I tell myself, or anyone who will listen, that I don't want to buy ___ because then I'm responsible for it. I'm responsible for enough. I don't want to have to clean it, maintain it, store it or dispose of "it".
Love love love this post. This is exactly where I am in life right now too - just trying to get rid of all the stuff that I unfortunately accumulated in my early life. After cleaning out my parents house last year, I became even more dedicated to not leaving so much stuff for someone else to have to deal with once I'm gone.
It's awesome that there are so many places to give/sell your things. I'm a big fan of Buy Nothing and the front stoop method. I also love Offer Up as another option.
Both my husband's parents and mine died within the last 10 years or so, and I still have a lot of their stuff to dispose of. Sentimental objects are the hardest to part with, although I'm getting better at it. Thanks for the list of organizations that accept used items. That will definitely help.
Another great, practical and insightful article, Anne Marie. THANKS. I'm in the process of downsizing myself, and as a complement to what you've mostly described in here as "donating", there are a raft of web platforms that have sprung up to actually sell things. Among them, Facebook Marketplace (which seems to be the most popular for obvious reasons), but also Poshmark, The Real Real.com, OfferUpNow.com (that you mentioned), Mercari, and lots lots more -- in addition of course to Ebay and Craigslist, the old standbys. There are even people whom you can hire to help you sell the stuff who will work on a commission. Good news: There's more and more places to sell the stuff. AND PREDICTION: in the future, as a result of the existence of these re-sale places, more and more consumers might consider the 'resale' price of what we buy and accordingly, its quality.
Thank you for this article. I've been racking my brain on what to do with things I don't want. Like you, I want to be kind to the environment. These ideas and links are a blessing. I really appreciate it 😊
Hi Anne Marie. Love your stuff as always. Ridwell send plastic waste for "chemical recycling" pyrolysis at the Agylix plant in Oregon. More carbon-intensive than incineration and cancer-causing, and a key technology touted by Big Petchem to justify exponential plastic production. See Sharon Lerner's investigation: https://www.propublica.org/article/chevron-pascagoula-pollution-future-cancer-risk
I read the Swedish Art of Death Cleaning a few years ago and started thinking about what I would not want my daughter to have to deal with. It really spurred me into getting rid of some stuff (that and having had to clean out my mother’s house where she had lived for 40 years and had a lot of stuff).
Thank you so very much for the resources! I try to dispose of things in the best way possible and I appreciate information about how to do that. I recently moved halfway across the country and gave away a lot of things. I found Buy Nothing and Nextdoor to be very helpful. I got most of my moving boxes and packing materials off of Buy Nothing and have passed them along to others in my new community.
I tell myself, or anyone who will listen, that I don't want to buy ___ because then I'm responsible for it. I'm responsible for enough. I don't want to have to clean it, maintain it, store it or dispose of "it".
Love love love this post. This is exactly where I am in life right now too - just trying to get rid of all the stuff that I unfortunately accumulated in my early life. After cleaning out my parents house last year, I became even more dedicated to not leaving so much stuff for someone else to have to deal with once I'm gone.
It's awesome that there are so many places to give/sell your things. I'm a big fan of Buy Nothing and the front stoop method. I also love Offer Up as another option.
Both my husband's parents and mine died within the last 10 years or so, and I still have a lot of their stuff to dispose of. Sentimental objects are the hardest to part with, although I'm getting better at it. Thanks for the list of organizations that accept used items. That will definitely help.
Gotta check out the series Swedish Death Cleaning 😄
Another great, practical and insightful article, Anne Marie. THANKS. I'm in the process of downsizing myself, and as a complement to what you've mostly described in here as "donating", there are a raft of web platforms that have sprung up to actually sell things. Among them, Facebook Marketplace (which seems to be the most popular for obvious reasons), but also Poshmark, The Real Real.com, OfferUpNow.com (that you mentioned), Mercari, and lots lots more -- in addition of course to Ebay and Craigslist, the old standbys. There are even people whom you can hire to help you sell the stuff who will work on a commission. Good news: There's more and more places to sell the stuff. AND PREDICTION: in the future, as a result of the existence of these re-sale places, more and more consumers might consider the 'resale' price of what we buy and accordingly, its quality.
Love this. Thank you. Always inspiring and helpful practical tips.
Thank you for this article. I've been racking my brain on what to do with things I don't want. Like you, I want to be kind to the environment. These ideas and links are a blessing. I really appreciate it 😊
I wish you were my neighbor! I’d much rather borrow, or pick up free or used. I don’t want to buy anything, especially things I need infrequently.
Here is a link to find a center that has arts and crafts materials. I donate and buy from the one in Berkeley.
https://swoodsonsays.com/a-creative-reuse-center-near-me-map-resource/
Hi Anne Marie. Love your stuff as always. Ridwell send plastic waste for "chemical recycling" pyrolysis at the Agylix plant in Oregon. More carbon-intensive than incineration and cancer-causing, and a key technology touted by Big Petchem to justify exponential plastic production. See Sharon Lerner's investigation: https://www.propublica.org/article/chevron-pascagoula-pollution-future-cancer-risk
Great post!
I read the Swedish Art of Death Cleaning a few years ago and started thinking about what I would not want my daughter to have to deal with. It really spurred me into getting rid of some stuff (that and having had to clean out my mother’s house where she had lived for 40 years and had a lot of stuff).
Thank you so very much for the resources! I try to dispose of things in the best way possible and I appreciate information about how to do that. I recently moved halfway across the country and gave away a lot of things. I found Buy Nothing and Nextdoor to be very helpful. I got most of my moving boxes and packing materials off of Buy Nothing and have passed them along to others in my new community.
Thank you Anne Marie for another wonderful post.