posted on October 6, 2003 03:16:46 PM new
I'm too tired to lift another box. So, here I am again.
About once a year I have to drag everything out of the closets, empty the corners (which are filled with boxes of items ready to sell...in both bedrooms), and reorganize to start over.
That doesn't even count the two storage buildings I rent.
Anyone else have to do this periodically? Is there an easier way? I swear every time I will keep it in order, but then I pull out something, list it and stash the rest of that box in the nearest corner and move on.
I want everything clean and organized for the holidays and needed a little encouragement and maybe a few helpful hints? I have seen lots on organizing garages, etc., but I live in a two bedroom upstairs apartment and I have very little room.
posted on October 6, 2003 09:57:38 PM new As you can see by the flood of responses we are all in the same spot as you lol ! Pssst you saw my desk right ??? I have 1 room to stack all my ebay stuff ....well OK my boxes are in the kitchen between the frig. and the washer and I have a shed in the back yard for the stuff that I didn't sell the first time(sometimes 2nd)....gonna have a yard sale soon.Plastic storage boxes with lids has helped me alot cause you can stack them .... but thats about all the help I am. Good luck !!
I think the answer is, instead of putting the iffy things back for later on, just get rid of them. One box at a time, take out what you're really, really, truly going to list right away and put the box in a stack someplace without pondering over every little thing.
Try a two-bit yard sale. Everything a quarter. Very simple. No pricing and the stuff just flies away!
Of course it's only the things you've finally realized are NOT gonna sell on eBay! LOL!
My last planned sale didn't materialize so I took a carload to the church rummage sale. The deal there is you take things in and help them set up. Anything you find that you want, you just take with you. I brought home one little box of things. Listed three items on eBay and they sold for over $200.
posted on October 6, 2003 11:24:22 PM new
Unfortunately, most of it is stuff I haven't had a chance to list the first time around. I usually wound up with box or even table lots when I went to the local auctions a year or so ago and i am still wading through it all.
I wish I could have a garage sale. Our apartment complex won't allow it so that isn't an option. I am thinking about taking a lot of it to Goodwill, but I just know I will see it selling like crazy one month after I get rid of it. It's happened before so now I just try to work through it all.
I take everything over to the storage buildings, then box by box bring it back here thinking I will sell lp's, posters, etc. Then, postcards start picking up bids again so I am off to listing them and the lps are everywhere. If I take them back to storage I will not get around to listing them for years so I have stacks (as someone else said) between the refrigerator, under the beds, in every corner...well, you get the idea!
But, I have to get a grip! I have to get rid of some of it. I even listed my posters in bulk lots to sell them off and even that is taking forever. Now, I have 8 boxes of folded one-sheets. Four waiting to list, 2 that have listed and not sold, and 2 that have sold but not been paid for. These are the bankers type boxes so they aren't too bad. Just hard to move around in an already stuffed apartment.
I did clean off my computer desk today so I feel better about that! But, I can't find the dining room table so I can't take anymore pics until I get that sorted out and put away. That's what happens when I drag everything out of the corners and the closet
posted on October 6, 2003 11:41:27 PM new
Another thing you can do thats really hard to do is NOT buy anything else till you get rid of half of what you have now....I've been trying to do that for about two weeks now lol trying being the key word cause some things you just can't pass up.
[ edited by toasted36 on Oct 7, 2003 03:50 AM ]
Lindajean, do you have a friend who lives in a house where you could have a yard sale?
It sounds as if you have way more than you can possibly sell on eBay. I wonder if there's a dealer in your area who would buy the posters. The storage building rent will eventually eliminate any profit.
As far as organization, I use the cardboard trays six-packs of Coke come in, rather than boxes. I label them on the end with masking tape and stack them on shelving units in my eBay room. It's much easier to see what's there if it's in a tray.
