Eliminating physical stuff

[squeegee]

Over the last couple of months I have eliminated about 5 milk-crates full of old notes from school, broken electronics, and college textbooks. I still own a lot of stuff though - if I moved tomorrow it would take up most of a cargo van.

On one hand I'm thinking it would be so liberating to have minimal possessions so that it would be easy to pack up and move any time I like. I've heard lots of talk like "get rid of 90% of what you own ... lead the simple life!"

On the other hand I enjoy the convenience of having useful things on hand so that when I want to go on spontaneous adventures they are instantly available. For instance a pair of beach towels, a box full of computer cables, specialized kitchen gadgets... oh and hand tools and power tools (very important). I am thinking it is worth the expense to have lots of useful possessions because they bring me joy, and i can pay people to help me when I move, and I can put them in storage when I go on vacation.

Still i realize the necessity of ruthlessly eliminating junk that I no longer use or enjoy.

What do you guys think about having lots of stuff?

[Vagabond]

Over the last couple of months I have eliminated about 5 milk-crates full of old notes from school, broken electronics, and college textbooks. I still own a lot of stuff though - if I moved tomorrow it would take up most of a cargo van.

On one hand I'm thinking it would be so liberating to have minimal possessions so that it would be easy to pack up and move any time I like. I've heard lots of talk like "get rid of 90% of what you own ... lead the simple life!"

On the other hand I enjoy the convenience of having useful things on hand so that when I want to go on spontaneous adventures they are instantly available. For instance a pair of beach towels, a box full of computer cables, specialized kitchen gadgets... oh and hand tools and power tools (very important). I am thinking it is worth the expense to have lots of useful possessions because they bring me joy, and i can pay people to help me when I move, and I can put them in storage when I go on vacation.

Still i realize the necessity of ruthlessly eliminating junk that I no longer use or enjoy.

What do you guys think about having lots of stuff?


I'm a big believer that theres no "one size fits all" for how you should live. If you like keeping some stuff around then I dont see why you should get rid of it. I think some people feel bogged down by having so many possessions.

[Marcie]

I have a lot of clutter I need to get rid of. I am seriously considering hiring someone (forgot what they are called) who will come to my house, take stuff, put it on ebay, give me the $ and they take a commission.

It's one of the premises of feng shui - too much clutter clutters your mind.

I had cleaned out a lot until two funerals and a wedding promted some inheritances of stuff that have filled my house up!

[cheez avenger]

I have a lot of clutter I need to get rid of. I am seriously considering hiring someone (forgot what they are called) who will come to my house, take stuff, put it on ebay, give me the $ and they take a commission.

It's one of the premises of feng shui - too much clutter clutters your mind.

I had cleaned out a lot until two funerals and a wedding promted some inheritances of stuff that have filled my house up!



I'm in the process of doing that myself.

I'm getting rid of all of the useless clutter at home (selling it on ebay) and then I will sell off all the junk in storage (also selling it on ebay).
The thing I do since I want to unload all that "junk" fast is setting up my auctions at 3-5 day time limits-that way it goes out faster from my place.


Don't get me wrong, I'm still keeping the stuff that's dear to me... like my home theater, dvds, framed movie posters etc... I need my movies :D


-cheez avenger

[seven]

I have tons of clothes I never wear and I think I'll just donate them rather than sell them. I'll probably donate the majority of my books to the library except the few that I will keep or signed 1st editions that I might auction off.

I have quite a few DVD's and CD's and think I might auction some of the DVD's but maybe do a yard sale for most of them. I also have a collection of laserdiscs I'll probably try to auction.

Furniture I'll try to list in local free classified magazine unless I sell it in yard sale.

But, for stuff that won't make a lot of money anyway (books, clothes, etc...) I think I'd just prefer to donate it then go to the hassle of trying to sell it.

7

[cartoonfan1983]

I have tons of clothes I never wear and I think I'll just donate them rather than sell them. I'll probably donate the majority of my books to the library except the few that I will keep or signed 1st editions that I might auction off.

I have quite a few DVD's and CD's and think I might auction some of the DVD's but maybe do a yard sale for most of them. I also have a collection of laserdiscs I'll probably try to auction.

Furniture I'll try to list in local free classified magazine unless I sell it in yard sale.

But, for stuff that won't make a lot of money anyway (books, clothes, etc...) I think I'd just prefer to donate it then go to the hassle of trying to sell it.

