Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Bernie, Nonie, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for those pictures. My daunting job, pales in comparison, to what you have to do. My load feels much lighter now. Wow, where did you get all that stuff, and why???

God Bless you darlings, you need a miracle. I like the auction idea.

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

We had over 30 years of a two story, 4 bedroom house so I know how you feel. What I suggest after NOT doing what I should have done is: If you don't LOVE it or ABSOLUTELY CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT, get rid of it!!!!

This is the best advice I can give you. Even though we did give away a load of furniture, etc., we still had more to donate to Habitate for Humanity's thrift store in Leesburg (who will come and pick it up) when we moved in.

Of course, we really downsized from the 4 bedroom to a CYV. If you are moving into a larger place, you shouldn't have as much difficulty.

Best of luck and wishing you many happy and healthy years as a Villager!!!!! :bigthumbsup:

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Fran,

Thankyou for the good wishes. With this mess awaiting me, Im wondering if Ill ever get there!! :dontknow:

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Nonie, I feel your pain. I am also packing and turfing stuff out. I know that with every box and every drawer I have to pick up the object, turn it over, look at it from all angles, think about it, wonder if I'll be sorry if I throw it out, wonder if I should give it instead to the Salvation Army, wonder if I would ever use it again, wonder if my grandkids could use it.

Then I get so tired I put it back in the box and go to bed. It just ain't that easy.

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Thanks Bare, I know your are facing the same decisions in downsizing. Im finding out kids and grandkids dont want any part of our things, they dont even want their own things that we have stored here for them.

There is a pot of gold at the end of all this called TV. It makes it all worth the effort.

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

I could have written the laments from you and Nonie. Where did I get all this stuff? Why did I buy it? I may never want to shop again. I thought I would shop while up here. I shopped in my closets. Some of it seems like new again. I have been trying to pawn stuff off on the kids. Seems they want to shop for their own junk!

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Wait! Wait!!

I think I like those white rockers!! I'll take them but you can keep the guy sitting in them.

Kathie

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

No wonder we are all friends. We seem to be of a certain type. We can write each others posts.

I agree with Bare...I examine endlessly, when I can't decide I just pack it, to deal with it in TV.

I agree with Sam...I don't know why I bought all this s--ahhh stuff. I feel I have single handedly supported our economy. We are headed for a recession because I quit buying. ( I know you can all say the same thing)

And Nonie my kids don't want a thing either. Not even their stuff. I stored, then moved from CA, then stored that stuff just for them and they don't want it???? Yep, they don't want it.

And Kathie for all I have just said, those rockers are very cool aren't they...hmmmm.

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Looks like there are some hidden treasures, for sure! And one right out front! ;) I had 1,500 sq. ft. + full basement packed w/ 30 yrs. of stuff and it was TOUGH. A barn, thats like another house! Our son took his collectibles, comic books, sports cards, games, futon, couch, his TV and another, pots pans, and other stuff he could use for his 1st apartment. Worked great for us. I secretly saved his ninja turtles, school papers, photos, and as much as I could fit in a couple of bins, and brought them here. I gave my treasured tea cup china collection to a dear friend. My sis took a curio cabinet, I made hundreds of dollars with a couple of yard sales. I sold hundreds of dollars worth on ebay. Donated everything else. We bought nicely furnished here and got it down to 35 boxes of treasures, 52" TV, and my artist easel on a moving truck (mini moves) and a car filled to the roof with 3 dogs and all I could squeeze in. Boxes had fav. books, old clocks, photos, home movies, slide projector, my paintings, a few antiquities, stereo, more small treasures (lots fit in a box) , favirite kitchen gadgets and utensils, sewing machine, 80 Record albums out of 700. 5 boxes were for my kids. Our daughter (here in FL) was thrilled that I saved her cheerleading outfit, cabbage patch dolls, her ET doll, music box, jewelry, school papers, etc.. Our son is getting his stuff mailed to him bit by bit each christmas. He sure loved his little indian outfit this past year. I BOUGHT new kitchen pans, small appliances, dishes, glassware, towels, decoratives, sheets, CLOTHES! It was like giving ourselves a bridal shower! Sometimes its less $ to buy than to ship. Hope this gives you ideas!! I'm not rushing you or anything. HAH! ;)

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Bernie

Arrived Wed, Not a Buffalo in sight for three days now! But I'm sure glad to see you found a place to get rid of those back and white things ( I think their called cows-BTW). Wonder how much it cost to ship them down here? Looks a lot like NY pastures now :(!

