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Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 8:44:54 AM

CarrieO

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I've finally hit a point where I'm closing one chapter of my life and, hopefully, moving onto the next. Part of the preparation for this change is releasing some of the stuff I've collected over the years. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm far from being a pack rat. I do seasonal cleaning out...1 year for clothes and 6 months for other stuff. Heck, my place is small...about the size of some storage units

and the thought of allowing things to pile up isn't something I allow.

That being said...do I really need to keep all the Mother Earth News magazines I've been recieving for the past 5 years or boxes of cassettes (old school...I know) that can't play anymore because I got rid of my cassette player? What about the 2 coffee makers I have 'just in case' or the rowing machine that will NEVER get used?

I read an article in Sunday's New York Times Magazine...HERE ...that asks the question "What is it that makes us store elsewhere all the stuff we accumulate?" and it got me thinking. When is it too much? When do you say to yourself "I don't need this, I can let it go now"?

*edited because my 'e' key doesn't always work...ugh!

< Message edited by CarrieO -- 9/10/2009 8:51:16 AM >

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 8:50:47 AM

Wolf2Bear

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With everyday junk and stuff I seem to pack rat away, I'll go through everything and any I actually want I keep. All else I'll see what I can give away to friends who may need it or else I'll donate what I can to various charities and what is left over gets sent to the dump.

< Message edited by Wolf2Bear -- 9/10/2009 8:52:13 AM >

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:01:22 AM

Toppingfrmbottom

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I either use it, or get rid of it. If it's super sentimental or something and not useful any more I'll keep it.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:07:39 AM

Lockit

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In the past, I move and donate it or give it to the neighbors. lol I learned not to get too attached, although there are some things I wouldn't wish to give up, I had to... only so much fits into a van. I miss some things and have gotten used to not having them. Of course I go shopping for more new or used things. I like treasure hunting. So I am always dealing with my attraction to pretty and useful things or things I can make something out of and cleaning it all out at some point. My grandfather taught me to keep things because you never knew when you would need them. It was smart to a point... but leads to things packed everywhere for that day of a depression in a bank account and a need later on. I am learning not to prepare so much!

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:13:46 AM

servantforuse

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Trying to sell stuff is a pain. I box my un- wanted stuff and either Purple Heart or Goodwill will come pick it up.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:21:00 AM

PyrotheClown

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any good cassettes? I still rock my walk man

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:22:21 AM

CarrieO

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Thanks for the replies so far.

I agree...giving things away or doing something like freecycle or freemesa is great. The folks at the local thrift store know me on a first name basis I bring so much in. I'm always helping others to organize and go through things, I've gotten a bit side-tracked in doing this for myself.

What I'm wondering is when can you let something go? Sentimental things or collections you no longer collect? I found a plastic bin of beanie babies (remember those things?) at a friend's house that she had forgotten about. We gave them to the thrift store and she was laughing while saying "it was so important for me to collect those darn things and look how important they are now".

Has it reached a point for anyone where you need to rent a storage unit or devote a room (or 2) just to storage of "useful items"? How much is enough?

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:23:30 AM

CarrieO

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quote:

ORIGINAL: PyrotheClown

any good cassettes? I still rock my walk man

Good is relative

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:24:45 AM

PyrotheClown

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it's a pile of hair bands, isn't it....

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:26:20 AM

CarrieO

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:26:58 AM

SweetNika

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I am constantly purging and getting rid of things weather clothes, toys, or other items around my house that are no longer being used. I don't throw things away. I typically will call a local church or shelter or ask neighbors if they might be able to use them I have a personal issue with good will and salvation army because they tend to charge so much for items that have been donated to them.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:28:32 AM

Lockit

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I have a box and a back pack full of old cassettes that I hope to be able to convert to cd when I can afford the machine. I have kept them for years and won't give them up. It's my music and movie fetish and I don't want to be cured!

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:38:16 AM

Phoenixpower

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CarrieO
What about the 2 coffee makers I have 'just in case'

lol, that line makes me laugh.

I am currently involved with a guy whom I met in person in may at my place...at that time I was financially a bit on the edge as I just had not enough work shifts next to my uni times (when I can only work three days a week then I am simply dependent on what shifts are available and it does not help when the great shifts area available on the days where I have to be at uni or placement.) However, already before we met he encouraged me to sell my uni books, the ones which I don't need anymore on amazon or ebay and by that way I got quite some many back in short time (via amazon in particular).

Now, the reason why your line made me laugh was because he kept (and still keeps) telling me to sell 2 of my 3 printers and at least one of my 2 breadmakers...I don't have them "just in case" originally, but it happened (my printer did not work anymore, so I bought another one which for whatever reasons I never managed to install - neither via downloaded software nor with the included software - so I bought another one...which again did not work...so I then decided to try something else before buying another printer (my place is also small and I don't want to be living in a warehouse) and at the end just my usb cable was damaged..so a new on of those and my original printer did work again...now, do I sell those 2 printers now??? He wishes I would but I won't...by now it is "just in case" as after all I still have one year uni left and so far I don't know when exactly I will leave this country, so is no point really to sell it now, apart from that I won't get that much for it anyway.

Apart from that he also asked me to sell at least one of my breadmakers...now, why do I have two...again I used my normal one but the result which came out was not eatable (I used ready made breadversions from Germany)...so I bought another one...and it did not lead to an eatable result either.

After having a closer look on the package I realised those were outdated since quite a few months...so that was the cause ... but does that lead me now the hassle to sell it? Nope, at my current stage of life I can't be bothered to sell it.