7

I would sell your books, DVD's, and CD's on Amazon.com. It is very easy and quick because all you enter is the UPC code or ISBN number and your price (I can post 60-70 items in an hour). I sold all my DVD's about a year ago because I never watched them again after buying them. I just posted them on amazon at below the lowest price (because they were worth nothing on the shelf, I didn't care if they only sold for $3). Every week I would update my pricing to drop again to the lowest price point. I sold all my DVD's and books in 2 weeks.

Clothes are much harder. Just donate them and get the tax benefits.

[Peter Bowen]

I sold or gave away everything except what fitted into 23kg luggage allowance per person for myself, wife and four kids.

it included 5 houses, 3 businesses, a huge workshop full of tools (power tool junkie), three vehicles, over a thousand books.

kept the photo albums, journals and the kids, two hard drives, a macbook and my leatherman and about four outfits.

Liberating and scary.

Haven't missed too much of it

Cheers

Pete

[Marcie]

I sold or gave away everything except what fitted into 23kg luggage allowance per person for myself, wife and four kids.

it included 5 houses, 3 businesses, a huge workshop full of tools (power tool junkie), three vehicles, over a thousand books.

kept the photo albums, journals and the kids, two hard drives, a macbook and my leatherman and about four outfits.

Liberating and scary.

Haven't missed too much of it

Cheers

Pete

That's awesome!

[seven]

Thanks for the tip cartoonfan. It never occurred to me to try Amazon. If it worked for you I'll definitely look into trying that.

7

[b18bgone]

Peter,

Its really great what you have done, and what you are acomplishing. I hope the surf is good over there.

[dixonge]

kept the photo albums, journals and the kids, two hard drives, a macbook and my leatherman and about four outfits.

what about the wife? :confused:

[dixonge]

I just bought a book from Peter Walsh called It's All Too Much (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FIts-All-Too-Much-Living%2Fdp%2F0743292642%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%2 6qid%3D1184608050%26sr%3D8-1&tag=selfservehost-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) which deals with this very subject. We've cleared out a ton of clothes and consolidated home office spaces and next is the garage *ugh*

Merlin Mann has been discussing this book and his own decluttering process over on 43Folders.com (http://www.43folders.com/2007/07/02/war-on-clutter/) - good reading.

And Unclutterer.com (http://unclutterer.com) is an entire site devoted to elimination.

[Christoph]

I'm in the process of selling all my unnecessary items on ebay. It is time consuming, and the profits are rather small, but I have hopes that they will increase. I'm testing different strategies for listing to keep my profit high while my expenditures low while still attracting prime buyers. I just have too much useless stuff, and I'm finally realizing that!!!

[MariaG]

Christoph, in keeping with the spirit of this site, I suggest outsourcing your Ebaying! If you have items of high enough value, there are several stores that will do the auction for you, and keep a percentage of the sale. ISoldIt is one of the larger merchants in this arena.

[cheez avenger]

Christoph, in keeping with the spirit of this site, I suggest outsourcing your Ebaying! If you have items of high enough value, there are several stores that will do the auction for you, and keep a percentage of the sale. ISoldIt is one of the larger merchants in this arena.


Ouch! I researched Isold it (I've got one in my city) and they want 40-50% for my stuff. I'm all for "outsourcing" but when I lose 40-50 of the value--I have to say no... Btw, I'm an expert seller on ebay, what's time consuming to most is minimal to me.


My 3 cents. ;)


-cheez avenger

[Christoph]

The most time consuming part for me is just the packaging and shipping. Plus, I think I am spending waaaaaaayyyy too much time on the nitty gritty details about what I am selling. I see people who take a picture, reiterate what the pic says in a sentence, and boom; it sells for a crap ton, while I take time to be methodical and then get reamed in fees and low sales. Jeez. :(

I've been on eBay since about 1997 (I was 13!) or so in one capacity or another, but now, for one reason or another, I'm actually starting to sell multiple items instead of one or two.

[cheez avenger]

It used to be the same for me. Packing & shipping, now I save myself the headache of it all and do it online.

I print my own shipping labels, and make my own packing material.

All I do is schedule a mailman to come and pick up the stash for me. In order to have that service done, you need to have at least 1 item ship via priority mail.