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Can't figure out who wrote the original post about the 37 year accumulation. I sure do identify - we have lived in our home 37 years also. I have packed 89 boxes this week. Probably should heed the advice on this thread and pitch more. Will be in TV on July 21. The next phase will be shopping. One step at a time - Sell, buy, pack, move....

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

We had 32 years of accumulated "stuff" in a 4 bedroom, 2 storey house. I too spent the fist few weeks looking, brooding and putting stuff back in drawers to decide about later. Then I remembered that this is a new phase in our lives and we needed to move forward. We've owned our Camellia for 2 years now and have fully furnished it as we used it as a vacation house. Storage in any house in TV is at a premium. That's when I invented the "5 second rule" for us. Look at something and be able to say where it will go or be stored within the first 5 seconds or else it goes into the trash or donate pile. There are no other choices. It was hard at first, but we will be moving to TV 7/17 and will have only a few things in the trunk of our car! I actually feel liberated and am glad that we decided to do it this way.

Re: How do you clean out a 37 year accumulation? HELP!
 

Nonie
Had our major garage sale this morinng and despite the rain in N Va, we had a very successul sale (alot of Ducks came out)...and in the end, 99% of what was left went to the local thrift shop. That said we still have ALOT of stuff to get rid of and the movers come friday!

I think I need some help here lol
 

Yep...I have been doing exactly that for months Bare...."look at it, think about it, wonder if I will be sorry if I throw it out etc. etc.", do I have a garage sale, which I did once and swore I would never do it again lol, store it, throw it out etc.?!? :shrug:.
I get so overwhelmed looking at it all, and dont think I have the energy for the garage sale thing, but I guess if I find a home in TV and sell here soon...hopefully I will find energy I didnt know I had lol? :shrug:.
I know I should have a garage sale, but no one in this town rents tables...any ideas from my fellow TOTV'ers with all there clever ideas? :bowdown:. I could probably open up a Christmas Tree Shop in TV with all the Christmas things I have...everyone that comes here says it looks like the North Pole at Christmas. :1rotfl:
Help!!!! :faint:

If you have a ton of stuff, how about having an auctioneer come in, and have them sell everything there on the premises? The selling price only goes up, compared to a yard sale where the hagglers try to nickel and dime you. Granted, they will take a percentage of the proceeds, but your excess stuff will be gone in a few hours.

Organization is the key in this process - as is having the space to process things!

That said, first ask a few friends to help you lug and sort. Then sort all items according to KEEP, SELL, DONATE, TRASH. When one does not have the space to keep everything under one roof, consider renting a small storage space for one month [if you have one close by within an easy drive after a day of sorting]. Moving the sorted items out of sight and reach makes it easier to avoid the separation anxiety that this process raises.

Allow yourself to take a good amount of time to accomplish this sorting - it can become sort of a 'grieving process' over the loss of your 'stuff'; and it gives you a chance to have a change of mind.

Then 'hire' your friends to conduct your yard sale...the more you are removed from this part of the process the less likely items are to return to your KEEP category. Do make sure that you are available to answer questions and to circulate among the shoppers to make sure that items do not disappear. Have lots of cash on hand for making change - carpenter aprons work real well at yard sales. Have some shopping/grocery bags/small boxes available for your shoppers to take their treasures home in.

Anything left from the yard sale goes into the donate pile and you are done! Count your cash and break out a nice bottle of wine and some pizzas/sandwiches for your helpers.

If you choose to enlist the help of your friends in this process, [if not done in the initial sorting phase] you might consider offering them first chance to select something from your SELL items [before the start of the yard sale] as a memory of you and all you are sharing.

And once you get to TV and realize "I didn't really need this after all" - keep it in the garage or a spare room and save it for a yard sale there!!!!!

