Comments on: If You’re Not Using It, Get Rid of It: Ten Ways to Declutter and Put Cash in Your Pocket http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/ Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:09:50 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Dennis Go http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-627490 Dennis Go Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:23:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-627490 Hording is a recognized mental illness. Your relative will NEVER voluntarily change. She has a need to accumulate stuff. It is a true addiction. Therapists who treat this are few and far between. Like any other problem of this type (ex stopping smoking or excercising more), no treatment can start until the patient acknowledges the problem AND wishes treatment. good luck Hording is a recognized mental illness. Your relative will NEVER voluntarily change. She has a need to accumulate stuff. It is a true addiction. Therapists who treat this are few and far between. Like any other problem of this type (ex stopping smoking or excercising more), no treatment can start until the patient acknowledges the problem AND wishes treatment. good luck

]]> By: K-Cat http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-391017 K-Cat Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:46:34 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-391017 My mom has this problem on a bigger level. Much bigger. She has 3, count them 3, storage rooms FULL of junk. I would say 90-95% of it is literally complete junk that is unneeded, that holds no memories of any kind. Each one of these rooms is larger than my entire apartment (about 1000 sq ft packed to the gills - my apt for 2 people and 2 cats to *live* in is 735 sq ft - EACH). And it gets worse: she's going into more and more debt (she's already in a ton of debt) each month purchasing more items that she simply puts directly into storage. She just needs the thrill of purchasing or something. And it gets worse still! She can't afford the cost of these storage rooms each month, so she puts the balance on credit cards. For some reason, she doesn't see her foolishness. She comes to me all the time complaining about money problems, complaining that she can't afford to do anything she likes. I tell her she needs to get rid of storage and she simply won't do it. I went to help her pick out things to get rid of on several occasions, but everything is precious. I personally folded 3 large moving boxes worth of *brand new* clothing. Tags still on. Many more boxes still of actually used clothing. The same thing with purses and shoes. The madness never ends. She can't see something as no longer having value to her - "it will fit me again one day" or "it's so cute, I'll wear it someday" are what I hear about every item. I like a cute shoe as much as the next girl, but come on. How do you get someone like this to declutter? It's basically ruining her life and she tells me she's trying to declutter but it's just not true. She's not able to follow any of the guidelines you've just posted, for even 1 item. Also you mention you like to bring everything out onto the floor so you can see it, then put it back nicely. My mom likes to bring everything out too - only then she gets fed up with going through it and wants to put it back in 2 secs, so she ends up throwing everything in. And breaking things. Things so precious she can't get rid of in some way, yet she can break them. This has served as a great example for me of what not to do. As a child I would grow out of some toys, Barbie for example. But I would never be allowed to pass them on to a friend's sibling, or donate them, or even simply toss them. Packrattery was forced upon me. In the last year alone, my first year of living on my own post-college, I went through and picked out things to declutter 3 times. It felt great. Sorry for venting in your comment area. But I would really love to find a solution for my mom! My mom has this problem on a bigger level. Much bigger. She has 3, count them 3, storage rooms FULL of junk. I would say 90-95% of it is literally complete junk that is unneeded, that holds no memories of any kind. Each one of these rooms is larger than my entire apartment (about 1000 sq ft packed to the gills – my apt for 2 people and 2 cats to *live* in is 735 sq ft – EACH). And it gets worse: she’s going into more and more debt (she’s already in a ton of debt) each month purchasing more items that she simply puts directly into storage. She just needs the thrill of purchasing or something. And it gets worse still! She can’t afford the cost of these storage rooms each month, so she puts the balance on credit cards. For some reason, she doesn’t see her foolishness. She comes to me all the time complaining about money problems, complaining that she can’t afford to do anything she likes. I tell her she needs to get rid of storage and she simply won’t do it. I went to help her pick out things to get rid of on several occasions, but everything is precious. I personally folded 3 large moving boxes worth of *brand new* clothing. Tags still on. Many more boxes still of actually used clothing. The same thing with purses and shoes. The madness never ends. She can’t see something as no longer having value to her – “it will fit me again one day” or “it’s so cute, I’ll wear it someday” are what I hear about every item. I like a cute shoe as much as the next girl, but come on. How do you get someone like this to declutter? It’s basically ruining her life and she tells me she’s trying to declutter but it’s just not true. She’s not able to follow any of the guidelines you’ve just posted, for even 1 item.