Other times if I'm running errands, I'll just take everything to the post office and put in their sorting boxes, or give them to the clerks without standing in line.


The new cool feature (assuming you're shipping internationally) is you can now print out your custom/postage forms online as well. If you buy international postage, the form acts as a dual custom/shipping label. All you do is give it to the clerk and they'll stuff the copies on an attached customs shipping envelope.


I've got the good fortune of having the main central post office nearby. Once my packages are sorted, the semi trucks are off to the airport.


-cheez avenger

[final_id]

Move to a major urban area where your home will be smaller. That which does not fit, must be sold. Most items will probably command a higher price in the major urban area ... :)

craigslist ... salvation army ... used book stores ... used CD stores ...

I very much enjoy winnowing out my stuff, and getting down to basics. I have a very few, very nice things. I want to keep it that way.

My biggest worry about getting rid of stuff is, that if I ever get hitched, the woman in my life won't appreciate the "voluntary simplicity" lifestyle the way I do. I haven't yet had a date with anyone who thinks less is more in the material department.

[Christoph]

I seem to get the total shaft when printing out my own labels. I am highly considering investing in a small digital scale so I dont have to pay flat rate per pound stuff as that eats up any profit, or, just selling smaller items. Case in point: I sold a 1930s injector razor the other day for about $3.50..MFing postage was $4.80 because I said it was a pound!!! Good god! I do like the idea of them picking it up because inevitably I will have something priority.

Do you have any recommendations for doing it cheaper? I am definitely for saving some cash!! I got about 2 dozen free boxes from an ebay/usps partnership (or something along those lines) so that will save quite a bit.

[final_id]

I sold or gave away everything except what fitted into 23kg luggage allowance per person for myself, wife and four kids.

it included 5 houses, 3 businesses, a huge workshop full of tools (power tool junkie), three vehicles, over a thousand books.

kept the photo albums, journals and the kids, two hard drives, a macbook and my leatherman and about four outfits.

Liberating and scary.

Haven't missed too much of it

Cheers

Pete

Peter: any hints how to accomplish some of these tasks? How long did it take you? Did you outsource? E-Bay sellers, estate agents, junk dealers? For me it isn't so much the fear of losing the stuff, as it is the hassle of dealing with the actual act of eliminating. Having to hike to the post office, or spend time posting (and re-checking) advertisements on blogs, or ... whatever. Your thoughts? I think it's great you did that, by the way! Your kids will be better people!

In addition, you might want to know about the "voluntary simplicity" movement. You can simply Google that phrase. It's very much along the lines of the elimination portion of Tim Ferriss's plan (although quite often the VS people are really into the notion of do-it-yourself and skin-flint-ing, to the point that they sometimes seem to value having a hard, money-free life, more than they value the independence from stuff; I wouldn't 100% recommend it, but I would say there are some wise things to be found over there just like there are some strengths and weaknesses to be found over here!).

I'm in the process of selling all my unnecessary items on ebay. It is time consuming, and the profits are rather small, but I have hopes that they will increase. I'm testing different strategies for listing to keep my profit high while my expenditures low while still attracting prime buyers. I just have too much useless stuff, and I'm finally realizing that!!!

Christoph: You can just outsource this. If you aren't too concerned about the profit (someone else in this thread said, "They were worth nothing at all to me, sitting on the shelf"; therefore, by definition, you have gained even if the sale is merely ¢.01!) then a professional EBay reseller (or a grad student from the local university, who has free internet access through his school, plus a digital camera) will likely want about 25% of the total.

I seem to get the total shaft when printing out my own labels. I am highly considering investing in a small digital scale so I dont have to pay flat rate per pound stuff as that eats up any profit, or, just selling smaller items. Case in point: I sold a 1930s injector razor the other day for about $3.50..MFing postage was $4.80 because I said it was a pound!!! Good god! I do like the idea of them picking it up because inevitably I will have something priority.

Do you have any recommendations for doing it cheaper? I am definitely for saving some cash!! I got about 2 dozen free boxes from an ebay/usps partnership (or something along those lines) so that will save quite a bit.

Yes. Charge shipping to the buyer.