Whilst this guy and I met he offered me to install my router (whilst I am fairly good with computers I didn't manage to do that one either *sigh*), he asked me what router I do have...so I opened my drawer and realised *shit*...by then he had seen that I have even 2 of those...Now, again..why do I have 2 of those? Well, the first one I bought on ebay but it fell on the floor after I picked it up at the post office. Therefore I was not sure if it maybe does not work because I might have damaged it that way. Therefore I bought another one...but that one did not work either...on top of it I got now a new router from BT which has also the function to be a router for my laptop...so I did not need any of them at the end (though I did not know it originally that my router will break and that I will need a new one).

So that guy has now - understandibly - the impression that I sell everything double or triple times...even when that's really the wrong impression about me...I can understand him, but that was just damn coincidence (and with realising that I have even 2 router he felt as having caught me out)...not to mention that I have 4 laptops and a desktop (but there is the difference that whilst I am ok with installing software and such stuff, I am not that good in repairing it when I managed to crash it down...and with uni demands I do need a working one NOW and not weeks later after repairing it...and 2 of them are pretty old by now).

Now to your question if I need this and can I let it go.

At the moment I am financially ok (not great, but ok) therefore I don't feel any need to sell anything right now (apart from the uni books which I don't need anymore). Also, whilst I plan to leave the UK before the olympics gets here in 2012, so far I have no guarantee for actually doing it (I know I will leave at some point, but not entirely sure yet when as it depends on the fact how my current date and I continue and if we don't continue in the long term then it depends when I have my visa for new zealand which also requires from me to get my degree at uni next year to get it started).

So whilst I don't need some of the stuff, a lot of it does not bring so much back now either and in my current life it means more hassle then good, therefore I keep it for now. However, once I know that I will leave england for good then I will sell almost everything that I have to take with me as little as possible and probably donate my fridge freezer and my bed frame to one of the residential homes I am working in.

Normally I am not a hording person, I always loved my books and always have many of them but to have items in double triple and even more amounts as described in the beginning was just a recent coincidence in my life.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:45:38 AM

MistressEllen444

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I have a friend who I believe is truly a hoarder. She buys "stuff" that she has multiples of, things that are on sale that she will never use, things she has "saved" from other people, to the point of not being able to find room to move through her place. So for her it is a security blanket. For me looking in, it is a waste of her precious few dollars. She lives in poverty surrounded by useless stuff. It has taken years for me to accept that she finds some sort of security from her things and stop the questions or trying to "fix" this.
I learned, on here I think, of a thing called freecycle.org; a yahoo group. Great thing. You advertise things you want to get rid of and people come pick it up. Takes a little time to sort through the responses and label and place the things out; but so worth it. If there is anything left over no one wants (never happened to date) then it goes to a charity. The idea is to keep things out of the landfill. There is also a once a week opportunity to list things you want to find.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 9:55:52 AM

CarrieO

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Phoenixpower
I always loved my books and always have many of them

Ok...now that line made me laugh!
Books are my downfall...my one true addiction (besides coffee, hence the need for back-up coffee makers). I do make the effort, though to let go of the books that I read but aren't attached to.
Thanks for sharing the story...I do understand.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 10:02:44 AM

OttersSwim

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Give it to the 'understuffed'...

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 10:09:55 AM

VampiresLair

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I had quite the awakening when I moved from Vegas to Nashville and needed to pare down what I "needed" to what would fit in my car. I have a storage unit full of stuff still, but mainly my grandmothers antique furniture and old collectables I no longer even look at. A good majority of this is going to be sold or given away or donated when Fox and I go back to Vegas to move all my things here. We have a local bookstore that works on trade with books, which is a mint of trade for what i have in storage. Foxs dad collects start trek memorabilia, which I have some dupilcates of. Other stuff will be worth a small fortune for collectors, so I might ebay it. Clothes go to charity, gotta love the writeoffs.

I dont collect, as much as my parents collected for me. They bought stuff becasue they knew Id want it. I didnt care, but since it was there I collected it too. AS I grow up, I find my interest in those collections waning and the interest in the money theyd produce far more interesting. Id split it with mom and dad, but i dont see a reason to let it collect dust any longer.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 10:31:25 AM

daintydimples

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I hate moving b/c I m a collector. If I'm into something, I start a collection. I have books (lots), kitchen equipment, gardening things, camping things, tons of music, and of course aromatherapy supplies up the wazoo.

I do donate unused clothes on a regular basis (I have to). I don't have seconds or things I don't need. I NEED all this stuff.

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 10:56:52 AM

LaTigresse

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I definitely do not have so much stuff there is an issue with space. And I don't have a huge house either. I love to cook but certainly do not have multiples of anything and even do not have one, of some things, many cooks feel necessary. If there is anything I am guilty of keeping it is clothes that do not fit.........right now....

In the last 8 years my weight changed dramatically. Catching me so by surprise that I struggle to get rid of clothes because I am certain I will be that thin again. I know I should just get rid of most of it, but I don't want to have to buy new........just in case. One thing I am doing as I have been losing weight is getting rid of the bigger stuff. As soon as I shrink out of it, it is OUTTA HERE!! Well there, since I am at work at the stuff is at home.

There are several things that SOME people would say I have too much of, but I am perfectly happy with the quantity of baubles I have.

The reality is that I am too lazy to go through stuff to decide what, if anything, I want to get rid of.

I need a trusty slave............

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RE: Accumulated stuff...what do you do with it? - 9/10/2009 11:17:19 AM

subtlebutterfly

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My parents drive me nuts...don't even get me started yanno!
The accumulated stuff goes nowhere, because "you MIGHT need it (......after a decade or two..or THREE)" throw away or give away things is a no-no aaaaaaaaand...

I'm in way too much rant mood today for this question, but you get the point.

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