#2013alive: How do you Part Ways with Previously Loved Possessions?

After sorting through our clutter last week, we have to decide how to best get rid of all of our no-longer-loved possessions that are still too good to be thrown away. Our alive staff share their own possession-parting experiences.

Vince, Digital Content Coordinator, says: “Craigslist has been my go-to when it comes to getting rid of things that I no longer have a use for. It’s also been a convenient way to get rid of things that are completely non-functional, but may have use to someone, such as an old microwave that bit the dust. Since it would’ve been cheaper to replace than repair, I put it up on Craigslist with the disclaimer ‘FOR PARTS ONLY.’ I also went to the effort of writing an amusing posting for it, but it might not have mattered since I got several dozen requests for it.

“For selling stuff, it’s a little less perfect, since responders will try to talk the price down, not bother showing up at designated times, or ask that you meet them in a weird public location, but considering that Craigslist is a free service, one can’t complain too much, as long as you’re careful.”

Leah, Editor, says: “A few years ago, my parents, sister, and I finally decluttered my parents’ basement—and all of the childhood items my sister and I had long outgrown. After we finished all the sorting, we piled several boxes on the basement floor with items inside reserved for a garage sale. Well, months (yes, months!) went by and the boxes still sat there, collecting dust. Finally, one day my dad decided enough was enough. He lugged everything out to out front lawn with a big sign: ‘Free—we’re too lazy for a garage sale!’ Within the weekend, every item had disappeared to other families in the neighbourhood, and other than being embarrassed by my dad’s sign, it worked really well! The sign is still in our garage and gets pulled out from time to time after we’ve done some organizing.”

Stuart, Editor-in-Chief, says: “In my household, we just did a spring clean of all the clothing and linen closets and drawers. We easily collected several bags of gently used clothing and linens. We made a quick call to Big Brothers and in just a couple of days the Big Brothers organization stopped by to collect the goods and put them to good use. So wonderful to have all that space back, and even better to be able to support an excellent organization that does important work in the community.”

How do you get rid of your old clutter? Let us know by commenting on our blog posts or by leaving a Facebook comment. You can also join the conversation using the #2013alive Twitter hashtag.