I happen to collect vintage razors as well. First, getting rid of a 1930s injector for a mere $3.50 was a steal -- you should have sent it to me! I recently sold a similar item for $20 (including shipping) to a member of a shaving and men's grooming forum. I just posted the price, and in about two weeks someone decided he wanted it. There was some minor hassle -- re-checking the ad, upping the ante ("last bump! limited-time offer!"), so maybe it's not for you. But I'm sure it was as easy as EBay, if not easier. (BTW, the forum is ShaveMyFace.com so you can check me out over there!)

Second, most of the vintage razors that I see on EBay have a pre-determined shipping cost. The smallest of the US Postal Service's Priority Mail boxes (box itself is free from the Post Office, AND THEY DELIVER THEM if you request on line) requires $8.95 in shipping/postage fee and includes two-day delivery in the Continental US. So, include in your listing that the buyer pays shipping, that the shipping is $8.95, and that you allow only buyers from the Continental US. This would mean that, aside from yesterday's newspaper and a sandwich baggie which you use as packing inside the box, your shipping experience is essentially free of money, since the buyer spends it, and time, since you just stuff it in there and leave it. OK, so ya gotta get some tape, too. Always with the tape! :)

I've seen everything from $1.50 to $10.00 for shipping for vintage razors, and for a lot of other items it gets really high. By all means, MAKE THE BUYER ABSORB IT. In my experience, nearly all EBay sellers require that the buyer pay shipping, and since it's listed as part of the "built in" price in the first place, nobody can possibly feel hard-done-by this arrangement. They knew it at the outset. If they really don't like it, then they can simply not bid. If they DO bid, then by implication they have consented to your shipping and handling fee.

[cheez avenger]

I seem to get the total shaft when printing out my own labels. I am highly considering investing in a small digital scale so I dont have to pay flat rate per pound stuff as that eats up any profit, or, just selling smaller items. Case in point: I sold a 1930s injector razor the other day for about $3.50..MFing postage was $4.80 because I said it was a pound!!! Good god! I do like the idea of them picking it up because inevitably I will have something priority.

Do you have any recommendations for doing it cheaper? I am definitely for saving some cash!! I got about 2 dozen free boxes from an ebay/usps partnership (or something along those lines) so that will save quite a bit.


The way I move my products is I start them off from .01-.99, (usually causes a bidding war) then I charge a flat non-negotiable shipping price. I always ship via media mail which is a parcel rate 2-9 days, and the cheapest.

The risk you take shipping items with media (if they really aren't media) is that
postal clerks can check and open up a package that's marked as media to verify that it really is media. If they do that and your product is not media, they will not send the package and bill you for the difference in shipping price. Its never happened to me yet (knock on wood).


I've sold many dvds, and what I do is start them off @ .99 with a 3.00-3.50 shipping range. If the dvd weighs less than 12 oz, I will ship it first class which is a dollar some change. If it weighs more than 12 oz I ship via media mail for two dollars and some change. When I hit the area of having products weigh more than 12 oz, I always go media.


I hope this helps, and you were able to understand my ramblings. :o



-cheez avenger

[Christoph]

Cheez-

I definitely understand :)

My products are quite heavy, at least in the 2-5lb range (at least for now) so shipping, for some ungodly reason, is expensive, and I never remembered it being that bad a year back when I was heavy into selling.

I always charge the buyer shipping. I bought a suit jacket for $.98 at a thrift store and it sold for $11. Sweet, that's a hell of a return! After ebay, paypal, and shipping fees, I wound up with like $1 profit. It is seeming to me that I might have to bite the bullet and sell things at a higher cost initially just to widen the profit gap.

Another thing that has been causing a shit storm (ahem, cuss word used for emphasis..heh..) is people complaining that I am putting shipping too high for a small object. Idiots...with over 500+ feedback, you would think that they'd know the USPS or FedEx rate structure by now and realize even a small item can cost $5 to ship!!

Yea, I'll learn eventually :) So far so good. I had one item, a college football decanter, that was at $25 for a day, no bids...I revised and upped the price to $60 and literally within 15 minutes a person bid on it and I have 5 watchers. Take that!!

[cheez avenger]

Cheez-

I definitely understand :)

My products are quite heavy, at least in the 2-5lb range (at least for now) so shipping, for some ungodly reason, is expensive, and I never remembered it being that bad a year back when I was heavy into selling.

I always charge the buyer shipping. I bought a suit jacket for $.98 at a thrift store and it sold for $11. Sweet, that's a hell of a return! After ebay, paypal, and shipping fees, I wound up with like $1 profit. It is seeming to me that I might have to bite the bullet and sell things at a higher cost initially just to widen the profit gap.