You mentioned auctions... I went to the Santa Margarita Auction (www.smab.com) Sunday and couldn't resist a couple of really, really old gilt-decorated brass Art Deco chandeliers, not to mention a couple of sadirons and an old (probably doll-maybe baby) buggy. They had loads of box lots of miscellaneous china, etc., but I restrained myself.
One of the chandeliers will go in my dining room. They were selling the two together so now I have to decide which one. They need to be rewired but are beautiful. Thankfully my son can do the rewiring. I'm sure I'll be back here looking for help when I get ready to list the one I don't keep.
posted on October 7, 2003 08:24:47 AM new
No, both myself and my daughter live in an apartment.
Yes, i do have more than I can ever sell but I bought it at very low prices back before Ebay caught on, and getting rid of it is more than I can bring myself to do.
At least one of the storage buildings would be necessary for our business papers anyway. My husband is a self-employed insurance inspector and we have boxes and boxes of tax papers etc.
I haven't been to an auction in over a year. If I go, I just can't keep from buying, so once I decided to sell what I had before looking elsewhere I simply removed the temptation.
I just about have everything back in order now. It is all in my guest closet (a 6 x 10 walk-in). Hope the floor is strong We have an upstairs unit and it is literally stacked to the ceiling!
I like the idea of the plastic containers and went to Walmart to pick some up. At least I can organize the boxes as I open them and hopefully keep them contained in one place. I think my biggest problem is just learning to put things back in some type of order when I open the boxes to pick out what I want to list.
Now, if I can just find what I want to list this week
[ edited by lindajean on Oct 7, 2003 08:25 AM ]
posted on October 7, 2003 08:32:53 AM new
On cable, there is a show called "Clean Sweep". Perhaps they should do a show on people like us who sell on ebay but get bogged down. I saw a show a few days ago where a lady sold a Gucci handbag, still in the box, for ten bucks. I sure wished I had seen her sale! But, here lies the problem ... we wouldn't be able to put a darned thing in the sell pile and everything would wind up on the keep pile. But, those people who host the show have ways of dealing with people like us!
posted on October 7, 2003 09:16:10 AM new
Our local news show did a special. They offered an efficiency expert to come to two houses, one for the garage and one for inside. You had to send in photo's and tell why you needed help. Of course, I didn't enter...I knew better!
Well, the winners had to be very upset. Both houses looked great when the "expert" was through, but everything, and I do mean everything, wound up in plastic bags and hauled off as trash!
I love my stuff! It just gets to be too much when I can't find the bed in the guest room and my daughter calls telling me she is heading to Vegas for a visit.
I laughed when I watched the expressions on the owners faces as the experts "cleaned" out the clutter. I noticed the experts were careful to never ever make eye contact with the people involved. And, I asked my husband if he wanted to make a bet on where some of that stuff would wind up...they had a lot of nice things. But, if they said they hadn't used it in 6 months, out it went! They convinced people to enter by telling them how they would install shelving in the garage and special drawers and sliding cabinets in the houses.
They did that, but they used the garage shelves for garden hoses, etc. Not the "stuff" they had accumulated in boxes. And, the interior sliding drawers wound up filled with dishwasher detergent, tools, etc and all the makeup, costume jewelry, etc went out the door.
posted on October 7, 2003 08:28:07 PM new
What about having a sale at one of your storage units? Maybe talk to the owners and see if more renters can get involved and have a multi family sale to get more people? Saw several in Texas on our way to the Canton Flea Market last weekend.
posted on October 7, 2003 10:51:02 PM new
I don't have as much a problem with no storage space, but once you do get it into some semblance of organization, follow this rule:
Take a 1 box, and only one, and empty it completely. List, junk, goodwill, whatever each thing goes in. I keep three boxes going in my office. One is photographed stuff that's ready to list (then it goes on the shelves), the other is "back to the consignee" stuff, and the third is for my stuff that is going to the goodwill. You don't get to grab another box until you completely finish the one you have. If I don't follow that rule, I get buried. Someday, just maybe, I might be able to park my CAR in the garage if I keep eliminating those boxes!
posted on October 7, 2003 11:24:46 PM new
Hi Deana,
That would be a great idea if I was selling individual type items. But, everything I have i bought in bulk.
