13 More Things You Are Fully Allowed To Let Go Of (Without Guilt, Shame, Or Anxiety)

May 4, 2016

Want to Live Simply but don’t know where to start? Or, maybe you’re well along in the process, and are zealously seeking new and exciting ways to further free yourself from the burden of unnecessary belongings. In either case, this latest installment in our (always popular) ongoing ditch-it list is ripe with editing motivation (I hope).

Here goes.

Beginning today, you are no longer allowed to feel bad (purposeful grammatical choice, there), or sad, or even wistful about getting rid of the following:

1. Sets of stationary you’ve purchased over the years at museum gift shops (I see you with those Monet Water Lilly’s notecards and matching envelopes), small boutiques, and Papyrus shops that you’ve never sent.
2. Greeting cards you purchased two decades ago that now, in hindsight, you realize are fugly and you’d dare not send them to a person you like, let alone one you don’t.
3. Rolls of bubble wrap, speciality mailing envelopes en masse, et al.
Unless you’re running a shop that necessitates you to constantly ship/mail things to customers (you would know if you are). Or, unless you’re running a FedEx office from out your dutch door, collecting naked items in need of packaging from your neighbors and strangers. (Again, you would know if you are. You might not know that you needed counseling, but that’s a revelatory list-post we’ll save for another day.)

(Hands up if we’d like a “list of things that indicate you’re not in possession of a sound mind,” (in my humble opinion.))

 

4. Mystery keys.
5. Mystery bags of hardware.
6. Mysterious parts, bits, knobs, levers, controllers, I could go on–
7. Assembly instructions for furniture pieces you’ll never in your life un-assemble and then re-assemble (read: essentially everything, perhaps with the exception of a crib and changing table.)
8. The first item your significant other gave you.
Divorced? Going strong? Doesn’t matter. What is that person giving you today? What might they give you tomorrow?

(Hands up if we need a helper script on how to navigate this scenario with grace towards all.)

 

9. Cartoon-emblazoned, logo-announcing plastic cups that were hand-outs at sporting events / fast food drive throughs and the like, that somehow managed to weasel their way into your more legitimate drinkware collection.
10. Branded drinking vessels: wine glasses etched with the name of a winery you once visited, glasses plastered with the names of various beer companies, etc.

11. Chipped glasses. Chipped plates. Chipped bowls.
This isn’t sculpture work. You aren’t carving until you set an angel free–that I know of, anyway. You’re just holding on to increasingly dangerous objects that one day a family member may slice open some part of their body on, be it a hand or a lip.

 

12. The collection of baby cups, bowls, snack carriers, and eating utensils your “baby” has long since outgrown.
13. Your child’s toy that endlessly plays an insipid tune, robotically chants the same refrain, that lights up and walks across the room and that always manages to end up under foot, so that you’re forever tripping over it and stubbing your toe on and then whisper-yelling FUCK, not because it hurt so much as you know you’ve just set it off on its tirade.
If it’s making you loose your mind, and thus making you a worse parent, get rid of it.

 

Hopefully, any of these particular items don’t pertain to you, they’ll help jog your memory of other similar items you own that you’re free to let go of.

If any of these items rang a bell for you, I want to hear about it! Which items on the list apply to you, and, more importantly, what are you going to do about that?

 

5 Comments

  1. Leslie on May 4, 2016 at 6:50 am

    Hi Annie, I’m in the process of decluttering and downsizing. I have no problem donating lots of stuff, but my dilemma is how to sell things that are worth some money. We live in a small (500 people; not even a stoplight) town, and I’ve tried eBay, Craigslist, Offerup. Problem is, things are too big to ship and people won’t drive the 35 miles from the closest town to come look/pick up. Yard sale is out of the question because it’s a mile up a dirt lane to our place. I suppose I could bite the bullet and have a Salvation Army truck come but 1) we may be out of their pick-up area and 2) I’d be losing lots of money buy donating furniture and other large items. Any ideas? Thanks, and love your site.

    • sarah rodriguez on May 5, 2016 at 6:35 am

      Have you tried Amazon? I’ve resold books to other vendors thru Amazon. Bigger things you might try borrowing a friend’s truck or renting a small one to lug it out somewhere ..if the items are worth enough so that the rental price is with it.