Another thing that has been causing a shit storm (ahem, cuss word used for emphasis..heh..) is people complaining that I am putting shipping too high for a small object. Idiots...with over 500+ feedback, you would think that they'd know the USPS or FedEx rate structure by now and realize even a small item can cost $5 to ship!!

Yea, I'll learn eventually :) So far so good. I had one item, a college football decanter, that was at $25 for a day, no bids...I revised and upped the price to $60 and literally within 15 minutes a person bid on it and I have 5 watchers. Take that!!


Even at the 2-5 lbs range, ship them via media mail. You'll make a small profit from shipping as well

I'm thinning out my guitar collection, and sold one for 1000 with free shipping within the U.S... I charged 100$ to ship it to Canada. Lo and behold, a Canadian cat bought it. After fees, postal, ebay, paypal, I ended up with a cool 1k.

What the picky buyer doesn't realize is that when you list something and charge a certain amount for shipping, you're not just charging them for shipping alone. Packing, gas costs, trips to the post office, standing in line, supplies, etc...

S&H= Parts and Labor.

That's how I see it.


-cheez avenger

[Christoph]

People will do whatever they can to get out of paying even $2 more! It's rather pathetic. I also view s/h as ALL facets you mentioned.

How do I ship media mail if I dont actually have media in the package? I'd feel like an idiot having stuff returned!

Slowly but surely my higher dollar items are getting bids and more watches, and I care about profit, so outsourcing is not an option for me at this time.

[cheez avenger]

People will do whatever they can to get out of paying even $2 more! It's rather pathetic. I also view s/h as ALL facets you mentioned.

How do I ship media mail if I dont actually have media in the package? I'd feel like an idiot having stuff returned!

Slowly but surely my higher dollar items are getting bids and more watches, and I care about profit, so outsourcing is not an option for me at this time.



I use paypal to print out mailing labels from home. You get several options. Media Mail is one of them. I think it's less of a risk doing it from home than actually doing it at the post office, since the clerks there might ask you what's in the package.

I know what you mean about the "hagglers". Make it known in your listing that it will ship for a certain amount, 'non-negotiable'.

Now if you get a winning buyer trying to haggle the shipping costs after he/she wins the item. It's in your favor, because your description clearly states how much an item costs to ship. If they had a problem with it, they should not have bid. They are bound by Ebay's rules, you'll win if it came down to filing a claim.

Yeah, outsourcing isn't an option for me either.



-cheez avenger

[final_id]

People will do whatever they can to get out of paying even $2 more! It's rather pathetic. I also view s/h as ALL facets you mentioned.

I haven't really experienced this (I'm not "in business" to sell on EBay, but I do it from time to time). My shipping costs are right there, up front. Everyone just pays them. I usually call it a round $6 or $7, and then ship via non-boxed (therefore non-flat-rate) USPS Priority Mail. Larger items like a guitar, I dunno, it might get to be a hassle.

II know what you mean about the "hagglers". Make it known in your listing that it will ship for a certain amount, 'non-negotiable'.

Now if you get a winning buyer trying to haggle the shipping costs after he/she wins the item. It's in your favor, because your description clearly states how much an item costs to ship. If they had a problem with it, they should not have bid. They are bound by Ebay's rules, you'll win if it came down to filing a claim.

Agreed. I guess in the rare instance of someone claiming "I didn't realize the shipping was so much, I'm very sorry for having bid," you can always just defer it to the second-most-winning bidder. But very few have said, "Hey, I won't pay $7 for shipping."

Keep in mind as well, that all the printed shipping labels which PayPal provides have the option of "show / hide shipping cost". So, you can print them with only a bar-code, and your recipient won't see the actual dollar amount.

[cheez avenger]

I haven't really experienced this (I'm not "in business" to sell on EBay, but I do it from time to time). My shipping costs are right there, up front. Everyone just pays them. I usually call it a round $6 or $7, and then ship via non-boxed (therefore non-flat-rate) USPS Priority Mail. Larger items like a guitar, I dunno, it might get to be a hassle.



Agreed. I guess in the rare instance of someone claiming "I didn't realize the shipping was so much, I'm very sorry for having bid," you can always just defer it to the second-most-winning bidder. But very few have said, "Hey, I won't pay $7 for shipping."

