There's Too Much Stuff

I'm having a yard sale this weekend. I don't really want to but there's way too much stuff around here. When anyone I know wants to get rid of something, I somehow end up with it. "Let's take it to Marge. She has lots of room for stuff no one else wants and she takes everything." I know I tend to be a saver of stuff. As a child I spent a lot of time with my Depression Era grandparents who had learned the value of keeping things that were not being used but were still useful... string, toasters, wagon wheels, cheese boxes, wooden Coke crates. It's difficult to break the habit of keeping things that that someone may need later. If you need a coffee maker, I have four extras.

The problem with going through all the stuff stored in the basement or attic is that it now seems new. I haven't seen some of these things in years and I begin to wonder why I put them away in the first place. It doesn't matter what it is... basket, lamp, tablecloth, or wall hanging, I start thinking about keeping it. No, it all has to go. Maybe.

Then there are clothes. I have clothes for all the sizes I have ever been. I have casual clothes, dressy clothes, and profession attire that I wore during my very brief career as a bank teller. Jackets and blazers, loads of them and they're wonderful. I love these! Maybe I'll start wearing them again. Or not. And the fabulous dresses that my mother gave me, slim and flashy with bold flowers splashed across the black background. They're stunning dresses and I'm about this close to keeping them but, in reality, they're much more Mom's style than mine and since I haven't worn them in the several years I've owned them, I probably won't wear them in the future. They're going, I think. The gray pin-striped skirt stays. And that mint green sweatshirt. What was I thinking?

I've kept some of these clothes since the last yard sale four years ago. I should have taken them to Goodwill instead of leaving them in the garage. Now everything has to be laundered because I can't sell musty smelling clothes. I know whoever buys them will wash them but it just seems right to have them clean. I've already done a dozen loads of laundry and the washer is starting to make squealing sounds. This yard sale is beginning to be a lot of work on me and the washing machine.

More boxes. Oh, curtains. Nice, I always liked this shade of green. Maybe I should change the ones in the living room. Forget it and add them to the pile that's going out. I really need to re-think the curtains. All these dust ruffles... what if I want to change the look of the bedrooms? Two beds and six extra dust ruffles equals six too many. I will not get rid of extra comforters, blankets, or throws. I have to draw a line somewhere.

Pricing is something I don't do well. In the past, I think I priced things too high because I had a lot of stuff left after a sale. I try to consider what I would pay for an item and price accordingly, yet I've found that people will pay more at Goodwill than at a yard sale and that annoys me. "Can you go down on this price?" No. "Is this you're lowest price?" Yes. I've thought about not pricing anything and putting up a sign that reads "Pay me whatever you think it's worth and get it out of my life and we'll both be happy."