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Morning Open Thread. Today is National Garage Sale Day. You having one? You got Too Much Stuff! [1]

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Date: 2022-08-13

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Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum. This is a post where you can come to share what’s on your mind and stay for the expansion. The diarist is on California time and gets to take a nap when he needs to, or may just wander off and show up again later. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug. Grab your supportive indulgence(s) of choice and join us, please. And if you’re brand new to Morning Open Thread, then Hail and Well Met, new Friend.

I’ve never been a garage/yard sale junkie, but I certainly have stopped at a few and found a few items I had in mind, things that I needed at the time, like blankets or a filing cabinet. I once held an extended garage sale, but that was when I had to dispose of most of my tools and toys to scrape together some money so I could move to a place of my own, ya know, because divorce. Otherwise, I’ve never been much of a hold-on-to-old-stuff kind of guy. If I had stuff that was derelict, antiquated, obsolete, non-functional and impossible to repair, I simply tossed it in the dumpster. I liked to at least attempt to keep places like my garage and workshop areas to a level of organization where I didn’t have to move ten cubic yards of accumulated mess just to be able to fix the toaster. Heh, not that I ever attempted to repair a defunct toaster. Pitch the damn thing and buy a new one, that was me.

Here’s someone who has come to understand the value of just getting rid of old junk, and the heck with trying to make money off of it.

Words of wisdom:

“So trying to sell everything to recoup some of this money that I spent was not helping me gain control of my home and my situation. When I finally made the decision to just let everything go without getting any money for it, it was a huge relief.” “...consider the payment of a calm, clear space… your mental well-being is worth way more than $5.00 an hour.”

She spells it out:

1. Having a garage sale means all the clutter you’ve been working to get rid of, isn’t actually gone. It’s stored. Which means it can still make you feel guilty: guilty for still having it. Guilty for not having a garage sale yet. Guilty for taking up so much space, still. 2. The amount of time and energy put into having a garage sale could be spent accomplishing more: spending quality time with loved ones, or even clearing out more areas of your home. 3. Garage sales take more work than they pay. Take a look at the last time I had a garage sale: Working on the garage sale: Declutter ~the only thing I actually needed to do~ Take boxes to garage. Advertise for the sale. Make signs. Get change from bank. Set up tables/canopies Organize/set everything up. Price everything. Work the sale. Pack everything up/donate leftovers. Time spent: 3 full days, approximately 24 hours. (And no, I didn’t count the hours decluttering!) Money made: $120.00

My income: $5.00/hour By the end of the day I was so exhausted we ordered pizza. source: nourishing minimalism

As she says, if you’re the kind of person who truly enjoys putting on garage sales, then go for it. But if you’re the kind of person, like I am, who would much rather de-clutter by a more efficient means so there is more time available for you to do more meaningful and rewarding things, then there is one word you should have permanently mentally tattooed in your brain:

Dumpster

That said, the better option to deal with things that you no longer need or want but are still in fair or fine condition is to donate them. I just had the need to purchase a pair of slacks, not dress slacks but something up from blue jeans. I went to the thrift store. $5.00 for a pair that fit just right. I benefited because someone donated. Now that’s helping the world go around smoothly, you ask me.

Or you could just take a match to the whole damn thing.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/13/2111539/-Morning-Open-Thread-Today-is-National-Garage-Sale-Day-You-having-one-You-got-Too-Much-Stuff

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