Keep in mind as well, that all the printed shipping labels which PayPal provides have the option of "show / hide shipping cost". So, you can print them with only a bar-code, and your recipient won't see the actual dollar amount.



Correct about paypal letting you decide whether to show or not to show postage. The other cool thing about using paypal with Ebay is that they automatically include a shipping confirmation # for .18. If you were to go to the post office and get a conf. # they charge .65. If you have tons of stuff to inload .65 a pop adds up.


As far as a guitar goes... I'd rather do the extra "work" if knew that I'd get my 99-100 % of the sale as opposed to only 50-60% at an Isold store.

I get boxes for free, and make my own packaging material. It's all pretty easy and fast when you have a system.




-cheez avenger

[final_id]

I used to work as a Publicist, which meant I was doing lots and lots of shipping out of packets, books, materials. So there was always a "spare" box, some roll of tape 'er other, and plenty of styrofoam peanuts at the office, and pickups from all the major carriers. Now I'm at home on my own, and it's more of a hassle, plus more of an expense. How many people actually know how much Office Depot charges for one of those tape-dispenser-gun thingies? Wow!

[cheez avenger]

I used to work as a Publicist, which meant I was doing lots and lots of shipping out of packets, books, materials. So there was always a "spare" box, some roll of tape 'er other, and plenty of styrofoam peanuts at the office, and pickups from all the major carriers. Now I'm at home on my own, and it's more of a hassle, plus more of an expense. How many people actually know how much Office Depot charges for one of those tape-dispenser-gun thingies? Wow!



LOL! Exactly!

A tape dispenser gun is too rich for my blood, I just buy 1 roll of thick tape and use the dispenser that it comes with, usually made of plastic. :) Then I just buy a refill.

I also get my boxes from work.


I'm not a professional seller or anything, so when I do sell--it's in short bursts. Since I'm trying to do away with my 84$ a month storage unit--I'm in full seller mode.


-cheez avenger

[Christoph]

I actually shipped a guitar recently for only $22 via fedex...but yet a small, 10oz razor cost me about $5 via usps....I don't get it.

I'm in full sell mode as well, and dammit, I will make a profit!!!!!!!

I've used the paypal label and opted not to show the cost, which I think is beneficial if the margin is too much, however, if it is right up there with what I charged, eh, i'll let em see it.

My free boxes are in Des Moines, Iowa today en route to my door!!!! That will be a big $$ saver.

[cheez avenger]

I actually shipped a guitar recently for only $22 via fedex...but yet a small, 10oz razor cost me about $5 via usps....I don't get it.

I'm in full sell mode as well, and dammit, I will make a profit!!!!!!!

I've used the paypal label and opted not to show the cost, which I think is beneficial if the margin is too much, however, if it is right up there with what I charged, eh, i'll let em see it.

My free boxes are in Des Moines, Iowa today en route to my door!!!! That will be a big $$ saver.



Truthfully, I only use USPS for all of my shipping needs. I've never shipped with Fedex or UPS.

Nah, my customers will never see how much postage costs. They don't need to. Postage costs whatever it costs--it's that simple. You don't like, you don't buy. ;)



-cheez avenger

[Paul Theodorescu]

Is it really worth selling stuff away? I usually end up giving it away. I live in a student Dorm, and my room is small, so that keeps me from accumulating junk.

[final_id]

I regularly wrestle with this. To sell or to dump or to give? I have come up with a mild formula which I use to determine whether or not I ought to undergo the "hassle" of trying to sell, give away, or simply trash something. Here's the state of my "method" right now, thought it's open for revision. Your thoughts?

1. Distinguish between that which I wish to sell, and that which I am willing to part with for free.

Can I reasonably expect to gain $100 or more, for less than 2 or 3 hours' work by selling it? Whether that's EBay or to a civilian by means of a classified ad, I tend to think that the act of selling something straightforward (aside from a car or house, or something else with licenses and legal requirements) will take 2-3 hours time. I made up this formula because my Dreamline roughly suggests I "should" be making a minimum of $35 an hour if I were working 40 hours a week, though I would want to try to make the same (roughly $5000 per month) at 4 hours a week of course. So, do the math ...

So, $100 or more for 3 hours or less. (I am getting pretty good at EBay and forum-based sales. I'm starting to "batch," and am able to make that kind of money. Remember, the time is distributed across several phases of the process -- photographing, posting the listing, interacting with potential buyers, billing the winning bidder, shipping.)

