After living in the same house for 5 years and cultivating hobbies old and new, we have accumulated quite a bit of stuff- not near as much as others including homeowners, but still, more than we need and definitely more than we can take with us in the van or even store in a unit. (Sidebar, one of the many benefits of renting is moving every few years which makes you much more likely to go through a thorough cleanse of your belongings.)
As we approach our July 1st launch date, decisions regarding what to do with our stuff have to be made. I thought I would share some of our decision making process framework.
The first thing we both did was go through our closets and get rid of everything we haven't worn in the last year or 6 months (you can define your own timeframe)- shirts, pants, shoes, the whole bit. Some people choose to sell (either online or in a yard sale), we chose to donate to Goodwill. As another aside, if it's junk/torn/dirty, please don't send it to Goodwill. It is a waste of their time. If you have business attire, you can also look into donating to organizations that provide clothing specifically to homeless men and women seeking to get back into the workforce, which I think is a really great thing to do.
The next category was outdoor gear, which we elected to sell and donate. Old backpacks, tents, snowboards, fly rods, whatever. Those you can sell online or however you like, or you can also look into donating to organizations designed to get at risk youth outside. If you are selling, you're likely going to have more luck selling a snowboard faster on a snowboard specific forum or gear page. It's also much less of a hassle oftentimes, as the people on there know what they are looking for and won't ask you as many basic questions about the gear- this isn't always true, but in my experience, an informed buyer is much easier to deal with. That being said, I've had good success selling items on eBay as well as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. I also sold quite a bit of photography gear on Ebay to both help fund new lenses as well as to streamline my setup given space will be at a premium in the van/on the road.
Next up was a bit more painful- books and movies. I love to read, and as a graduate of a liberal arts university honors program, I have a lot of books. A lot. I have purged in the past, but this was down to bare bones, and it was excruciating at first. I was able to whittle it down and keep a handful of my favorite classics. Other books that made the cut were trail books, maps, guides, etc. Books that didn't make the cut will be donated to a local free library program. Other hiking guides, etc, I am giving to friends who enjoy hiking and who will remain in the area. Hopefully they don't mind my notes in the margins :)
Because we lived on the East Coast in row homes for several years, most of our furniture is quite modest, IKEA brand that we are not attached to and have no problem selling or donating. Originally, we hoped to keep our dining room table and chairs, couch, dresser, and a couple of bistro tables, but after checking prices on storage units and calculating the cost of that over 12+ months, it became easy to part with everything, and by everything, I mean everything. Two pieces of furniture made the cut- a curio cabinet containing my grandmother's dishes, and a small antique table that sits in our hallway. Appliances including washer/dryer, toaster- buh bye. Lamps, coffee table, couch, beds, futon, desks, wingback chair, recliner- see ya! Television, entertainment center, wall and shelf decor- outta here! It seemed impossible to get here at first, but after being very deliberate about our choices and considering the cost of keeping everything, it just wasn't worth it anymore.
Hopefully talking through this process is helpful. Next up, I'll talk about storage including how to properly store items including artwork and other fragile pieces.
