and I don’t want to pay extra luggage fees. One rule of thumb I learned way back was the “5 second rule”. When going through stuff I give myself 5 seconds to decide if I’m keeping or purging each item. It helps me not get lost in that whole mental, “what if I need it….” cycle.
.-= Carmen´s last blog ..Be a SMART ASS and Design Your Best Life! =-.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:00:50 +0000

Oh heck yeah, people will pay for it. I’D pay for it, and I’m not exactly rolling in dough, being about to start my own consulting biz…in preparation for a more mobile lifestyle!

There are software programs (http://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/itsdeductible/index.jsp) used by professional organizers who will take a percentage of the deduction, as well as an hourly fee–or a combination of both weighted according to the project.

Many people are downsizing their lives, in many ways, due to the economy’s impact on our culture. Also, think of all the Boomers who are retiring and moving into smaller homes (or hitting the road in RVs!)

Give it a shot. You can promote yourself on places like Craigslist when you plan to hit a city, perhaps?

By: Cherie Ve Ard

Cherie Ve Ard — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:21:42 +0000

That’s awesome.. and part of my intention behind setting up Purge Genie. Never could find a way to make it worth the while financially tho, as I was trying to fund it by taking a cut of selling the discarded items. Turned out to be a lot of linger working and in the end, not worth it. I hadn’t thought of just charging an hourly fee for it, as I didn’t think anyone would actually pay for that.

By: Barb

Barb — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:03:13 +0000

I have a friend who hired a "professional organizer" to come into their home and go through their stuff, room by room. She charged them by the hour, brought storage containers and did pretty much the same process you described. She even brought special hangers for the clothes in their closets! She made them put things in three categories: a. use or wear frequently and therefore keep; b. recycle; c. garbage. She then packed up the recycling stuff and the throw away stuff and removed it from their premises immediately. She had places (charities, etc.) lined up to use the cast off items. She charged a considerable fee, but they really felt great when the process was completed. Perhaps you could arrange your travels to go and help people with the purging process and make some good money!!! .-= Barb´s last blog ..New Dutch Oven =-.