I grew up in a house where we had a lot of stuff. Most of it we didn’t need but for some reason, it wasn’t removed either. When I moved out, I reduced the amount of things that I had but it was always a challenge to break the habit of collecting things. I like having items that remind me of special times, vacations, and moments that were precious to me, maybe it’s a picture or a knick-knack or a note. There is something important to keeping that. However, when it comes to clothes my kids have grown out of or toys that are way behind their learning level I want to toss them out. This is the area in which I struggle the most. I don’t want it anymore but I also don’t want just to toss out perfectly good items. Now I have a fairly large collection of stuff that is just taking up space in my house. Almost 12 years of clothes and toys. I cant go on like this! I need more room to house the things we need. I have to either toss it, donate it, or sell it.
I used to be fine with doing Facebook marketplace and pick up at my porch. Maybe I am just not as relaxed as I used to be, or maybe I am just more concerned for my safety but I don’t plan on doing that anymore. I have thought about donating all of my items to charity but some still have tags and I would love to make some money on them.
I used to be in an area that had a lot of mom to mom sales that I would go to. I sold at a couple but I didn’t have that much stuff then. Now is my time! It’s my time to shine and get this stuff out of my house. It is time to clear the clutter, reduce the waste, and regain space in my home. I managed to get into one of the more popular mom to mom sales a couple hours away and I am bringing everything! In three days I will have less stuff and I am thrilled. Maybe what I make will pay for meat chickens or a bigger seed starting set up. Maybe it will go towards the cost of our homeschool curriculum. Maybe it will just be enough to pick up dinner for my family. Who knows. I do know that I will be gaining more than cash for this. I will be gaining sanity and space.
Now I have always suffered from social anxiety and I carry a lot of stress when approaching events with a lot of people. I am feeling all of that mixed with feeling full seasonal allergies. So even though I am not as prepared as I want to be, tomorrow I am getting a ton out of my house. If I do not sell it all, I am bringing it to a resell shop, and then donating the rest. Returning to a life of simple living includes reducing waste and stress. For me, that stress is manifested into 12 years of outgrown children’s items and it is time to kick them to the curb…after selling what I can. Will I need to do another sale? Absolutely. Twelve years of items will not fit into my minivan but I think I can cram at least 5 years worth.
-A