I have 2,000+ posters and lobby cards left. 4 boxes. It would be nice to just empty one, but to sell them I had to sort them out and combine like items to make a nice group to put out as one listing. Fortunately, I did that last month with the original 4,000. I had them stacked everywhere, but did get them grouped in saleable batches and now they are sacked and awaiting photo's for the remainder.
But, I bought 2500 lps from one person two years ago for $250. Some are trash, some are treasure. But, all have to be sorted to sell. I really bought them because I love the older music and am making cd's with some of my favorites. They are all mixed up and have to be sorted because I found I waste my ebay fees if I don't group them like 9 or 10 of each artist.
I try to have a few of everything I sell listed at all times, and I am really really bad about switching tracks when one item starts doing better than the others. Everything seems to run in cycles on Ebay. This week lp's may sell, next week you might not be able to give them away. So, I tend to drag out whatever is doing best at that time. Back when I first started selling on Ebay I threw things out after a listing or two at most and then a year later I would find those same items bringing in 10 times what I was asking.
I find that everything will eventually sell. Case in point: the postcards I didn't sell last month just had a 35% sell through rate last week. One had been listed 3 times before and two people wanted it this time so I sold it for $18.00. I know everything will sell over a 6 month period so I never give up on them. I just stack them back and recycle.
That's where all the stacks in all the corners come from.
Wish I had a garage. But, of course, our cars would never make it into one if I did have it.
In Texas I owned a 4 bedroom 2500 sq ft house with a two car garage and attic storage over the garage. I moved to Nevada and rented a 1200 sq ft apartment. I sold the furniture but just can't get used to this tiny little space.
At least it is organized for now, and I have at least two months worth of listings in the posters so I won't be dragging anything else out before Christmas. Other than my postcards, of course, and they don't take much room.
Then, I have to do something with those lp's, 8 tracks, cassettes, TV guides, other magazines, buttons, etc. But, that's another year
posted on October 8, 2003 10:03:08 AM new
Everybody, eBayer or not, has much more stuff than they really need.
Years ago I read a TV Guide interview with Michael Gross, the actor who played Michael J. Fox's father on whatever that TV show was. He said that when he first arrived in Hollywood, he was so broke that all he owned was a bicycle helmet and an answering machine.
"There's great freedom in not having many possessions," he added.
That has stuck with me all these years because it is so true. There is some number of belongings (it's more than two) where you no longer own stuff, your stuff owns you.
Many people happily live in the midst of their clutter and just sigh about it every now and again in a "Someday I should really get to weeding this stuff out" sort of way. They know that they never will.
And then there are other people for whom clutter is a symptom of a mental illness. The elderly woman found with 79 cats in her house...the man who has stacks of newspapers up to the ceiling...the person who keeps decades-obsolete computer equipment "because it was expensive when I bought it". There are people who only feel safe behind literal walls of their stuff and there are those who live in fear that if they throw something away, they will end up needing it one day. Never mind that even if they do keep it they'll never be able to find it again.
As Paloma knows, I have way more experience with the clutter problem than I'd ever want to.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on October 8, 2003 10:10:24 AM new
lol Fluffy!
You just described both my husband and myself so now I know why we have so much clutter.
I keep everything because it never fails that I need it the day after I throw it out (the few times I do get in a throw-away mood). And, he keeps everything because it was expensive when we bought it.
He hates to let go of anything that still works. I finally tossed three old TV's he had sitting on three tables in our bedroom. They were from the 70's and all worked great. But, one was a 13", one was a 19" and one was a 20". We now have a 27" in the bedroom but he would not get rid of the others!
