How to Get Rid of Stuff You Don't Want

Many people have too much stuff in their homes. If you don’t love it and you haven’t used it for over a year, then it’s called clutter. The problem comes in getting rid of the clutter. What is the best way to get rid of the stuff you don’t want?

Trash

Trash must go in the garbage bin. Everyone has trash in their homes. You don’t want it, it has no resale value, no one else can use it so it must go out and be thrown away. Go round your house with a garbage bag and collect the trash. Do this quickly. When once something goes into the bag, don’t change your mind and pull something out. When the bag is full put it straight in the garbage.

Sell Online

Many people have lots of clutter because they intend to sell their stuff online, but you need to realize that it takes longer to sell your stuff online than any other method of getting rid of stuff. You have to photograph it, write the listing, wait a while and either arrange for someone to pick it up, or ship the item. Be realistic with yourself, are you really going to get round to selling your stuff online? If not then you should consider some of the other methods of getting rid of your stuff.

If you are selling online, look at the time it takes you to get rid of something, and make sure that it is worth your while. Only use this method for higher value items. In my opinion, it’s not worth writing an eBay listing if you are selling something for under $10, those items should be donated.

Garage Sale

This is my favorite method for getting rid of a lot of stuff very quickly. You don’t get the price you get if you are selling each item individually, but you get more than if your stuff is donated. All you have to do is put your items in your yard, advertise and people will come. The best place to advertise where I live is Craigslist. If you live on a busy street you can put signs on the road, usually people do both.

Get someone to sell it for you

Maybe there is a consignment store near you, or you can find someone to sell it for you on eBay. You can easily find a trading partner by going on eBay and entering your zip code.

Donate to thrift store

Collect the things you don’t want that may have resale value and take them to your local thrift store. Or you can wait for a truck to come and pick up your unwanted items. Donations are tax deductible. If you have larger items such as furniture, you can phone a thrift store for them to make a special journey and pick them up.

Give to friends

Sometimes you have something that a friend of yours might like. Please be sensitive when giving to your friends that you don’t add to their clutter and that you give them something they really like or can use.

Freecycle

Freecycle is growing in popularity. It’s an email list where you can offer things for free and usually people come and pick items up that you leave out for them. I frequently have a number of items on my porch with people’s names on waiting to be picked up. You have to read the rules and understand how freecycle works, but when you do you will find it is the quickest way to get rid of stuff, especially if you live in a popular freecycle area.

Box on the curb

I live in an area where there is a lot of foot traffic. I frequently leave a box outside my house with the word “free” on it, and the stuff is usually taken. Mainly I do this on Saturdays when I know there are a lot of people around and I’ve also done this with furniture and computer desks. They usually take a maximum of one day to be taken. Of course you can’t do this if you live at the bottom of a court or in an apartment, but for many people this is a great way of getting rid of stuff they don’t want.

If you are getting rid of stuff over a long period of time, you will want to use a combination of these methods. I like to get some return for my stuff, but I won’t spend a long time doing an eBay listing if the rewards aren’t good enough. I use freecycle a lot because it usually is the quickest way to get rid of stuff, but if a thrift store pick up is coming then I can give a variety of items in one go.

However you get rid of your stuff remember, if you have too much it blesses you to let it leave your home and it will bless someone else when they receive it.