Getting rid of stuff is a challenge.
The emotional aspect of letting go of the thing is something I’m getting pretty good at. There are some things though, usually my mom’s stuff, that I just say, “Let’s take it with us one more time.â€
This go around though I’m finding the really hard part of getting rid of stuff, is the physical reality of it actually leaving the house, without just throwing it away.
Donating really nice things to the library fund raiser has been a good thing.
We’ve tried different ways to sell other things, and that’s not my cuppa tea. We held a yard sale, but that’s a lot of work and in the end, we just want to get rid of stuff, so I started just giving the stuff away.
Bowen Island has an on-line buy and sell sight that is quite handy. You take a photo of whatever you want to sell, price it, and someone says, they will take it! The hard part is the actual hooking up and taking the deal to fruition doesn’t work that smoothly. People say they want things, then forget to come get the stuff. It’s the place I’ve posted things and instead of giving things away for free, I’ve asked for donations to our food bank in trade. I trust the folks to make good on the deal.
The best is of course giving stuff to the Tacky shop and the Sally Ann. This is the easiest way to pass on stuff. I’ve taken boxes and boxes there. I even went to town by myself on Monday, as the car was so full of stuff, that there was no room for Ken to go with me.
Like I said, I’m emotionally good at letting go of most stuff. Especially when I give it to someone who seems to really like it or need it.
And then….
Today, I checked the buy and sell sight for a look-see. And low and behold, a bunch of stuff I gave away is for sale! And none of it is all that cheap. I guess the lady I gave it all to didn’t really love it as much as she let on.
I know once you give something, it’s theirs to do what they want with it. I gave it freely and I do not want it. I don’t know the circumstance but, I admit to a having a bit of a tug at my heart, and I know my mother, who’s stuff it had been, would have flipped!
Allons-Y!
“I know once you give something, it’s theirs to do what they want with it”
This is true, and yet…..and yet……
There’s a Free Store in town. It’s part of the recycling centre. I have often taken things down there. It feels good to leave things there and to know that someone else may find something they can use, and will take it for free. It’s kind of a feeling of community.
But as it turns out, a local second hand store goes in and takes anything they think they can sell, and it turns up in their store with a price tag on it.
I didn’t donate it to them, but they come to the Free Store and take it. These days I debate whether I want to take stuff down to the Free Store and sometimes my heart feels bruised by it.
Burn all your books…