I would, especially if you want them again in the future you'll be able to get them back at reasonable prices.
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Minimalism |OT|
- Thread starter Deleted member 10629
- Start date
Hauled another box off to my eBay seller and collected a check for the prior month's sales. Feels good. Still have many more trips to make, been doing this since 2017 but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel -- aiming to be completely downsized by my 50th birthday at the end of this year. I look at what I'll have to deal with when my parents and my mother-in-law pass and I don't want to do the same to my kids.
Also a good motivator, your kids most likely don't want your stuff. Like Memntos/Keepsakes, sure but otherwise, eh.
Yeah, for sure. They've learned growing up that less can be more after watching their grandparents and parents grapple with stuff. They'd much rather spend on "experiences" like eating out, going to concerts, and traveling (all pre-pandemic, of course).
OP
OP
So, how's everyone journey into minimalism this year so far? I havent been able to purge more stuff, but at least I havent added anything to my house/room.
Made a trip to the Salvation Army donation store this weekend (stores finally reopened in my area). The big purge was power tools and PC accessories, both of which as unwanted gifts or upgrades over the years and sat unused. Very very very happy that it will go to charity - with the added benefit of way less space grabbing clutter.
Drawers and closets are actually used for things being used instead of random storage. Seems simplistic but it's a huge relief.
Media wise, minus Switch, all digital thanks to iTunes and google sales. Purged several large dvd box sets since December. And an entire shelf since there's nothing to store on it anymore :) THAT felt good to donate.
I'm trying to get rid of a few things I don't use anymore, like an "old" air purifier my my 10 year old HDTV. I'm gonna see if anyone wants these things, but I doubt it. Also gonna try and sell my Chromecast I got for Stadia, but probably just give away,
Probably time to throw away my Apple product boxes.
Can clothes still be placed in those yellow donation bins?
I read both the Magic of Tidying Up and Goodbye, Things!
Finally went through the retro games and selected about 30ish titles to sell off. I'll probably do a second pass further down the road but I'm happy with the results. Now to actually sell them.
Also realized I've never really liked the set of flour/sugar canisters I salvaged from my grandfather's house when we were cleaning them out so I replaced them with a set of Rubbermaid canisters that I do like and they take up less room so I'm pleased with that aspect too. Which led me to the next realization that I think the kitchen is probably my next space to tackle at some point mostly because it's where most of my "hand-me-downs" lurk and a most of them are situational items that rarely get used.
Finally went through the retro games and selected about 30ish titles to sell off. I'll probably do a second pass further down the road but I'm happy with the results. Now to actually sell them.
Also realized I've never really liked the set of flour/sugar canisters I salvaged from my grandfather's house when we were cleaning them out so I replaced them with a set of Rubbermaid canisters that I do like and they take up less room so I'm pleased with that aspect too. Which led me to the next realization that I think the kitchen is probably my next space to tackle at some point mostly because it's where most of my "hand-me-downs" lurk and a most of them are situational items that rarely get used.
Maybe i'm a bit late to say this, but... some people like to buy empty boxes. If between those boxes you happen to have Ipod related ones... try and sell them. At least, when it comes to videoconsole boxes you can get a whole 20/30 buck if you happen to own a rare or old console box with manuals and all.
And... well, i finally started doing some decluttering. I'm trashing a lot of stuff, tbh. There's a lot of useless crap in my rom, lmao! I'm slowly selling the most valuable things, but everything else goes to the bin. It feils weirdly refreshing seeing everything go away.
I sold an empty Air Jordan shoe box circa 1990 for $75 and a MtG revised starter deck box for $35 this past year so, yep.
I have so much clutter and useless stuff laying around, really need to get focused on getting rid.
Some of the issue I have is getting motivated to list it on ebay, then where some of it isn't worth a too much I don't think it's worth the time... But then I don't want to trash it... Think money is money so best sell it... Then do something else more enjoyable until the next time the junk annoys me.
Minimalist era help me brake that cycle!!
Some of the issue I have is getting motivated to list it on ebay, then where some of it isn't worth a too much I don't think it's worth the time... But then I don't want to trash it... Think money is money so best sell it... Then do something else more enjoyable until the next time the junk annoys me.
Minimalist era help me brake that cycle!!
None of the shops to donate it to are open here!! So I shall just live with until then haha
Totally YMMV - I've had a lot of luck with my neighbourhood "Buy Nothing" Facebook group - lots of moms out there wanting whatever "stuff" I post for giveaways, including board games + video games + kitchen stuff.