Feel your pain! 5 yrs ago we put a sign in the yard to sell up north thinking it would take time. Sold in 3 weeks...had to store stuff & rent till retirement 3 mo. later. Downsized in TV BIG time from 2 story house. Brought the whole mess here... still sorting. The bright side of this is that you can control weight gain by the sheer fact that if you get too wide, you can't get through the narrow path in the garage to the golf cart!!!! Hang in!

One year Later!
 

Its been over a year since I originally posted this thread and I want to Thank you all for the great advice. Im sure so many of you are going thru this right now. Its not an easy task especially when you are a saver and collector as I was but amazingly I discovered I dont need or miss any of the things I sold or gave away.

Looking so much forward to my journey to The Villages and Im not bringing much with me. It will be great fun to start over furnishing with new in TV.

I guess my best advice would be to go the auction route. They pick it up, sell it for you and send you a check. Easy peasy, if your not looking for high prices on things. It was a lifesaver for us.

One problem is guilt.
 

Some of the stuff I have was left by my mother (from her mother)
Totally not my style but I have carted it from piller to post through 5 moves.
Not to mention my husbands comic book collection. Someone here suggested auction houses and I have found a few online that specialize in hand painted dishes and others for comics. I think that is the way to go but I do feel guilty selling things that my mother thought where family heirlooms.

Trudy,

I can relate completely to the guilt problem. I still have many things of my mothers and grandmothers that I have to part with. But the one that weighs heaviest on my heart is her baby grand piano. I have kept it in my home since her passing. It is an tique and has a special history to it. It was special made for one of Al Capones brothels. It is hand painted and very unusual. I have had it on E-bay and Craigs list at a very low price and could not sell it on either. I have asked family members if they want it and noone seems to have room for it. Now I have to have our local auctioneer cart it away . It was very special to my mother and she played it daily for 50 yrs. or more, and I would love to sit and listen to her beautiful music.

Sorry to go on and on about it but it really hurts to have to part with it, wherever she is, I know shes going to be really upset with me, but what choice do I have????

getting rid of stuff
 

We are moving TV in a few years but I have already started. As far as emotional aspect of "things" I saw one of those organizer shows where the host said something along the lines of "That statue that Aunt Martha gave you does NOT represent Aunt Martha, she lives in your memory, not in the statue".....I try to remember that. Also, I tell myself that I want an easier life when I get to TV, that we will be on the go all the time and that too many things ties you down in many ways. My 2 cents.

family heirlooms
 

As the only daughter of the only daughter, I have lots of family treasures, not worth much in monetary value, just sentimental. I wrote a family history and included as much information about family tree that I had and where each piece came from and gave them away, piece by piece to younger family members, neices, nephews, cousins, etc. They were more thrilled about the piece because of the paper history that came with them and I now think they will stand a chance of being passed on again.

That is a very nice and wonderful idea! I am sure your family members appreciated the thoughtfulness and time you put into doing that. For me...I would rather receive a sentimental gift that has family history than anything else.
In fact you just helped me with a dilemma I have been having over all my Christmas things...thank you! I have been giving my son a special Christmas treasure every year for 31 years on Christmas Eve, i.e. villages, music boxes, glass old fashion ornaments, dishes etc. etc. and not knowing what on earth to do with it when I move. So...to hold onto it for him till he has his own place, I am not going to sell it, I am going to put it in storage till then. Thank you!

Here's the easy way: Do you want to spend $$$$ to move it? Yes, or No.

I have been downsizing slowly but successfully by using Craigslist especially for bigger items.. They have every category imaginable!!

If you are in a big enough town / city that has it's own site then list the item, make sure you put a photo and as much info as possible. I find it is better to not put your phone number especially if it is a popular item and contact them..

They come to your home..check it out, load it up and off it goes with $$ in your pocket and it doesn't cost a dime...just a little of your time!!

If it is furniture or something from inside i move it to my carport and take a photo , list it and then wait.. they don't even have to come in your home.. i have sold alot of things that way. If you list it a couple times and there are no replys, it is either too high or not of interest and off to Goodwill it goes!! I want to get rid of things so i price it to sell!!!:pepper2:

There is also a Free section.. list what it is and take a photo!! They will come and take it.. Perhaps they can use it or will have a sale of their own!! It is a huge way to recycle and i prefer this to a dumpster although if things are of no use, damaged or just plain junk then definately start filling up the dumpster..