Also you mention you like to bring everything out onto the floor so you can see it, then put it back nicely. My mom likes to bring everything out too – only then she gets fed up with going through it and wants to put it back in 2 secs, so she ends up throwing everything in. And breaking things. Things so precious she can’t get rid of in some way, yet she can break them.

This has served as a great example for me of what not to do. As a child I would grow out of some toys, Barbie for example. But I would never be allowed to pass them on to a friend’s sibling, or donate them, or even simply toss them. Packrattery was forced upon me. In the last year alone, my first year of living on my own post-college, I went through and picked out things to declutter 3 times. It felt great.

Sorry for venting in your comment area. But I would really love to find a solution for my mom!

]]> By: Until Debt Do US Part http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-381455 Until Debt Do US Part Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:46:02 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-381455 I find that once I have a big clear out of the clutter that it sets me right for a long time. However, because I can slip into the cluttering mode quite quickly I need to schedule decluttering exercises quite regularly. A few years back a friend of mine was a sworn pack rat. Unfortunately his house caught fire. Luckily no one was hurt but he lost a lot of his stuff due to fire and smoke damage. As a result he decided just to get rid of everything that was left and start afresh. Today he lives in a minimalist's heaven. Not a bit of clutter in sight. The transformation was amazing but the really interesting thing is that he is not half as stressed as he used to be. When questioned on his lower stress levels he replied that the clutter in his home was boxing him in and he felt smothered and stressed coming home to a cluttered house. In a bizarre way the fire was a blessing. I don't think that he ever would have been able to muster the energy and determination to clear the clutter if it wasn't for the fire. I find that once I have a big clear out of the clutter that it sets me right for a long time. However, because I can slip into the cluttering mode quite quickly I need to schedule decluttering exercises quite regularly.

A few years back a friend of mine was a sworn pack rat. Unfortunately his house caught fire. Luckily no one was hurt but he lost a lot of his stuff due to fire and smoke damage. As a result he decided just to get rid of everything that was left and start afresh.

Today he lives in a minimalist’s heaven. Not a bit of clutter in sight. The transformation was amazing but the really interesting thing is that he is not half as stressed as he used to be. When questioned on his lower stress levels he replied that the clutter in his home was boxing him in and he felt smothered and stressed coming home to a cluttered house. In a bizarre way the fire was a blessing.

I don’t think that he ever would have been able to muster the energy and determination to clear the clutter if it wasn’t for the fire.

]]> By: michael bash http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-380348 michael bash Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:41:28 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-380348 The simplest stuff rule I learned years ago is, "If you don't use it at least once a year, get rid of it; you don't need it." This allows Christmas decorations, and that's that. The simplest stuff rule I learned years ago is, “If you don’t use it at least once a year, get rid of it; you don’t need it.” This allows Christmas decorations, and that’s that.

]]> By: Mrs. P http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-378326 Mrs. P Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:55:43 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-378326 CyanSquirrel, I hope you revisit this thread. You sound like a good candidate for the Flylady--please google and visit her. If you subscribe to her emails, you will get an easy program to help rescue your home. I'm no perfect declutter-er, but using some of her strategies has at least empowered me to feel as if the mighty mess is attackable! Whenever I DO bag up some surplus clothes, place it in my car immediately, and drive it to the Salvation Army on my next car trip, I really experience a huge rush of satisfaction and pride. When I declutter so much as a book shelf, I feel great--and so will you. She may be a bit corny and folksy -- too much for some people, her techniques are do-able and you'll get results. CyanSquirrel, I hope you revisit this thread. You sound like a good candidate for the Flylady–please google and visit her. If you subscribe to her emails, you will get an easy program to help rescue your home. I’m no perfect declutter-er, but using some of her strategies has at least empowered me to feel as if the mighty mess is attackable! Whenever I DO bag up some surplus clothes, place it in my car immediately, and drive it to the Salvation Army on my next car trip, I really experience a huge rush of satisfaction and pride. When I declutter so much as a book shelf, I feel great–and so will you. She may be a bit corny and folksy — too much for some people, her techniques are do-able and you’ll get results.