Seconding this. Was able to offload a number of board games and a Rock Band 2 setup via the local "free stuff" FB group during my last move which was pre-pandemic
I bought a bicycle, so I had to get things related to that such as a helmet, padded shorts, phone mount. Spent a lot of money recently but looking to pare down spending again
Never thought of that, thanks!
Now just to find some way that works for the motivation and sorting out
Do you have a recommended platform or site to sell collectors edition of games?
OP
OP
Yeah special editions of games (or anime games) always sell well. I had a bunch of Vita games that were sold instantly.
The first and last time I posted in this thread was back on page 2, over a year ago now.
Since we went through a pandemic, and since I had more time to myself at home, I went through every single possession I own.
It was time consuming, slighting frustrating and surprisingly additive once you got into the groove of things and, as of yesterday, I feel like I have achieved what I set out to do, and I feel at ease and very pleased with the end result.
My favourite thing about this process is seeing the reaction of a person you give away a perfectly new or a relatively unused item — clearly happy to receive something new/unused, albeit with a quizzical look of 'why are doing this?'.
The only thing I didn't worry too much about is my clothes; even before I begun this, I had a decent selection of tees, shirts, jumpers, trousers and shorts. There's a nice amount of clothes to keep in steady rotation for three weeks before I wear the same thing again.
And LEGO is a big hobby of mine! I buy LEGO to build the relevant set, not to keep in the loft and sell on a decade later.
Instead of worrying about keeping these boxes in the same shipshape way when I purchased them, I just simply flattened all of the boxes and put them inside a big see-through box.
Those sets that I disassembled to make space for a newer set are placed inside a well sealed plastic bag from IKEA, with a written label stating the name and model number of said set. These are also in a separate big see-through box.
I only have twelve books (my favourite or most personal ones), a shoebox of important letters/bank details and nary any physical games, films or music albums to my name.
I am a teacher so, I can quite happily borrow/lend books from our library. I only own a Switch Lite, and buy everything on the eShop. I have an Apple TV to buy or rent movies.
The fewer electronic devices you own, and not having an abundance of steaming services — be it for films, music or games — the easier it is to focus on things evenly.
Outside of LEGO, I have a few house plants pottered around, just to bring a little bit of nature indoors, and a few ornaments I brought home from the various places I have travelled to.
And that's about it!
It's nice to put all of this into words for a few folks to read on the internet ... 😊
Since we went through a pandemic, and since I had more time to myself at home, I went through every single possession I own.
It was time consuming, slighting frustrating and surprisingly additive once you got into the groove of things and, as of yesterday, I feel like I have achieved what I set out to do, and I feel at ease and very pleased with the end result.
My favourite thing about this process is seeing the reaction of a person you give away a perfectly new or a relatively unused item — clearly happy to receive something new/unused, albeit with a quizzical look of 'why are doing this?'.
The only thing I didn't worry too much about is my clothes; even before I begun this, I had a decent selection of tees, shirts, jumpers, trousers and shorts. There's a nice amount of clothes to keep in steady rotation for three weeks before I wear the same thing again.
And LEGO is a big hobby of mine! I buy LEGO to build the relevant set, not to keep in the loft and sell on a decade later.
Instead of worrying about keeping these boxes in the same shipshape way when I purchased them, I just simply flattened all of the boxes and put them inside a big see-through box.
Those sets that I disassembled to make space for a newer set are placed inside a well sealed plastic bag from IKEA, with a written label stating the name and model number of said set. These are also in a separate big see-through box.
I only have twelve books (my favourite or most personal ones), a shoebox of important letters/bank details and nary any physical games, films or music albums to my name.
I am a teacher so, I can quite happily borrow/lend books from our library. I only own a Switch Lite, and buy everything on the eShop. I have an Apple TV to buy or rent movies.
The fewer electronic devices you own, and not having an abundance of steaming services — be it for films, music or games — the easier it is to focus on things evenly.
Outside of LEGO, I have a few house plants pottered around, just to bring a little bit of nature indoors, and a few ornaments I brought home from the various places I have travelled to.
And that's about it!
It's nice to put all of this into words for a few folks to read on the internet ... 😊
OP
OP
Hey! Always happy to hear new success stories. The greatest feeling about a big declutter is that you'll rarely need to do it again.