Just a thought!! Photo's are a MUST though as i know for myself i don't look at ads without photos!! Good luck on your project!! :bowdown:

Auctioneer
 

I am a very happy camper today thanks to Nonie's great advice about getting an auctioneer to come in and take away some things. Not only is he taking some things....he is taking everything!!!! :a040:
They come in and wrap it, pack it, move it, and sell it!! :coolsmiley:
So if some of you are in the same dilemma of what to do with "stuff" I highly recommend this idea!! I feel like a ton has been lifted off my shoulders!
Thank you Nonie...you are a genious!! :clap2:

Im so happy for you Jeanne., Things are finally comming together for you.

As Bare would say "easy peasy"!!:laugh:

Stuff
 

I have the perfect flow chart to resolve the "stuff" issue but am unable to import it here. Anyone wishing a copy please e-mail me at
sundog48@gmail.com & I will forward the solution to the problem.

Steve :crap2:

We also are downsizing and moving to our new home in TV in December. We are consindering using the POD. Has anyone used this process for moving and if so what was your experience?

Thanks in advance! You all have been so helpful in many ways already. By the way we can hardly wait to create many new friendships!

Kathy & Don

possible solution
 

There's a reputable guy in Lady Lake who will ebay your stuff, he takes 25% for the hassle of photographing, researching, listing, packing and shipping your stuff. He even ebayed a $10,000 boat for a friend of mine and a $3,500 motorcycle. Might take a while for him to get rid of 37 years of stuff and some of it probably wouldn't sell, but it might generate some extra cash. His email is Garyplus5@comcast.net

The advice in this thread got us to TV. We buried St. Joseph and sold the house, donated to museum and charity, gave away to family and friends, auctioned, sold at garage sale, dumped, recycled, shredded, bartered, e-Bay’ed, Craigs listed, burned, moved, stored, and shelped. We finally arrived today!!!!!!

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...b8/Arrived.jpg

Bernie
 

The advice in this thread got us to TV. We buried St. Joseph and sold the house, donated to museum and charity, gave away to family and friends, auctioned, sold at garage sale, dumped, recycled, shredded, bartered, e-Bay’ed, Craigs listed, burned, moved, stored, and shelped. We finally arrived today!!!!!!


:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: Susie

OMG
:22yikes:

Now you're gonna have to remove "TV Wannabe" from your location. Congratulations! :wave:

Congrats!!
 

WOW Susie, congratulations are in order!!! Welcome to TV!!! :welcome:

I downsized from a 3000 sq ft 5 bedroom house to an Amarillo. The people at Goodwill and the junkyard knew me by name! There were so many things that had been handed down from past generations (hand made quilts, fine china, tatted linens, silver) that I just couldn't part with...so, I decided I was now officially old enough to USE these things. I got rid of a lot of the store bought everyday stuff that I used when the kids were still around and now I eat my meals on Spode and Haviland, keep warm in hand made quilts, and serve my guest on silver. This eliminated a lot of stuff that had no sentimental value and I enjoy my family's heirlooms everyday.

Ok...I think I need to start back at the beginning of this thread and read again. I'm not making much progress with cleaning out my years and years of "stuff"...so far I seem to be just going around in circles and not getting anything accomplished. Yikes!!

I am going to take a deep breath and regroup...and then keep on keepin' on!

I can do this! LOL:faint:

Betty, what is your timeline as far as making it to TV?

Julie, we really don't have a definite timeline yet, but I would guesstimate 2 years before being able to be in TV full time. I would love it to be sooner, but for now we have other obligations that will keep us here for a bit. At the rate I'm going it looks like it will take me those 2 years to prepare to downsize. :D

Two years, WOW! That gives you loads of time. The hardest part of downsizing is to try and not accumulate anything new during the process. I keep seeing things I think I need but, have to keep telling myself if I really need the item I can purchase it once I make it to TV.

Good luck with your two year downsizing project.