]]> By: CyanSquirrel http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-377713 CyanSquirrel Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:20:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-377713 I SO WANT TO DO THIS...but I cannot seem to find the time. My husband is content to walk around piles of stuff as if it weren't even there. I have a mother and a mother-in-law that are like commenter #34's (Shan Oh) in various ways, which doesn't help. It;s hard to find time to do this when both parents work and we have an infant son who gets the bulk of our attention by choice. Sighs...it's so frustrating. I am STRONGLY anti-clutter, just currently feeling so helpless as I look at the boxes and closet-fulls of crap we have (crap cuz we never touch it!!!) Some are heirlooms, others are boxes of unorganized photos. Some are broken electronics you can't just toss but that we have had no time to drop off at the proper place. Life is a clutter magnet, and I've coped by simply ignoring it after my requests and pleas for help to organize and declutter have been rebuffed. Again, sighs....this hits so close to home. I don't even want to sell it. I just want the stuff GONE! I SO WANT TO DO THIS…but I cannot seem to find the time. My husband is content to walk around piles of stuff as if it weren’t even there. I have a mother and a mother-in-law that are like commenter #34’s (Shan Oh) in various ways, which doesn’t help. It;s hard to find time to do this when both parents work and we have an infant son who gets the bulk of our attention by choice. Sighs…it’s so frustrating. I am STRONGLY anti-clutter, just currently feeling so helpless as I look at the boxes and closet-fulls of crap we have (crap cuz we never touch it!!!) Some are heirlooms, others are boxes of unorganized photos. Some are broken electronics you can’t just toss but that we have had no time to drop off at the proper place. Life is a clutter magnet, and I’ve coped by simply ignoring it after my requests and pleas for help to organize and declutter have been rebuffed. Again, sighs….this hits so close to home. I don’t even want to sell it. I just want the stuff GONE!

]]> By: Mrs. P http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-377223 Mrs. P Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:52:18 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-377223 I disagree with emptying a space completely to organize. That is a huge amount of time devoted to a task that is probably unpalatable to most people. If it takes that long to do, people will put it off or just never do it. Plus once you empty a closet, you could lose interest in refilling it so now you have a huge mess to walk around until you get re-inspired to clean it up. I recommend the Flylady approach to decluttering: 15 minutes at a time. Systematically perform tasks aimed at decluttering. Don’t try to do it all at once. You didn’t accumulate the mess in an hour and it will take more than an hour to rescue the space. At my house we have attacked the kids rooms to declutter, but it is so dreadful a job that we do it only once a year or so. To keep messes down, most Sundays after church we sit in the room with the kids (1 parent per kid) and have them declutter a zone in their room, encourage them to throw away papers and broken and disparate stuff, and tidy up horizontal surfaces that tend to get messy. A little bit of work a week has really made a difference! I disagree with emptying a space completely to organize. That is a huge amount of time devoted to a task that is probably unpalatable to most people. If it takes that long to do, people will put it off or just never do it. Plus once you empty a closet, you could lose interest in refilling it so now you have a huge mess to walk around until you get re-inspired to clean it up. I recommend the Flylady approach to decluttering: 15 minutes at a time. Systematically perform tasks aimed at decluttering. Don’t try to do it all at once. You didn’t accumulate the mess in an hour and it will take more than an hour to rescue the space.

At my house we have attacked the kids rooms to declutter, but it is so dreadful a job that we do it only once a year or so. To keep messes down, most Sundays after church we sit in the room with the kids (1 parent per kid) and have them declutter a zone in their room, encourage them to throw away papers and broken and disparate stuff, and tidy up horizontal surfaces that tend to get messy. A little bit of work a week has really made a difference!

]]> By: Olivia http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376837 Olivia Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:02:05 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376837 Thank you Sunshine! We actually just took a lot of things out to the curb, and they were gone within minutes! And I'm talking furniture, craft supplies, home decorating items. If I was afraid people might be afraid to take some items, I taped signs to the things like, " Free to a good home!" or ,"Please take me, I'm Free!". We took many trips to the goodwill drop off too, and any item that was too big for us to move, we scheduled a pickup from the salvation army. Smaller items were sorted together and postd on the craigslist "free" section (I gave up on the people in my local freecycle after many, many no-shows). I had also thought about seeking out housefire vicitms,since it was all housewares, but didn't find any ( which I was quite thankful for!) My point is that there are many, many ways to rid yourself of the clutter, and feel Really Good about it. I loved the idea of someone's day being brightened by an item mom bought- since shopping was an addiction to her all those things just brought her pain. I also would suggest to anyone having a hard time parting with that clutter, check out www.flylady.net - Thank God I knew about that site before mom passed!! Thank you Sunshine! We actually just took a lot of things out to the curb, and they were gone within minutes! And I’m talking furniture, craft supplies, home decorating items. If I was afraid people might be afraid to take some items, I taped signs to the things like, ” Free to a good home!” or ,”Please take me, I’m Free!”. We took many trips to the goodwill drop off too, and any item that was too big for us to move, we scheduled a pickup from the salvation army. Smaller items were sorted together and postd on the craigslist “free” section (I gave up on the people in my local freecycle after many, many no-shows). I had also thought about seeking out housefire vicitms,since it was all housewares, but didn’t find any ( which I was quite thankful for!)

