Throwing Stuff Away

[Iggy]

I went from a 2400 square foot house, to a small house with a big shop, to living in a homeless shelter with a rented large storage unit, to my van with a rented 3x5 storage unit. This month I'm getting rid of the stuff in storage. It's not worth paying $500 per year for. Ditching my books hurts the most but there are ebooks and public libraries available. And I feel truly free finally. I don't even have to return to Salem anymore if I don't want to. Cool!

 

[MrNoodly]

Three times during the 17 years I lived in my last house, I rented a dumpster and threw stuff out. When I put the house on the market I threw out more stuff. After the house sold, I donated all my furniture, appliances, dishes, pots and pans to charity. I donated all my books to the library. I sold all my artwork and my two motorcycles. And I threw out the last of my stuff. I drove away with my van half full of things I thought I would need and spent two months at a friend's place fixing up the van. I left behind about a quarter of the stuff I was sure I would need. After six months on the road, I got rid of more stuff. After a year I got rid of more stuff. After 18 months I got rid of more stuff. After two years I got rid of more stuff. Less each time, but I was still simplifying, minimizing. I have a bin of stuff I could probably toss, because I couldn't name everything that's in it. That's probably a sign I don't need them. I have more clothes than I really need. I have some things "just in case." I haven't used them, so does that mean I never will or only that I just haven't needed the YET? I've tossed some things with sentimental value, but I just imagine they're in one of my bins instead of gone forever. Because the joy of unburdening myself beats the pleasure of some bauble.

 

[akrvbob]

 Because the joy of unburdening myself beats the pleasure of some bauble.

Having camped many nights with Mr Noodly, I can verify this is all true! I believe he has less stuff in his van than almost anyone I've ever known.
Bob

 

[dhawktx]

I also have a lot of books but recently had the thought that maybe one of the public libraries in the winter stomping grounds might want some donations? I've got some books that aren't available online and that way I'd still have 'access' to them!

 

[MrNoodly]

The library I donated my books to doesn't put them on the shelves. They sell them at quarterly fund raising sales, because they need the money more than books. That was a large metropolitan library system, though. Small town libraries might work differently. Shelters and other charities might be glad to have books for the people they serve.

 

[dhawktx]

I've dropped off paperbacks at the local shelter, figuring they are easier to carry than hardbacks.

 

[Sabatical]

A fun thing to do is to take a few books along with you on your daily trips and leave one here and there. They are like gems to many who will pick them up and enjoy them.

 

[WriterMs]

I have more clothes than I really need.

Hey, just don't get rid of the plaid pajama pants shown on your blog. Them are jazzy!!

 

[MrNoodly]

They're new, so I'll keep them for a while.

 

[ryegal]

This year I've started to love throwing stuff away.

I had a 10x20 storage unit for the last 4 years. Absolutely packed from wall to wall and to the ceiling (9-10' ceiling?).

Earlier this year I started to sort through it all. It really has been an all year project for me. This is practically everything I've owned for the first 29 years of my life and the remnants of a house and also a commercial property. And I'm a slow mover when it comes to this stuff. Very emotional and mental for me. Very DRAINING.

I've done my share of selling and donating to Goodwill, but to be honest not as much as "I should". A lot of it was pure junk/trash that I didn't have time to sort originally. A lot of stuff was damaged by mildew from being in storage. And there's been a good portion where I've spent way too much timing feeling guilty about what "the right thing" to do with an item was.

Two months ago I was finally able to stop paying my storage unit and their ever rising price. I moved what I had left into my old vintage 16' travel trailer and told myself that this would be okay. I could let this stuff sit in the trailer and be okay with it. It would be safe at my parents house, and I could hit the road guilt free.

Not so much. I've been back at it again. Doubling all my work by now taking things OUT of the trailer, back into the van, and ready to go to the dump. My new goal is to get rid of everything, or take it with me, and sell the trailer to get it out of the yard. I feel a lot better about this decision, but the STUFF is still difficult for me.

I'm getting so close.

It was hard for me to find people on the internet that would say it was OKAY to just throw things away. Obviously everyone advocates donating or selling. But when you have A LOT of stuff, and your life has been controlled by this stuff for so long, and you've been feeling a crushing weight on your ENTIRE BEING, it's time to just pitch it and live your life. And buy less in the future.

I still get hung up on the stupidest things and want to keep them. But none of this stuff fits the vision I have for my life anymore. I want to be on the road. I want to follow new passions and have new experiences.

Thankfully, it's been much easier for me to see that so much of these things won't benefit me in my new life. They could be useful, but today they aren't. To my goals, they aren't. TRASH IT! Haha. I feel so GOOD when I finally decide to just toss something that held me up for days in my mind.

Hooray for you I too have been purging things my big thing is papers and pictures. I have went though all the pictures and got rid of any that my family wouldn't know. That helped. Now just taking each day to really go though everything before I put it back in my rv. good job

 

[dhawktx]

I have a subset of 'stuff' that I realize is the fault of my inner 12 year old. Basically, when I was younger I had the feeling that I didn't have anything that was 'mine' and thus I would squirrel away ANYthing that came my way that might have some future use, since I didn't have any way of getting it later if I found I needed it.