I just gave my old 1997 Sony computer to my 8 year old grandson. My husband insisted on keeping it all these years just because we paid $3200 for it back in 1997. I bought two after that, and now, I have a new one that only cost $600 but he still wouldn't get rid of the old one.
We're working on it though
[ edited by lindajean on Oct 8, 2003 10:11 AM ]
posted on October 9, 2003 07:00:13 PM new
What I think you should do is this.
Pick a weekend with no other commitments for you, your husband and your daughter and maybe your best friend.
Get a mega pack of post it notes.
Take a bunch of boxes and take them home from storage.
In each box take everything out and put a post it note on each one and very basic instructions like start price etc.
Hand the box to your husband and tell him to start listing (or set them up in your bulk lister of choice) As he is working start another box for your daughter, then your friend.
Tell your daughter she can keep any money made off the items she listed and your husband that his funds can get you both a romantic dinner out and a manicure for your friend.
You clearly AREN'T going to list all of this junk by yourself which is how you ended up with 2 not just 1 storage units!
Hopefully you'll put a big dent in the amount of stuff you got.
posted on October 9, 2003 07:49:40 PM new
My ebay room is one thing, actually pretty simple. My big challenge coming up is selling of the contents of my place. I live in a downtown area - my garage is underground and rented by the month - not a lot of traffic and I think the city truly frowns on individuals holding sidewalk sales I'm thinking I'll just start listing from one corner and start working outward.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on October 9, 2003 11:35:56 PM new
lovepotions: "junk"
I thought it was treasure
Actually, it is all comprised of three types of items: records-8tracks-cassettes, magazines (for the ads), and vintage buttons (about 300 pounds).
Most will sell if enough like items are listed together. It is just a nightmare sorting it out. If it wasn't things that are all alike I would do like fenix and start at one corner and just work through.
I just have to find a way to sort it as I go.
Now, to your other suggestion: Trust my husband and daughter with listing? Well, my husband would just as soon burn it all and my daughter works all the time since she is a first year elementary teacher. And, she has a nine year old son.
So, I am alone in this venture. You'd be surprised how fast things go if you can sort them out right. I list 15 lps or 25 45's and sell around 45% of them. It's just finding the 15 by one artist that is a problem since nothing in my storage units are sorted into any type order. And, like I said, I bought them to tape my favorites from so that is another matter altogether.
Guess I just needed some suggestions on sorting massive quantities without making a huge mess. That is why I have now settled in with postcards. Small and easy to handle. But, I will get through the rest! It will just take some time.
[ edited by lindajean on Oct 9, 2003 11:36 PM ]
posted on October 10, 2003 01:17:43 AM new
Maybe you need a better system for listing.
1 Master template for all recorded media and all you need to change is the title and a 1 line description. Find a system to move stuff out faster.
It also maybe time to just let go of a lot of it. Really let go........
I used to save everything and think I may need it again. Then when I started on Ebay I thought to myself why throw it out when I can sell it on Ebay!
All I have to do is take a picture crop it and write a description.
After scanning 3 rolls worth of pictures (before photo cd's and digital cameras under $1,000) It took me forever to get it all up.
Then I moved to another state and had to pack it all. I get to my new place across the country and I never un pack it not wanting to deal with that old junk! Then after 2 years I get ready to move to another state again! In a space of 5 years I lived in 6 different states. Suddenly those valuable treasures and designer clothes I bought in 1992 when I worked in a high-end department store were more of a burden than an Ebay gold mine. In every state I kept it all in storage. I always lived in major cities so on average a storage unit was $50 give or take $5
$50 x 12 months x 5 years = $3,000 roughly
Also renting the bigger truck to haul the junk costs more than a non pack-rats moving truck and the difference in gas due to weight. Since I moved a lot I bought the plastic storage crates with the folding lids. I have 30 of them at $7 a piece to move my junk, I mean treasures around so another $210 plus tax to protect my treasures.
