“Where did all this STUFF come from?,” I found myself asking on a daily basis. I knew we had a lot of things, but the amount of stuff that my family and I have accumulated is mind-boggling. What are all these things anyways? Toys, clothes, and let’s face it, mostly junk! It doesn’t take long for one to reach a point where you’re just done with all the clutter.
I came to that point recently. I was just over the mess and decided it was time to purge some things that have been overwhelming me. Let me tell you something: it’s been so nice getting rid of things and make space for our family.
Here are some tips for getting rid of unwanted items if decluttering is something you want to do:
1. Poshmark. I’ve been using Poshmark for years and it’s a great way to get rid of some clothing and accessories, and make a little bit more money than one would at a typical yard sale. You can list your items by category, follow other users’ closets, and offer discounts to people who have shown interest in your items. When your item has sold, Poshmark sends you a label and you just print that out, box your item up, and ship it out with minimal effort.
2. Pay what you want yard sale. My husband and I started doing this and it’s been a game changer. We just put all of the stuff we want to rid ourselves of in the driveway, put a sign up that says “pay what you want,” put our Venmo/Apple Pay/etc. name on a sign, leave a little jar out if people want to pay in cash, and then we go about our day. We’ve never had anyone take the money in the cash jar AND we typically make more money this way then if we actually priced out all of our items…and we save a ton of time! The best part? People just take your unwanted stuff!
3. Donate to a local daycare or church nursery. If you have items that are gently used, this is a great way to go. Things like high chairs, bouncers, swings, and toys are great things to donate to a daycare and usually they’re very happy to accept anything that people are willing to give. A lot of times, they don’t have a huge budget for things like this, so it’s great to check with them when looking to get rid of baby items.
4. Donate items to Helping Mamas Knoxville. This organization accepts gently used items and distributes them to agencies that support low income families. You can take items such as books, pack and plays, washcloths, maternity clothes, and even open packs of diapers can be donated. Keep in mind that some of the gently used items they accept will need to have been purchased in the past five years. I’d recommend checking their website for a full list of guidelines.
