This was a tough call for us.
In the end, I placed by sterling and china with a consignment shop that holds monthly auctions as well has having a store front. I also gave them 20+ antiques and misc goods that were "valuable" to the right person.
We tried selling some things on craigslist and a local TV website classified site. We found little or no interest and it was very discouraging.
These were all items that had sentimental value to me and I really felt guilty about WANTING to get rid of them. We have 4 married kids and offered those things to them. But they reluctantly refused them. They did not want high maintenance items either....
In the end, when they came to pick those things us, I felt really guilty....but once they closed the door on the truck and drove off and I looked around and saw the empty space in the room in which we gathered them, I was elated. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted!!!
Many of those things I had carried around through 45 yrs of marriage and they are just "things" for which we no longer have any need.
The consignment shop pays out once a month. If I never get a check, I still feel that FOR US, it was the right thing to do.
We donated tons of stuff and these items were the last to go and like a chain around my ankle.
We feel like newlyweds setting up housekeeping for the first time!! It is fun to start from scratch and choose the things that we will live with going forward. We brought a small POD and it wasn't even full. It is very liberating to not be controlled by "things".
This, of course, is just our situation. Downsizing sucks! Especially at this stage of life. but we knew we wanted a casual, carefree lifestyle and this just felt right to us.
Good luck, this was the toughest stage of the move for us!! We wish you well!
|