Now that things are starting to re-open I've resumed purging stuff in earnest. Took 5-6 grocery bags of random stuff to the local Goodwill donation. I've got another bag full of all the books I read during lockdown that I no longer want to keep and will be going to the local bookstore to see what they'll take for trade-in (hoping to score another Terry Pratchett to read) and whatever they don't is going to the local library for sale. I've got a stack of board games that none of my friends want which is getting donated later this month. Selling video games is still a slow process and I'm probably going to reach out to the used game specialty store near my office once we get closer to heading back since I'm pretty sure the market value for some of these retro titles is like Atari 2600 ET 😂
I've already started making a mental list of what's likely going to end up in the next pass. I feel like the first pass was to just get rid of the easy stuff, now the hard part is figuring out which things I've never going to use again or I have no sentimental feelings around and ditching them.
I also finally got rid of the trash can I loathed having from my previous apartment. Replaced it with a much nicer Simplehuman that is probably more than a sane person would spend on a trash can, but it works really well for me and honestly it makes me so happy to have a nice looking "step to open" trash can. Like it brings a smile to my face from using it. I've got a couple other things around here which I have a similar loathing for and it's time to let them go or replace them with things I genuine like. Being deliberate with purchases is a part of minimalism right?
So I think that's my progress update. It's also kinda freeing thinking about the things I've gotten rid of and realizing how many times they've moved with me and just never were used. And then noticing that I'm carrying around fewer things now than a decade ago and I'm not done yet with reducing my footprint, and feeling oddly satisfied with that.
I've already started making a mental list of what's likely going to end up in the next pass. I feel like the first pass was to just get rid of the easy stuff, now the hard part is figuring out which things I've never going to use again or I have no sentimental feelings around and ditching them.
I also finally got rid of the trash can I loathed having from my previous apartment. Replaced it with a much nicer Simplehuman that is probably more than a sane person would spend on a trash can, but it works really well for me and honestly it makes me so happy to have a nice looking "step to open" trash can. Like it brings a smile to my face from using it. I've got a couple other things around here which I have a similar loathing for and it's time to let them go or replace them with things I genuine like. Being deliberate with purchases is a part of minimalism right?
So I think that's my progress update. It's also kinda freeing thinking about the things I've gotten rid of and realizing how many times they've moved with me and just never were used. And then noticing that I'm carrying around fewer things now than a decade ago and I'm not done yet with reducing my footprint, and feeling oddly satisfied with that.
OP
OP
Time for Summer Closet deep clean, so far so good as I've already have a small pile of things to throw away (rusted tin boxes from Yugioh, random cables) and things to give away as toys and small random stuff.
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OP
OP
So today I decluttered Facebook by deleting it completely.
Well actually I haven't deleted it yet because I sent a couple of messages requesting phone numbers to keep contact with a few people, but I will when/if they answer back by tomorrow.
Well actually I haven't deleted it yet because I sent a couple of messages requesting phone numbers to keep contact with a few people, but I will when/if they answer back by tomorrow.
Only bumping this cause I started purging things earlier this month. Got rid of everything I don't use cause my anxiety was going through the roof. Having too much stuff stresses me out.
I even took it a step further and created a personal uniform. So now all my clothes are black. Feels good to never think about what I'm wearing. Black shirt and black jeans 😂
I even took it a step further and created a personal uniform. So now all my clothes are black. Feels good to never think about what I'm wearing. Black shirt and black jeans 😂
I haven't posted in this thread in a while( and I see neither has anyone else lol). How's the minimalism journey going heading in 2023? Anyone relapsed( for lack of a better word) or holding strong? This last year I ended up getting a PS3 superslim and a Star Wars Xbox 360 console. Both have sat under my bed since, and I don't know what prompted me to buy them other than some FOMO about not having access to the PS3 library and having the 360 because 'this is a cool gadget', but they're just taking up space and have little utility for me. Both are going up on FB marketplace in the new year....
Dragonyeuw good on you for recognizing things you don't need and deciding to let someone else enjoy them instead.
This past year I've been fairly well-behaved with my consumerism. My wardrobe could probably use a going-over to see what's holding up, what might be past its prime, and what could benefit someone else. I've worked outdoors for 15 years so warm clothing and socks etc. have always been something I've been gifted frequently, but I could realistically donate a lot of stuff that's basically new to the local shelter. We've had a mild winter so far but January/February will be worse and people roughing it outside this time of year deserve quality.
I've purchased some miniatures for painting recently, which is a hobby I've engaged with off and on for decades. I put some money into my drum set, and replaced my PS4 with a PS5, and those are my main hobbies covered.