2. After sell-able items, then distinguish between that which I wish to give to a worthy recipient (friend or charity) versus that which I wish to throw out.

Find things on the basis of friends' interests. Spend no more than five minutes on any given friend. Rather than having stuff you try to give away, and then try to find friends for it; do it the other way around. Have friends you want to give things to, and then try to find if any of your stuff will fit them. Send an email to each friend whom you have in mind. "Hey Joe, I'm moving and getting rid of stuff. I know you like camping equipment. I wonder if you'd like my tent? It's worth about $75 on EBay, but I thought I'd let you have it, as long as you promise to let me sleep in it if we're ever on another camping trip together. OK? I also have some old clothes you are free to look through. I know your son is my size." That's it. No more effort. Or you can start wrapping things for Christmas right now. Label and wrap and put it in the closet!

After three weeks, all stuff ear-marked for friends returns to the up-for-grabs pile. If they aren't excited enough about the item to get back to you in three weeks, they aren't interested in it. Don't burden them with your detritus. They may want to simplify some day, too!

3. After sell-able items and gifts to friends, distinguish between that which you wish to give to a charity versus that which you are willing to throw away.

Anything that isn't claimed by friends, you can either throw out or give to charity. Each act is roughly equivalent -- piling it up into garbage bags and hauling it either to the dumpster or to the Salvation Army depot -- but how you determine which is which is really beside the point. The object of the exercise is to eliminate stuff, NOT support Salvation Army. If you want to really help out your charity of choice, then give them some cash too. Them acting as a target for your detritus, is just icing on the cake, or at least, you should think of it that way when you're doing the getting-rid-of-ing.

I take to charity (I prefer Goodwill Stores, they're generally a bit easier to deal with) anything that is "like new" or somehow still wrapped. And nearly all clothing that's being elminated. And all electronics that still work.

4. The remainder is trash. Put it in a trash pile and let it sit there for a while. If something tugs at your guilt-strings, you can always dig it back out. Schedule a time to dump stuff.

So, to summarize:

1. Sell $100 for 2 to 3 hours, no less.
2. Then line up friends for gifts. (Wait 3 weeks, then dump.)
3. Then take the stuff in decent condition to a charity.
4. You are now left with trash.

This method excludes the tried-and-true yard sale. You might schedule one at some time between steps 2 and 3, for example. Best method I've found for a get-rid-of extravaganza is the following:

1. Pricing.

Put a ridiculously low price on things, but not so low that people think it's got something wrong with it. From $1 to $10 seems reasonable. Higher and they actually consider whether or not they want the thing; lower and they sometimes are worried about it. Any item of clothing should be $1; maybe $2 for a suit, or winter coat. A "nice" thing (grandma's clock, CDs, musical instruments) can be listed for $10.

Post in several places, "All prices negotiable." Remember that the point of the sale is NOT to make a profit, but instead to remove items from your life. Therefore, if someone is willing to be ballsy and say, "Hey, I want all this stuff for $5 instead of $40," you can just tell 'em, "Yup. You haul it away, you can have it for $5."

2. Timing

Best to do it soon after the beginning of the school year, near a major campus. September 8th or so, with signs up by the 1st, seems appropriate to me. That way the kids outfitting their first private homes will take all the housewares and much of the clothes.

Hardest things to get rid of? They have value to you but no value to anyone else. I have little solution for these things -- duplicate family pictures, useless ugly but sentimentally valuable chests and other furniture made by great-grandparents or brought over from the old country, rare strange collections of items which I personally know nothing about (Lalique; depression glass; Fiestaware). I think the best idea is, to carefully box it all up, label it, store it, and then find an expert. Try to get top dollar. If you can't, then don't get rid of it, just leave it in the boxes. That way at least you don't feel like you've somehow "forsaken" your heritage.

Well, those are my thoughts. I welcome suggestions. I currently have a single 10x10x10 foot container's worth of storage off in Mississippi, and I am living out of suitcases at my parents' place. I prefer the suitcases. :p

[Bippy]

Just for the record-

I have never found garage sales, consignment stores, ebay, etc worth the effort.

When I purge my stuff, things go into two boxes- trash or free stuff. I give my friends and opportunity to go through the free stuff box first. Then off to the goodwill it goes.

