Need some advice on getting rid of things

[66788]

I am nearing completion on the Dodge High Top build, and looking forward to starting the interior build of the Starship Grumman Olson. I am not having any problems with the builds, but one area that I am failing in is lightening my load of worldly possessions.

I did load up the step van and took one load to the swap meet. After hiring a helper and paying fuel and admission, the take was almost not worth doing. People want everything free or almost free.

I am inclined to give my stuff away to friends just to see it go. The big stuff I can move on Craigslist, but the real issue with me is with my tools. I've collected them since High School and know that I can't take all of them with me. Certain items of kitchen stuff are hard to get rid of too.

By donating the stuff I am getting rid of it in a timely manner and avoiding additional months rent that could accrue while trying to sell it.

I had hoped to be done with the 2 builds by Jan 1, 2015 and hit the RTR as a free man. I may be still tied to this place come the RTR, but hopefully not much more after that.

Any advice is really welcome!

 

[Luisafernandes]

I'm kind of like you. I still have lots of stuff at the house that might be foreclosed any week now. I sold many things but still have lots left, with some additional stuff from my parents home when they moved away and gave to me.
Everything I sold was through CR, but lately nobody's buying anything. What I'm thinking is that before I lose the house and it's too late, I'm just going to donate to Salvation Army and get the write-off come tax time.

 

[Theadyn]

Do you have someone, family or friends, that wouldn't mind holding a box or two for you, a least a little while? Then re-evaluate in a month or two to see what you truly want to keep. If you don't miss them after a while, there's your answer to turn em loose.

 

[concretebox]

I've never tried this, but have you considered selling some stuff at a pawn shop? Or consider the "pawn shop storage" solution (where you pawn it, but make the minimum payments to keep them from selling it)?

When I moved out of my apartment I had one last day where I posted pictures of everything on CL and said come here Saturday morning! No phone calls! No email! You want it, come get it! I sold almost everything, but of course for less than I wanted to, but at that point any cash was better than nothing.

 

[LeeRevell]

Yep, pawnshops are good repositories for tools. You won't get squat for them, but someone else might put them to good use.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I used to watch a show on one of the satellite channels. I don't recall it's name.

Anyway, they would empty a room out down to the bare walls and put it in one big pile on the lawn. The owners would then move everything into one of three piles - the keep pile, the sell pile, and the throw it out pile.

The keep pile would go back in the room, but be professionally organized, new shelves, etc.

They would have a yard sale from the sell pile, and whatever didn't sell would be donated to charity.

So, why not have a yard sale? Invite your friends to come help you run it. Have a bbq, and make it your going away party. At the end of the day, they could have whatever they wanted from whatever didn't sell. And anything none of them wanted, they would help you haul to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

Regards
John

 

[jeanontheroad]

Tools? Have a yard sale. Definitely. Guys will run over median strips and across 4 lanes of traffic if they see tools out.

 

[Stargazer]

Jean is so right! When my Tool Man died, with a garage packed with every tool in the world, we placed a sign at the end of the driveway, "TOOL MAN SALE". Most was gone in a few hours.

And what did not sell (expensive stuff like table saws), I was able to trade for things I needed or wanted done. One man, an electrician, wanted a power washer but didn't want to pay a fair price. I asked him what he did and when he said he was a licensed electrician, I asked him if he could install a 50 amp outlet in the garage for my then motorhome parked in the driveway. He jumped on that! Another guy owned a fencing company. He crossfenced my yard in exchange for several table model power thingies.

Also, there were a few people who had been so kind and supportive to me during that not-so-good time, I invited them over to choose whatever they wanted, a way to tangibly say "thank you".

Best wishes!

 

[gadgetMe]

I have been getting rid of "stuff " since February,

CR works for the unique stuff to be sold cheap, if you have metals some guys will take the metals and recycle them, (had 7000 lbs worth)
For tools I have a very difficult time disposing of them, they are hard to replace. So, for tools I have stored them for the time being.
Auctions are a good place for tools, find an auctioneer near you that may be having a sale an have yours added on consignment.

I have stuff setting in three counties (friends & family)

I am getting closer, but this has turned into a marathon

Putz

 

[akrvbob]

For me nearly every part of becoming a vandweller is fun and exciting, but getting rid of stuff was work and torture!

Hang in there, it's more than worth it!
Bob

 

[Canine]

I've gotten rid of stuff in steps. I had bunches of stuff like two hardhats. I'm probably never going to need one hard hat anymore let alone two, so I gave them both away.

I used to wear jeans until I found how awesome rip-stop pants are. Instead of 5 pairs of jeans, I have 5 pairs of rip-stop. While I technically didn't get rid the number of pants I have, I got rid of the amount of space those pants take up. I can fit 5 pairs of rip-stop pants in one side of my chest of drawers instead of 3 pairs of jeans in one side with two next to them. They also take less water to wash and rinse, so that saves on the amount of water I need to keep on board for laundry.

I went through my tools and got rid of my compression tester, leakdown tester, and similar items that I seldom use especially if they take up lots of space. Any doubles or triples of wrenches, I got rid of. Sockets, screwdrivers, etc. same thing.

My sentimental stuff, if it was big, I took pictures of it and got rid of the item itself. All of my sentimental stuff is in one 15X15X15 box.

Some stuff like my nice leather jacket simply didn't sell, so I looked around for someone who needed a coat. A young man who was just starting out at his first job was going into winter with a less than stellar coat, so I gave him my lined leather coat. He was really happy to get a $300 coat for free! Yes, that was hard to do in a way, but it is nice not to be invested in something that I have no use for anymore. It would've been logistically easier to simply drop it off at the Salvation Army, but not everyone who shops there is truly in need. Giving my expensive coat to someone who truly needed it took a lot of the sting out of my downsizing.

I've went through my stuff about 5 times over the last 3 years. Each time it is surprising at the crap I chose to keep. I don't know how I rationalized it, but for some reason, I still like to keep stuff. Fortunately, at this point, I have very little stuff to get rid of, but I am still cutting the fat little by little. It gets easier every time.

Interestingly, I had a friend who asked me if I was considering suicide because I was giving some of my stuff away. He was a hoarder, so it was hard for him to understand. I had to show him that I still had stuff like my numerous, remaining tools and my metal detector that I wasn't going to part with.

I now have a rule. If I buy a shirt, I have to get rid of a shirt. If I buy a jacket, I have to get rid of a jacket. If I buy something, something else has to go.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Good advice above! If you do have to donate, make it salvation army, even if shoppers arent needy the profits are given to those who are! (unlike goodwill, who sold america the bs that its charity to use profits to hire people ...to work for them, to make profits...).