How much have you paid for the 2 storage units since you first got them? Is everything in those units collectively worth all of the storage rent you put into it?
Are you embarrassed by your living conditions? Are there so many sellable treasures piled everywhere you can't have visitors over?
I didn't mean to offend you by calling your treasures JUNK. Trust me, I know It's hard to let go of sentimental crap.
What was your life and your home like BEFORE you started selling on Ebay?
I think the Ebay menality has made a lot of normal people hold onto stuff longer than they would have pre-Ebay as they mentally put bidding/dollar values onto everything they got.
posted on October 10, 2003 04:00:15 AM new
Toasted,
My DH always tells me: "Sell out what you have first before buying anything else."
But I know when you see something (you think)
might be profitable/sellable if you dont buy it right then and there its pretty much gone forever.
LindaJean, I cant offer any ideas on overcoming your clutter, as of course, I struggle with the same thing. The best one posted was do a .25 garage sale type thing. I think I am going to get to that myself.
posted on October 10, 2003 09:13:25 AM new
lovepotions: One of my storage units is for my own stuff. I moved from the four bedroom 2500 sq ft house in TX to the small apartment in Vegas. Told hubby it was either pay the $89 a month in storage or pay $300 more a month for a larger apartment.
Yes, it is embarassing to have people in sometimes, but that was why I was reorganizing. Now, nothing Ebay is in the front of the house. Just my office and the bedrooms.
Give it up...good idea, but not the way I am. I have things I have had since I was 13, and I will die with them and my kids can do whatever! That would be true if I had to have 10 storage units. As far as Ebay items go. One unit is for records. But, they are half personal items too that I have owned for 40 years. When and if I ever get around to recording them on CD (the ones I want) and sorting them, they will be listed. I am throwing out half as I go through them because I don't consider them worth my time to list At least that's something.
All I wanted to do was get my house organized. And, I have done so, for now. Anyone have suggestions on keeping it out of the living area? And, yes, my house was the same before Ebay. I just love Stuff! Ever hear the Diamond Rio song about that?
Hope I don't get in trouble for posting them here, but:
Catalogs fillin' up the mailbox
Home shopping on the cable box
And www dot
Oh there's no escape
Delivery truck coming up 'round the bend
Beep, beep, beep, just backing in
Sign here and here and here again
'Cause it's no money down no payments till
Your whole place is cram packed filed with
Chorus
Stuff (stuff) stack it on stack it on up
(Stuff) never gonna ever get enough (stuff)
Oh it's treasure till it's mine then it ain't worth a dime
It's stuff (stuff) spreading like weeds
Dragging me under in an endless sea of stuff
(Stuff) There ain't no end
Got to get a bigger place so I can move in
More stuff
It's getting late but it's alright
The get-it-all mart opened up all night
You can catch it all with a quick swipe
It's easier everyday
Suv's and mini vans
Parading 'round in caravans
Toting off more than their tires can stand
'Cause it's no money down no payments till
Every square inch of the whole world's filled with
Chorus
(Bridge)
Drag it in, pack it in
The man with the most
He just wins more stuff
posted on October 10, 2003 09:41:38 AM new
lovepotions: Your suggestions are well-thought-out and well-intentioned, but clutter keepers fall into the categories I mentioned above. lindajean is probably in this one:
"Many people happily live in the midst of their clutter and just sigh about it every now and again in a `Someday I should really get to weeding this stuff out' sort of way. They know that they never will."
If a tornado hit their home and destroyed all their belongings, a vacuum would be created and more stuff sucked into it until once again the walls bulge.
They are happy the way they are. Don't pay any attention when they make half-hearted requests for help.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on October 10, 2003 09:46:55 AM new
fluffy: Be Nice! My cry for help (and it was sincere) was ONLY for ways to keep my clutter organized....I never ask for someone to tell me to get rid of it!