When I leave this apartment at the end of my lease to travel the world? I'm going to put the things that matter to me in storage. Then I'm going to post a CraigsList ad saying everything in the apartment must go, donations kindly accepted. I'm going to sit on a folding chair and drink a beer or two and chit chat with all the people coming through my apartment.

I expect that the place will be completely cleaned out by the end of the day, I'll end up with as much, if not more in cash than if I was charging (people will haggle down to the nickle if you ask them to pay, but if you give them something they'll often pay you more out of guilt than they would if you asked them for cash up front).

A LOT less work. Mucho better.

[Marcie]

That's an awesome idea. That's why I hate garage sales, because of all the time it takes to price everything. I think I might try that - like a "you make an offer" sale...hm....

[gobytrain]

I have a super suggestion for those who love books, but are no longer interested in the burden of having a personal library (books SUCK to move!).

See if your library has an on-line service, then see if it has a mailing option. It costs a couple bucks to mail the book, and another to mail it back, but you never have to store it!!!

It's so great, I love it. Need it longer? You can get an extension too.

I don't know how many libraries offer this fantastic service, but I live in Portland, OR and it's available from our county library system.

And remember, support your library system!

[gobytrain]

I sold or gave away everything except what fitted into 23kg luggage allowance per person for myself, wife and four kids.


Whaaat? That's amazing. Please tell us more!!! Was it Tim's book that prompted this? Where are you guys going to go, what are you doing for income, etc.

I'm totally impressed, that's so cool. Four kids? I have no excuses! Tell me you were already independently wealthy...

Your wife was cool with this, right?

[bxglaureiro]

I posted a few books on amazon but they're not selling mainly I think because a lot of them are older and there are for most of them there are a ton of other listings. I was thinking about trying paperbackswap - basically you exchange books you don't want that other people do want to rack up points and trade for books you do want.

[BinkyJoe]

Peter is the master, hands down... if he ever comes back, we'd love to hear how he did it.

My wife and I read "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui", by Karen Kingston, years ago. We dumped boxes and boxes of unused books (made a couple hundred bucks), cds (same), and had a few garage sales.

The money was nice, but the great thing was the freedom from it all.

We've got two kids now, and man, the stuff stacks up... it's a discipline to keep it lean. But it's become a way of life, really, to not accumulate junk that weighs you down.

Another good book is "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin... here's their site: http://www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org/

[Free4Family&Community]

I just love getting rid of stuff in the house. It makes my home feel so much more spaceous and lovely. Every week I take a few carrier bag full of stuff to the charity shop. I am always trying to reduce the stuff that comes in the hosue in the first place.

[final_id]

I want to know how Peter did it. I don't lack the will or the desire, but I do lack simply the methods. I don't have time to invest in posting little persnickety things on EBay or a bunch of item-specific collectors' sites, but I also am not willing to just throw away a lot of my valuable stuff. There's got to be some middle ground that enables limiting.

[Cameron B]

I've been in the process of moving and figuring it's time to simplify my life. I have pack-rat tendencies that I'm sure I come by genetically. At any rate, I've been sorting stuff into 3 boxes:

~~KEEP~~ ~~JUNK~~ ~~EBAY~~

I sort it according to whether I think it has any real value to anyone.

though, despite simplifying, I've found I need to keep my tools and spare parts for the Jeep. As I need someway to fix it when it breaks :p

Otherwise, i have minimal clothes. Trying to keep furniture to a minimum. And debating on what books to get rid of.

[Free4Family&Community]

I love to spend an afternoon decluttering part of the house. I will look say at the office and set a goal of reducing the stuff in one area by 50%. I will only stop when I reach my target. Lots of stuff will end up being recycled or given to the local charity shop.

Once you declutter you definately don't want more clutter being added to everything so I really watch what I buy and bring into the house. AFter Christmas I declutter our household presents and give away anything we don't want.

I now find that once I have decluttered the whole house I only need to do it every now and then. It is funny how clutter grows when you are not looking.
I find that having extra storage means that you create stuff to fill them. So currently I am working on having empty or less storage so it forces me to have less stuff. REading the 4hourWrkWeek has allowed me to be even more ruthless with my declutter.

I find that my home feels much more spaceous and more like the magazine with only beautiful and useful things about and not a home full of toooooo much stuffffff.