So I've started a box for that 12 year old me. Every time I hit one of those treasures, in they go. As the accumulated stuff fills boxes I hope to convince that inner child that we don't really need to hang onto this. Wish me luck!

 

[debit.servus]

"It was hard for me to find people on the internet that would say it was OKAY to just throw things away. Obviously everyone advocates donating or selling. But when you have A LOT of stuff, and your life has been controlled by this stuff for so long, and you've been feeling a crushing weight on your ENTIRE BEING, it's time to just pitch it and live your life. And buy less in the future."
Super wasteful, for anybody who is thinking of doing the same "just pitch it " into a donation bin, even if you think nobody wants it because one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Give it away, Don't throw it away.

 

[gcal]

Three times during the 17 years I lived in my last house, I rented a dumpster and threw stuff out. When I put the house on the market I threw out more stuff. After the house sold, I donated all my furniture, appliances, dishes, pots and pans to charity. I donated all my books to the library. I sold all my artwork and my two motorcycles. And I threw out the last of my stuff. I drove away with my van half full of things I thought I would need and spent two months at a friend's place fixing up the van. I left behind about a quarter of the stuff I was sure I would need. After six months on the road, I got rid of more stuff. After a year I got rid of more stuff. After 18 months I got rid of more stuff. After two years I got rid of more stuff. Less each time, but I was still simplifying, minimizing. I have a bin of stuff I could probably toss, because I couldn't name everything that's in it. That's probably a sign I don't need them. I have more clothes than I really need. I have some things "just in case." I haven't used them, so does that mean I never will or only that I just haven't needed the YET? I've tossed some things with sentimental value, but I just imagine they're in one of my bins instead of gone forever. Because the joy of unburdening myself beats the pleasure of some bauble.

Our bins go through cycles of getting emptier and fuller. With DH, its spare parts, gadgets, and tools. Shoes are my nemesis - New Balance #577, to be exact. I have to order them online because the style is so old that stores no longer carry them. They fit like they are made just for me. The comfort level is so high! I live in dread of the day they are no longer made and I have to find a new style to replace my beloved #577. I currently have 4 pair, 2 of which are still in the boxes, and just ordered another because Penny's has them on sale with free shipping and seems to be discontinuing carrying the style. Soon, my only recourse may be getting them directly from New Balance as long as their stock holds out.

 

[Cheli]

I love this thread because I have been going through the same thing. I was married for 14 years and when I left, I took everything I thought I'd want/need from my large house to a 1200 sf 2 bed/ 2 bath condo. For a year and a half my "guest room" was storing all the boxes of stuff that I never went through. Then two years ago I moved to a smaller 1 bed/1 bath apartment but still took all of those boxes of stuff.

About six months ago I decided I'm sick and tired of dragging this stuff everywhere when it's not things I need or even use. SO I have been going through it all, or at least trying, and selling what I can. I find it difficult to sell things when I have such a random selection of things from books to accessories to craft supplies, it seems my trash isn't anothers treasure. hahaha I have a lot of nice things that I want to get rid of but for some reason I have a hard time giving away because the value. Most of it isn't even emotional attachment, it's that it's worth something and I would love to put that money in my life on the road fund. But on the other hand, it's not giving me any money by just sitting there taking up space.

So I think I'm ready to start donating a lot more of my stuff. Then start selling by big items for my travel fund, like tv's, furniture etc.

I'm really ready to get rid of everything except necessities and get this dream going.

 

[Sabatical]

We've been going through the same thing Cheli. I have craigslisted the bigger stuff, traded a few things for more useful items, given away thing to friends or family that they could use, and donated a ton to the local thrift store bins.
I have spent much of the time wondering why we needed all of it. Maybe it was a sense of needing to fill the space we were in. Who knows? Not me. It feels good to be living light.
During this recent transition though, I have spent a bunch of money on new things to work in our smaller life. That has been a mental struggle. I want to spend less. I want to buy less. The projects are pretty much done though and so now we can get busy living. It feels good to live in a tiny house for part of the year and a camper for the rest. My wife and I have made a pact to live with what we have for at least 5 years and then at retirement see where the wind blows us.

 

[GotSmart]

In Door Yard/Moving Sale!  Everything in this room sells! First come first served!

Over a weekend someone else will have treasures, and you will have cash!  

 

[GrantRobertson]

That's pretty much what I did when I went back to school and moved into the dorms at 45. If you could see it, it was for sale... make an offer.

 

[Cammalu]

Cheli when you are finished getting rid of all your stuff and have it down pat on selling, donating, etc., come over to Kentucky and get rid of all mine too [emoji3]

 

[USExplorer]

Throwing stuff away was a long process for me before hitting the road. Sentimentality never entered the equation; the problem was tools and gadgets. Too many flashlights, knives, window breakers, pry bars, cabinets, water purification kits, canteens, rope bundles, etc.

 

[bigsallysmom]

Too many tools?  Can there be such a thing?