My point is that there are many, many ways to rid yourself of the clutter, and feel Really Good about it. I loved the idea of someone’s day being brightened by an item mom bought- since shopping was an addiction to her all those things just brought her pain. I also would suggest to anyone having a hard time parting with that clutter, check out http://www.flylady.net – Thank God I knew about that site before mom passed!!

]]> By: queueu http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376735 queueu Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:42:49 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376735 @#26: Interested in selling those HK dvds? On the cheap obviously ;) @#26:

Interested in selling those HK dvds? On the cheap obviously ;)

]]> By: Carol http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376424 Carol Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:00:23 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376424 Hi all, regarding discarding gifts that are suppose to have sentimental value, I just received an *early* birthday gift (my birthday is in December) from my Motherinlaw b/c apparently she was so excited to give it to me, but it's not something I want! How do you tell someone you do NOT want any more items for your collection? People tend to get you something for your collection, but no thank you. Sadly, the only thing I could really use for any gift-giving occasion is cold hard cash (for paying off debt), not more STUFF. But how do you tell people that? You would come across as a big *SNOB*. Hi all, regarding discarding gifts that are suppose to have sentimental value, I just received an *early* birthday gift (my birthday is in December) from my Motherinlaw b/c apparently she was so excited to give it to me, but it’s not something I want! How do you tell someone you do NOT want any more items for your collection? People tend to get you something for your collection, but no thank you. Sadly, the only thing I could really use for any gift-giving occasion is cold hard cash (for paying off debt), not more STUFF. But how do you tell people that? You would come across as a big *SNOB*.

]]> By: Shan Oh http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376423 Shan Oh Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:58:23 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376423 Sentiment: Trent, I have an unusual sitution, and I'd love to hear your take on what my husband and I should do. My mother-in-law (MIL) is a classic hoarder. Her house is full (to the ceilings, paths wandering through the stuff to important things, like light switches and the restroom). She likes to buy things, especially on sale, and add them to the pile - year in and year out. My concern and consternation is this: She is a prodigious gift giver. Now that I've married her son, she gives us many, many unwanted and un-needed gifts for our home. Cheap mandolin slicers that break after two uses. A moldy pressure canner she got at a garage sale that she's sure I can 'clean out' and use someday. Large wrought iron deck furniture for an 8 foot by 10 foot deck. Ten styrofoam carvable pumpkins for autumn decorating. It goes on and on. I dread Christmas because we get twenty presents or more...EACH! I do appreciate the idea of her giving us gifts - and some are actually very useful and welcomed. However, when she visits she demands to see each and every gift she has given us (she has an unfortunately good memory), and demands to know how we've used it. If I can't produce the item, she becomes suspicious and angry, and accuses me of mistreating her and not appreciating her gifts. I regularly de-clutter, and if something breaks, I definately toss it. Many times I end up passing on the stuff she gives me to other people who could use it more...and I mistakenly told MIL that once. She had a very loud and angry fit over my 'rudeness'. She accused the person I gave that gift to of stealing when she saw her next, and I was horribly embarrased. I've now taken to piling up her gifts in our crawl space, and I am careful to mention all of the gifts she's given us that we use and like when she visits - but the pile of unused stuff that she has bullied us into keeping just keeps growing. My husband has spoken to her directly, but she pretty much ignored his request to stop giving us so many gifts. I do know she probably needs some sort of mental help (working on that) but I wonder if others have this problem of other people's sentiment affecting their ability to live in a simple and uncluttered house? Are there any suggestions out there for graciously decluttering that I may have missed? Sentiment:

Trent, I have an unusual sitution, and I’d love to hear your take on what my husband and I should do. My mother-in-law (MIL) is a classic hoarder. Her house is full (to the ceilings, paths wandering through the stuff to important things, like light switches and the restroom). She likes to buy things, especially on sale, and add them to the pile – year in and year out.

My concern and consternation is this: She is a prodigious gift giver. Now that I’ve married her son, she gives us many, many unwanted and un-needed gifts for our home. Cheap mandolin slicers that break after two uses. A moldy pressure canner she got at a garage sale that she’s sure I can ‘clean out’ and use someday. Large wrought iron deck furniture for an 8 foot by 10 foot deck. Ten styrofoam carvable pumpkins for autumn decorating. It goes on and on. I dread Christmas because we get twenty presents or more…EACH!