We purchased a generator as a backup; we were 8 days without power this year after a hurricane and I run a fridge, water pump, and sump pump off battery when power goes out. I'll use the inverter generator to charge the batteries, so it will run about an hour a day.
I'm taking asynchronous college courses now as well, so purchased a Windows laptop (Surface Laptop Go, I think?) to complement my iPad Pro, and it has worked out very well.
Overall, in review, it's been a good year for me for consumption. I made some purchases for hobbies but the majority of money spent this year was on the increased cost of living due to inflation, and money spent on our home making it more efficient and environmentally friendly (air sealing, switching from an oil burning furnace to heat pumps, etc.).
This past year I've been fairly well-behaved with my consumerism. My wardrobe could probably use a going-over to see what's holding up, what might be past its prime, and what could benefit someone else. I've worked outdoors for 15 years so warm clothing and socks etc. have always been something I've been gifted frequently, but I could realistically donate a lot of stuff that's basically new to the local shelter. We've had a mild winter so far but January/February will be worse and people roughing it outside this time of year deserve quality.
I've purchased some miniatures for painting recently, which is a hobby I've engaged with off and on for decades. I put some money into my drum set, and replaced my PS4 with a PS5, and those are my main hobbies covered.
We purchased a generator as a backup; we were 8 days without power this year after a hurricane and I run a fridge, water pump, and sump pump off battery when power goes out. I'll use the inverter generator to charge the batteries, so it will run about an hour a day.
I'm taking asynchronous college courses now as well, so purchased a Windows laptop (Surface Laptop Go, I think?) to complement my iPad Pro, and it has worked out very well.
Overall, in review, it's been a good year for me for consumption. I made some purchases for hobbies but the majority of money spent this year was on the increased cost of living due to inflation, and money spent on our home making it more efficient and environmentally friendly (air sealing, switching from an oil burning furnace to heat pumps, etc.).
Now that we have a baby (13 months old now), I haven't bought anything for myself (except a record here and there), but the shit we've bought for baby has started to clutter the house, especially now after his first birthday and Christmas where the grandparents bought him a TON of shit. We're not opening everything at once, and he's not getting anything again for a while, but it all does add to the clutter.
Though we are well aware that as he gets older, a lot of this shit will be gone!
Though we are well aware that as he gets older, a lot of this shit will be gone!
Christmas is my nightmare every year. Somehow my mom can not understand that I want nothing. Like literally zero gifts. Every year she gets me a huge bunch of stuff from like TJ Maxx or whatever (not expensive) and I just donate it and feel kind of guilty knowing she just threw away her time and money. But I've come to terms with the fact that she just gives the gifts to herself essentially. She wants to see me open stuff and play Christmas pretend every year even though I told her I don't want to…
I'm sure I sound like an asshole, it just makes me feel bad to get gifts I have zero interest in when I have explicitly asked not to. I like an uncluttered life and it's work to pretend I'm happy when I open them.
I'm sure I sound like an asshole, it just makes me feel bad to get gifts I have zero interest in when I have explicitly asked not to. I like an uncluttered life and it's work to pretend I'm happy when I open them.
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I´m currently going through an almost-existentialist tendency towards minimalism. Just to name some examples:
-Job/career: this year I decided to work less hours, after reaching what was arguably the peak of my carreer at a very high personal cost. I don´t really need 4 jobs, even when living in my beloved but inflation-ridden Argentina. I am currently negotiating in order to transform my main role into a part-time, full-WFH one. At 40, I have already reached my (very modest) main financial / material objectives.
-Housing: I recently renovated the little house which belonged to my grandparents in order to modernize it and live there undefinitely. It is considerably smaller and humbler than my previous residence, but it is also exponentially easier to maintain and it´s more than enough for my foreseeable needs. I´m trying to limit decoration, furniture and equipment to a reasonable minimum. I´ve recently noticed that I developed an aversion towards overloaded rooms; for example, I can´t believe how my mother-in-law managed to fill every space in her very large house with things she doesn´t really need.
I´m even getting rid of some physical books.
-Transportation: I was about to change my adored 2006 Ford Focus MK1 for a newer (yet more basic) model. I ultimately decided against it, as it would have been financially inconvenient and functionally irrelevant. I am also returning to my bicycle and to public transportation.