How do people (who also have clutter) keep things organized when they are listing if they have small confined areas. I know I am not the only one and only asked for help from someone else in my same situation! I did get some suggestions and appreciate them. Even bought the plastic boxes at Walmart and they look great and will work as well.
Those of you who are happy to live in empty homes that look great can't help or understand.
I'm doing fine financially. The units make a good tax deduction and I make enough on Ebay to pay for it and more. Ebay is not a full-time job for me. If I need money this week, I list 200 items. If I don't, I list 30 just to pay my expenses (storage, listing fees, etc). So, what it costs me isn't an issue.
[ edited by lindajean on Oct 10, 2003 09:56 AM ]
[ edited by lindajean on Oct 10, 2003 11:27 AM ]
posted on October 10, 2003 11:10:18 AM new
Lindajean, just thinking out loud here...
You said you like to list several records by the same artist in one lot.
Deana's suggestion about one box and only one box at a time makes sense to me as a possible way to organize the records. If you sort by artist, within that one box, there might be enough to put up a listing. If not, at least each box will be in artist order for later on when you do start gathering up lots.
A label of artists would be simple enough to stick on the box. Trying to put the artist and all the names of the albums would be nice but would take more time.
posted on October 10, 2003 11:19:46 AM new
Lindajean,
I would love to help, but I think I fit into both of Fluffy's categories.
Notice my screen name? Yes, I cherish my clutter (picked that name when I was only buying on Ebay). Sometimes it overwhelms me and I think I should really get rid of it.
But Fluffy is absolutely right about more stuff accumulating. About 10 years or so ago, I had an auction at my house. Many of the neighbors said things like "where did all that stuff come from?" and "I know it wasn't all in that house." But it was all in the house (a lot of it was in the oversized 2 car garage).
After the auction I still had what would have looked like a full house to most people. After the auction I moved to a smaller house. Then I filled it up and bought a bigger house (I'm also a bit of a vagabond -but that's another story).
Right now, I have someone trying to talk me into consigning some items into an auction. But I keep thinking - I could get more for it if I listed it on Ebay. (see both of Fluffy's categories)
The only thing I have that's close to organization is shelves and my paperwork. Boxes and trays on shelves. When I buy something "new", I make a list that includes a brief description, purchase price, purchase date and place of purchase. Then in the box of stuff I put a piece of paper with the purchase date and place of purchase. So the next time I go to a box, I can at least tell how much I paid for the contents. (also very necessary and helpful with taxes)
posted on October 10, 2003 11:27:22 AM new
cherishedclutter and lucy: Great ideas. Both very helpful.
As I sort just a quick list of what is in the box will help a lot. And, paste it on the box. I use the standard file boxes for everything but lp's. I have to search and search for boxes those will fit as the ones made for them cost a fortune.
Now, to sorting the lp's. Great idea also. It is cool enough to spend a few days in my storage unit. If I can just get them organized, I can sell (or throw away what I don't sell) and copy what I want. Everytime I try to organize them they were just getting jumpled back up.
But, I have something by just about everyone. Did I mention the 20,000 45's I bought from a used record store? Probably not, those are another matter altogether. I have managed to sort them into three types: Country, pop, everything else. I'm off to search for boxes. I have them on shelves now, but that isn't practical. When I pull some to sort the others fall over. I like the box Idea much better. Maybe the mall will have some tossed I can use.
Edited to add: that way, I can bring over just what I want to list, list it or toss it if it doesn't sell. Wish they made 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 in small sizes that would hold 10 or so records that didn't cost $4 each! The discarded ones I find are usually gigantic if they are tall enough for records and I can't lift them when full
posted on October 10, 2003 11:38:58 AM new
Lindajean,
For sorting and storing the LPs, I think a box the size four of the big institutional size food cans come in would work.