I do appreciate the idea of her giving us gifts – and some are actually very useful and welcomed. However, when she visits she demands to see each and every gift she has given us (she has an unfortunately good memory), and demands to know how we’ve used it. If I can’t produce the item, she becomes suspicious and angry, and accuses me of mistreating her and not appreciating her gifts. I regularly de-clutter, and if something breaks, I definately toss it. Many times I end up passing on the stuff she gives me to other people who could use it more…and I mistakenly told MIL that once. She had a very loud and angry fit over my ‘rudeness’. She accused the person I gave that gift to of stealing when she saw her next, and I was horribly embarrased.

I’ve now taken to piling up her gifts in our crawl space, and I am careful to mention all of the gifts she’s given us that we use and like when she visits – but the pile of unused stuff that she has bullied us into keeping just keeps growing. My husband has spoken to her directly, but she pretty much ignored his request to stop giving us so many gifts.

I do know she probably needs some sort of mental help (working on that) but I wonder if others have this problem of other people’s sentiment affecting their ability to live in a simple and uncluttered house? Are there any suggestions out there for graciously decluttering that I may have missed?

]]> By: Kira =] http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376296 Kira =] Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:00:13 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376296 And don't forget the best months for having a yard sale are April, May, June AND September! =] And don’t forget the best months for having a yard sale are April, May, June AND September! =]

]]> By: Cookie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376261 Cookie Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:09:09 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376261 Trent: This post inspired me. Thanks! I took outgrown kids clothes to a local consignment where I received 20% more by accepting a store credit (I would have blown the cash) They also sell new and used Halloween costumes so we'll be shopping for our kids costumes there and still have a credit left over. The store also sell new items like dancewear, gift items and educational items like curriculum based workbooks, puzzles etc so the credit will never go to waste. Trent: This post inspired me. Thanks! I took outgrown kids clothes to a local consignment where I received 20% more by accepting a store credit (I would have blown the cash) They also sell new and used Halloween costumes so we’ll be shopping for our kids costumes there and still have a credit left over. The store also sell new items like dancewear, gift items and educational items like curriculum based workbooks, puzzles etc so the credit will never go to waste.

]]> By: MJ http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-376240 MJ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:07:08 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-376240 I think this is a serious problem! We all have way too much stuff. Me as well i plan to take one room at a time and really get down to barebones! I go through my kitchen twice a year. one year it saved my life. There was a recall and I didnt buy that brand but there in the back of the cabinet was a can of it. I dontate to the rescue mission usually 3 to 4 boxes. plus I get rid of all the expired food stuff and toss it out! That buy 1 get 1 free doesnt help if you dont remeber what you have in there and dont use it and keep buying more stuff! Blessings! I think this is a serious problem! We all have way too much stuff. Me as well i plan to take one room at a time and really get down to barebones! I go through my kitchen twice a year. one year it saved my life. There was a recall and I didnt buy that brand but there in the back of the cabinet was a can of it. I dontate to the rescue mission usually 3 to 4 boxes. plus I get rid of all the expired food stuff and toss it out! That buy 1 get 1 free doesnt help if you dont remeber what you have in there and dont use it and keep buying more stuff! Blessings!

]]> By: Misty http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375776 Misty Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:08:35 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375776 Good tips- another thing worth stating is that you have to be in the mood for it. Depending on my mood- I can be a toss away queen- but then other times I want to hold on to everything! Good tips- another thing worth stating is that you have to be in the mood for it. Depending on my mood- I can be a toss away queen- but then other times I want to hold on to everything!

]]> By: kyle5434 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375595 kyle5434 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:52:44 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375595 Just this past weekend I listed a pair of unused speakers (nice Paradigm Monitor 5s) which had been sitting in the basement, as well as a fairly new but little-used digital camera, on craigslist. It was the first time I'd ever used craigslist, but within 30 hours both items were out of the house and I had cash in my pocket, and I didn't have to ship anything. So if you're in a big enough city or town, craigslist may be a viable alternative to eBay in your decluttering efforts. And while I haven't tried it, a friend I know uses freecycle to get rid of stuff she doesn't want anymore. She says people will haul off almost anything for you and save your from hauling it to the dump! Just this past weekend I listed a pair of unused speakers (nice Paradigm Monitor 5s) which had been sitting in the basement, as well as a fairly new but little-used digital camera, on craigslist. It was the first time I’d ever used craigslist, but within 30 hours both items were out of the house and I had cash in my pocket, and I didn’t have to ship anything. So if you’re in a big enough city or town, craigslist may be a viable alternative to eBay in your decluttering efforts.