-Gaming: I could afford a gaming PC or a Series X. That said, my humble Series S gives me everything I need. It is small, silent, and it is even in aesthetic synergy with the rest of my living room. What´s more, I am ready to jump to cloud-gaming only as soon as my complete Xbox library is playable there.
Also: Would it be nice to add a soundbar, a soundwoofer, or something like that? Of course. Do I really need that on a day-per-day basis? No.
-Job/career: this year I decided to work less hours, after reaching what was arguably the peak of my carreer at a very high personal cost. I don´t really need 4 jobs, even when living in my beloved but inflation-ridden Argentina. I am currently negotiating in order to transform my main role into a part-time, full-WFH one. At 40, I have already reached my (very modest) main financial / material objectives.
-Housing: I recently renovated the little house which belonged to my grandparents in order to modernize it and live there undefinitely. It is considerably smaller and humbler than my previous residence, but it is also exponentially easier to maintain and it´s more than enough for my foreseeable needs. I´m trying to limit decoration, furniture and equipment to a reasonable minimum. I´ve recently noticed that I developed an aversion towards overloaded rooms; for example, I can´t believe how my mother-in-law managed to fill every space in her very large house with things she doesn´t really need.
I´m even getting rid of some physical books.
-Transportation: I was about to change my adored 2006 Ford Focus MK1 for a newer (yet more basic) model. I ultimately decided against it, as it would have been financially inconvenient and functionally irrelevant. I am also returning to my bicycle and to public transportation.
-Gaming: I could afford a gaming PC or a Series X. That said, my humble Series S gives me everything I need. It is small, silent, and it is even in aesthetic synergy with the rest of my living room. What´s more, I am ready to jump to cloud-gaming only as soon as my complete Xbox library is playable there.
Also: Would it be nice to add a soundbar, a soundwoofer, or something like that? Of course. Do I really need that on a day-per-day basis? No.
I feel ya. I have two now (3 year old and 4 month old) we had to tell our families to stop buying stuff and put it towards a college fund instead. We started saving Christmas/Birthday presents and spreading them throughout the year. I step on so much crap nowadays. Our upstairs is a minefield.
It's always tough with kids. A few times a year, especially after Christmas, I make them go through toys and stuffed animals to donate some to make room for the new ones.
"The Great Buddy Sort".
They grumble sometimes but end up feeling good to possibly help other kids out.
I love living as minimal as I can. My ex wife was a pack rat and the clutter just killed me. I hated it, we had entire rooms in the old house just filled with boxes, crap we didn't need from living at 5 other places over 17 years. I could never get her to go through it. It was the best thing for me to downsize into a smaller townhouse and just purge as much as I could.
"The Great Buddy Sort".
They grumble sometimes but end up feeling good to possibly help other kids out.
I love living as minimal as I can. My ex wife was a pack rat and the clutter just killed me. I hated it, we had entire rooms in the old house just filled with boxes, crap we didn't need from living at 5 other places over 17 years. I could never get her to go through it. It was the best thing for me to downsize into a smaller townhouse and just purge as much as I could.
Gaming is the real end-game of minimalism for me, because I'm sure we've all had experience of sellers regret especially when you have a hankering to play something you sold and it's now 4 times higher in price. But the older I get, I have really become more comfortable with the idea that I won't play every game I want, like I won't watch every movie, read every book or listen to every album. Cutting the cord on several gaming consoles and converging as much as I can on a gaming PC has really elevated my enjoyment of the hobby, with more focus on playing /experiencing than acquiring.
Dragonyeuw absolutely. I used to have every system so I didn't miss out any exclusives. Now I think that's pretty stupid; I don't have enough time to play every amazing game on a single platform, let alone 3+. So I picked one platform, and mobile has some stuff supplementary to that as well that fits my needs. There is too much entertainment to engage with all of it, especially if you have hobbies outside of being a video game addict.
Yeah, traditionally I've always been a multi-console owner since the 16bit era and you never want to feel like you're missing out on something, but I'm honestly over it nowadays. Two years into the current gen and I couldn't be less interested.
Especially with subscriptions now I feel like the best value is picking the platform that has the most games you're interested in, and then just downloading sub service games to fill whatever time you have left. I used to be able to play through 10-20 40hr+ games a year. Now I can barely do 2.
So yeah, the aforementioned PS3 and 360 with respective games are up on FB. Sold off a few 3ds games yesterday and have pending sales for a few more this week, and a couple of Switch games I bought because 'it was a good deal' but I'm not really interested in playing.