I get almost all of my shipping boxes at Smart & Final, the restaurant supply place. Seems like I saw a S&F in Vegas, maybe on my way out to Painted Desert Golf Course? (My sister used to live there...) Not sure but here are the addresses. Give them a call. Mine here in SLO doesn't cut off the flaps and keeps them right out in the store for customers to use.
Smart & Final 350 4439 W Charleston Blvd Las Vegas 89102 (702) 878-4104
Smart & Final 352 2305 Bonanza Rd Las Vegas 89101 (702) 366-9500
Smart & Final 359 4213 E Boulder Hwy Las Vegas 89121 (702) 435-1155
Smart & Final 417 1435 E Tropicana Las Vegas 89119 (702) 739-6144
Smart & Final 489 8485 W Sahara Ave Las Vegas 89117 (702) 255-2338
posted on October 10, 2003 11:53:56 AM newMy cry for help (and it was sincere) was ONLY for ways to keep my clutter organized....
I believe you. I've heard this before from other clutter keepers, who think that all they really need is more organization. I have one living upstairs from me who thinks that all he needs to solve the problem are more plastic boxes and shelving units. We have purchased quantities of each. Yet the piles remain and grow ever larger.
The stuff didn't grow legs and sneak into our house while we weren't looking, and it's not going to sneak out, either. I think that for some people it is depressing and dispiriting to witness on a daily basis their loss of control over their possessions. We've all been there: you want to clean up and organize, but it seems like a gargantuan task. It's much easier to go watch TV. Or you promise yourself you'll do a little each day and at the end of two weeks, it'll all be done. Few people persevere.
Me? I live in a 2800 square foot house with one other person and entirely too much stuff, only some of which is inventory that will be blown out in the next 60 days. What worries me is that clutter keeping appears to be contagious. Used to be I could pitch something into the trash without a second thought. Now that I live with a hoarder, it gets very difficult to make clear-headed keep-or-dispose decisions. It's not just an amusing "Oh, I have so much stuff and I don't know what to do with it" issue; now it is a health issue because I cannot clean effectively. I am sick much of the time with dust allergies. Something has to be done.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
posted on October 10, 2003 12:15:25 PM new
My husband is the epitome of a hoarder! It used to give me fits and I expended I don't know how much energy trying to find ways to stash all his crap so the house didn't look like it was so cluttered. Then my two teenaged daughters turned into junior hoarders and i just gave up trying to stash anything.
My husband won't let me throw away egg shells because he wants to put them in the garden (talk about health hazard!) I can't take old clothes to Good Will because he thinks he will take them to the Philippines or Venezuela or some such place on one of his business trips where people are a lot more impoverished..ditto to the shoes (never mind that I wear a size 11 and I doubt that even the Philippine men have feet that big)! He goes through the garbage and retrieves half used spiral notebooks that I had the audacity to toss! He won't let me clean the garage after I gave away a box of brass hinges he was saving for god knows what...we kept the old hot water heater because he thought he could find a use for it somewhere...it's BAD!! As to all the old computer stuff...can't toss because of the environment....that makes 2 computers, laser printer, 3 monitors, 2 printers, 2 old scanners ..all are STILL HERE! Whenever he takes an extended business trip I try to cram as much JUNK as I can in the garbage and pile all the clothes etc into the van for the good will..except for the brass hinges, he hasn't noticed a thing missing!
Some people dream of cruises..I dream of the day I can back a dumpster in the driveway and rid myself of ALL THIS STUFF!!
[ edited by neglus on Oct 10, 2003 12:16 PM ]
As you can see by the flood of responses we are all in the same spot as you lol ! Pssst you saw my desk right ??? I have 1 room to stack all my ebay stuff ....well OK my boxes are in the kitchen between the frig. and the washer and I have a shed in the back yard for the stuff that I didn't sell the first time(sometimes 2nd)....gonna have a yard sale soon.Plastic storage boxes with lids has helped me alot cause you can stack them .... but thats about all the help I am. Good luck !!
I'm thinking I'll just start listing from one corner and start working outward. 