      • sarah rodriguez on May 5, 2016 at 6:37 am

        Also trade and barter work well. Maybe someone in town has something you want for what you have…good luck!

    • Annie on May 6, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Hmm… definitely appreciate the dilemma you’re in.

      From the sounds of it, you haven’t yet clarified for yourself what your priority is–to make money off of what you own, or to free yourself of it, in whatever way that’s most easily achieved. (help on this front here: https://www.livesimplybyannie.com/whats-it-worth/ )

      Without knowing where you’re at definitely on that front, and without knowing specifics are the items in question, it’s a little difficult for me to advice. So, here are a few things you might not yet have tried that could be helpful:

      – Post items for sale to any hyper local community groups/ online or in person
      – Post items for sale in the FREE section of craigslist
      – Rent/borrow a truck and meet a buyer half-way (maybe you draw up a super simple contract ahead of time stating that they agree to purchase/take it off your hands so that you don’t waste your time)
      – DEFINITELY investigate whether or not you’re in salv army pick-up area, or any other donation service with pick up.
      – Submit items to local-ish furniture consignment stores–they would likely take the pieces of your hands in order to sell–this would be a good way to park the items in a more accessible location, where buyers could more easily find and transport, without your having to camp out with AND on your couch in town.

      But again, it all comes down to what your main objective is. Get clear about that (do you really NEED to make money off of these things? Do you want to? Why? i.e. what deeper beliefs are driving you?) and from there, a solution is going to magically appear, I swear.

      Hope that helps!!

  2. Sarah on May 4, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    Number 13. EVERY. DAY. I’m giving it away this afternoon. Thank you for the motivation!

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5 Comments

  1. Leslie on May 4, 2016 at 6:50 am

    Hi Annie, I’m in the process of decluttering and downsizing. I have no problem donating lots of stuff, but my dilemma is how to sell things that are worth some money. We live in a small (500 people; not even a stoplight) town, and I’ve tried eBay, Craigslist, Offerup. Problem is, things are too big to ship and people won’t drive the 35 miles from the closest town to come look/pick up. Yard sale is out of the question because it’s a mile up a dirt lane to our place. I suppose I could bite the bullet and have a Salvation Army truck come but 1) we may be out of their pick-up area and 2) I’d be losing lots of money buy donating furniture and other large items. Any ideas? Thanks, and love your site.

    • sarah rodriguez on May 5, 2016 at 6:35 am

      Have you tried Amazon? I’ve resold books to other vendors thru Amazon. Bigger things you might try borrowing a friend’s truck or renting a small one to lug it out somewhere ..if the items are worth enough so that the rental price is with it.

      • sarah rodriguez on May 5, 2016 at 6:37 am

        Also trade and barter work well. Maybe someone in town has something you want for what you have…good luck!

    • Annie on May 6, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Hmm… definitely appreciate the dilemma you’re in.

      From the sounds of it, you haven’t yet clarified for yourself what your priority is–to make money off of what you own, or to free yourself of it, in whatever way that’s most easily achieved. (help on this front here: https://www.livesimplybyannie.com/whats-it-worth/ )

      Without knowing where you’re at definitely on that front, and without knowing specifics are the items in question, it’s a little difficult for me to advice. So, here are a few things you might not yet have tried that could be helpful:

      – Post items for sale to any hyper local community groups/ online or in person
      – Post items for sale in the FREE section of craigslist
      – Rent/borrow a truck and meet a buyer half-way (maybe you draw up a super simple contract ahead of time stating that they agree to purchase/take it off your hands so that you don’t waste your time)
      – DEFINITELY investigate whether or not you’re in salv army pick-up area, or any other donation service with pick up.
      – Submit items to local-ish furniture consignment stores–they would likely take the pieces of your hands in order to sell–this would be a good way to park the items in a more accessible location, where buyers could more easily find and transport, without your having to camp out with AND on your couch in town.

      But again, it all comes down to what your main objective is. Get clear about that (do you really NEED to make money off of these things? Do you want to? Why? i.e. what deeper beliefs are driving you?) and from there, a solution is going to magically appear, I swear.

      Hope that helps!!

  2. Sarah on May 4, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    Number 13. EVERY. DAY. I’m giving it away this afternoon. Thank you for the motivation!

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