And while I haven’t tried it, a friend I know uses freecycle to get rid of stuff she doesn’t want anymore. She says people will haul off almost anything for you and save your from hauling it to the dump!

]]> By: Sally http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375579 Sally Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:04:25 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375579 You have hit the feng shui nail right on the head! This is an AWESOME article. The accumulation of stuff/financial issues go hand in hand. I used to be so much more of an impulse buyer - and end up with JUNK! Now I am much more interested in quality vs. quantity. I still struggle with it from time to time and have turned into a serial "returner" However, it is definitely about habits (aside from the emotional aspects.) Don't look @ the sales flyers, don't go to the mall.....just say no to more stuff to clutter up your life. You have hit the feng shui nail right on the head! This is an AWESOME article. The accumulation of stuff/financial issues go hand in hand. I used to be so much more of an impulse buyer – and end up with JUNK! Now I am much more interested in quality vs. quantity. I still struggle with it from time to time and have turned into a serial “returner” However, it is definitely about habits (aside from the emotional aspects.) Don’t look @ the sales flyers, don’t go to the mall…..just say no to more stuff to clutter up your life.

]]> By: Everyday Finance http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375561 Everyday Finance Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:36:22 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375561 Great, I'm making my wife read this! I can't even articulate the amount of stuff we have laying around that we don't need (OK, I'm guilty too.). Incidentally, I had posted recently on using gift card exchange sites to sell your gift cards that are laying around doing nothing (or you can buy one at a 10% plus discount). Great, I’m making my wife read this!
I can’t even articulate the amount of stuff we have laying around that we don’t need (OK, I’m guilty too.).
Incidentally, I had posted recently on using gift card exchange sites to sell your gift cards that are laying around doing nothing (or you can buy one at a 10% plus discount).

]]> By: battra92 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375555 battra92 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:31:01 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375555 My first boss, God rest his soul, had an interesting way of cleaning the shop. He would designate one area as a "disaster area" and basically when cleaning he would pull things out and pile them up in that area. Then he would put things back disposing of what needed to go and then leaving a small mess in the disaster area which would then become the next clean zone. Media collections are the hardest for me to get rid of. I have a HUGE Hong Kong film collection, many only watched once (some not at all) and while in college I had time to be a student of foreign films I find now they are just collecting dust. Part of me wants to get rid of them but I just can't. Books, magazines, toys, old computer parts etc. I can dispose of with ease. At least with my VHS collection (recorded off air) I'm converting it over to DVD-R and tossing those big bulky tapes. At least that saves some room. I'm also giving away a lot of the VHS tapes which for some reason, some people actually want! My first boss, God rest his soul, had an interesting way of cleaning the shop. He would designate one area as a “disaster area” and basically when cleaning he would pull things out and pile them up in that area. Then he would put things back disposing of what needed to go and then leaving a small mess in the disaster area which would then become the next clean zone.

Media collections are the hardest for me to get rid of. I have a HUGE Hong Kong film collection, many only watched once (some not at all) and while in college I had time to be a student of foreign films I find now they are just collecting dust. Part of me wants to get rid of them but I just can’t. Books, magazines, toys, old computer parts etc. I can dispose of with ease.

At least with my VHS collection (recorded off air) I’m converting it over to DVD-R and tossing those big bulky tapes. At least that saves some room. I’m also giving away a lot of the VHS tapes which for some reason, some people actually want!

]]> By: Sunshine http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/comment-page-1/#comment-375543 Sunshine Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:42:50 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/15/if-youre-not-using-it-get-rid-of-it-ten-ways-to-declutter-and-put-cash-in-your-pocket/#comment-375543 Olivia (#16), I am so with you on that. My partner and I have been holding on to stuff (antiques, collectibles, books, etc.) for *years* because we're *going* to sell it. We've gotten to the point of just donating stuff and letting somebody else find the treasure. For us, it's more of a hindrance to sell stuff and, like you said, the peice of mind and the satisfaction of just getting rid of stuff is priceless! Olivia (#16), I am so with you on that. My partner and I have been holding on to stuff (antiques, collectibles, books, etc.) for *years* because we’re *going* to sell it. We’ve gotten to the point of just donating stuff and letting somebody else find the treasure. For us, it’s more of a hindrance to sell stuff and, like you said, the peice of mind and the satisfaction of just getting rid of stuff is priceless!

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