Throwing away stuff

[Martin]

I do this once or twice a year. Just plow through closets, cupboards, boxes and shelves with one mission: to throw away as much stuff as possible. Just filled three big bags with clothes (off to charity), will clear out all my old computer parts next. So satisfying.

That's all I got.

[Emily]

I use to do this more regularly. But yeah, once or twice a year. My mission is less: throw things away, & more organize everything I own.

[Bryan]

Moving house on a regular basis was a good excuse to do this. (My record: 8 times in five years.) Since becoming a homeowner three years ago, I've just been building up the junk.

I need to do one of these purges.

[erika]

I just found out last Friday that I'm moving in three weeks. I have so much shit I have to get rid of. Two of us are moving into a house that's 900 square feet... we both currently live in places that are at least 700 each... so some shit has GOT TO GO.

For some of the nicknacks I like to hold onto but not display, I had the idea of taking some neat macro photos and then make a little collage for my wall. Then I can throw them away but still remember them, etc. etc.

I also need to get rid of my single socks!

[joanna]

we're moving in a little over two months and i'm looking forward to giving away 2/3 of our belongings before we do so. it's going to be awesome.

[Emerson]

I LOVE throwing shit away. I recommend hosting a yard sale or setting up at a flea market - it's a good way to meet your neighbors and discover the relative value of certain things. At this point, I've sold/auctioned off/donated so much stuff, I don't have much left. Except a huge collection of paperbacks.

[emma]

I did a massive clothing/books cleanout before I left for NY and sold about half the stuff at this huge yard sale in the park down the street from my house. The other half went to the goodwill. It was really really satisfying and I'm really glad I did it, but the problem is I live at home and my parents are split up, so I've got one room that's perfect, and the  other one is just as big a shitheap as before I left. Urrrrrgh.

[KickTheBobo]

"the things you own end up owning you"

[yesno]

I do this a lot too.  My problem is that I tend to start having "collections" of things.

I've gotten better about not buying dumb quirky things by taking pictures of stuff that in the past I would have bought, instead of buying it.  Photography is a good stand-in for hoarding.  And I will never buy anything because it is quirky or funny anymore.

In 2003 I sold my complete DVD collection.  Once you own one DVD, there's no particular reason not to buy another one.  But physical digital media are just a silly thing to own, in the days of Netflix.  Even music DVDs, I would never really watch.

[Beth]

I love purging my clothes. Wayyy too many impulse buys and crazy items from my younger days that I just haven't been able to part with are in my closet (for example, I really can't wear a pink frilly short skirt with a bikini kill patch sewn on it anymore. That probably became inappropriate as soon as I hit my 20s). I get rid of these clothes in a fun  way though. My friends and I like to get together and have clothing swap parties. We put all the clothes we are giving away in a pile in the center of the room, and all dive in at once. It's much more painless to give clothes that have fond memories attached to them away to my friends and get something I actually will wear in return. After the party we donate the reject clothes to Salvation Army. Fun!

[Fido]

"the things you own end up owning you"

So true. I used to be quite the miser, until I moved to a tiny apartment where space is more valuable than practically anything that could fill it. Now it's so satisfying to me to get rid of stuff that I don't need. Yeah, I donate a lot, I still try not to throw away stuff that can be valuable to/reused by somebody else, despite the fact that I get a charge out of dumping stuff down the garbage chute.

[Martin]

I almost never put up stuff for sale or even give it away, perhaps I should. I usually get rid of everything at the waste station, where they recycle everything, which is nice. I kind of love that place - they're very strict but friendly, and they make sure you leave things in the right place. At the waste station there's also a spot where you can leave stuff that's not broken, like old TVs, books or 'puter parts, to charities or organized flea markets. I send the clothes to Russia via friends who work with charities there. Feels good to know some poor Russians are walking around with my old ironic t-shirts.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

In 2003 I sold my complete DVD collection.  Once you own one DVD, there's no particular reason not to buy another one.  But physical digital media are just a silly thing to own, in the days of Netflix.  Even music DVDs, I would never really watch.

i did the same thing except i just donated them to goodwill, but i feel the same way.  i dont see any point in owning a DVD these days.

in addition to purging my things every time i move in/out.

[buffcoat]

People who live in cities are so funny.  Imagine a 900 square foot house!  It's a fairy tale cottage.



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[senorcorazon]

I love to do this in the spring and summer (maybe it's a no-longer-freezer thing in New York).

If anyone lives in the city, I'd suggest trying to give to Housing Works or a similar less-totally tubular institution than Goodwill.

Has anyone figured out what the heck to do with CDs? I've got a TON and need to get rid of these. Any of those scam "send us your CDs and we'll send you an iPod with your music" things work? I'm lazy.

EDIT: Aha. I think I finally caught the "totally tubular" thing. I am now only 8 weeks behind the boards.
Creepy!