By miss minimalist |
 For everyone who’s inquired over the last few months, I’m happy to announce: The Joy of Less is finally available on Nook!
You can download it here from the Barnes and Noble website.
Thank you so much for your patience as I figured out the formatting and other intricacies of publishing on the Nook platform. I hope you find it worth the wait. 
I do have a special request for Nook owners: since I don’t have a Nook myself, I’d be extremely grateful for feedback on how my book looks on the device.
I hope this helps spread the joy of minimalist living to a new audience. Thanks again to all of you for your support!
By miss minimalist |
 Lately, I’ve received several emails from readers who are anxious to declutter their stuff. The problem: they don’t know whether to cart it to the charity shop, or painstakingly sell it piece by piece.
Oh, I’ve been there.
I know just how you feel: gazing at your mountain of discards, and seeing all the dollars that should be in your bank account. Hoping you can recoup even a fraction of the cost, to make up for your mistakes. Dreading the weeks (or months) of photographing your items, writing descriptions of them on eBay, answering emails about them, and hunting down boxes to ship them out.
And conversely…feeling the temptation to just pile it all in the car, unload it at Goodwill, and return home to a freshly decluttered space.
So what did I do? Well, a lot of both, actually.
In my early minimalist days, I was a fervent eBay seller. In fact, purging my stuff became a second job—I’d come home from work, power up my laptop, and patiently chip away at my pile of castoffs. It took a little over a year (yes, a year), but I sold three-quarters of my clothes, shoes, books, collectibles, and household décor.
My stuff didn’t disappear overnight—but I became a better minimalist because of it.
Why? Because in the following years, the threat of “having to sell something on eBay” loomed over me whenever I set foot in a store. My auction extravaganza had left me burnt out, with little desire to ever list another item. I was reluctant to buy anything I wasn’t sure I’d keep forever—because when I did slip up, I made myself pay for it. Ebay became my penance for ill-considered purchases.
For me, the mere thought of eventually selling a purchase on eBay was a powerful deterrent to shopping. Crazy, perhaps—but it kept my wallet full and my closets empty.
Fast forward to our overseas move: my husband and I had four weeks to whittle down a 3-bedroom household to two duffel bags. While we owned much less than most, we still had way more than we could carry to the airport.
We started off selling things on Craigslist, determined to extract some cash from the furniture, tools, electronics, garden equipment, and housewares we’d accumulated over the years. However, as our departure date neared, our generosity surged. We threw open our doors, invited all takers, and gave away our possessions with abandon—to friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, charities, and strangers on the street.
It didn’t make us any richer; but boy, was it exhilarating!
So, to sell or not to sell – that is your question, and here’s my advice:
If you have the time and inclination, give eBay a whirl. A little hassle is not necessarily a bad thing, and can actually be conducive to your long-term minimalism. But to save your sanity, I recommend the following:
- Set a minimum threshold. In other words, sell only stuff that’ll net over a certain dollar amount (whether that’s $10, $20, or $50 is up to you). Make sure the reward is worth the effort.
- Don’t expect to make a fortune. Start the bidding at the minimum you’ll accept, and regard anything higher as a bonus.
- Limit the time. If an item doesn’t sell within 7 days, for example, send it to the donation pile. (Give only particularly valuable items a second chance).
- Use Craigslist for large, heavy, and fragile items. Don’t waste your time and money on elaborate packaging or expensive shipping services.
Alternatively – if you don’t have the time, don’t need the money, and don’t feel compelled to suffer for your sins:
- Be generous. Donate the things you don’t want; your discards may bring a great deal of joy to someone else! Consider it a wonderful chance to “do good” with your decluttering.
In summary: don’t let financial guilt bring your decluttering to a halt. Either grit your teeth and get thee on eBay—or support a good cause and move on with your life.
When your resolve wavers, ask yourself this: what’s more valuable, your stuff or your space?
Have you struggled with this dilemma? Let us know in the Comments.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
“So, I hear you’re a minimalist. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
Last week, a reader emailed me for advice on how to “come out” as a minimalist. She wanted to explain to friends and family her desire to live simply—in a way they would understand, and without sounding judgmental of their lifestyles.
I think it’s a fabulous question, and imagine she’s not the only one struggling with this issue. For outside the cozy confines of the blogosphere, a declaration of “I’m a minimalist” may very well be met with, “You’re a minima-WHAT?” Smirks, raised eyebrows, and quizzical looks are not out of the realm of possibility, either.
I’m lucky—I eased my way into minimalism long before it was a popular Google search. As I decluttered slowly and methodically, year in and year out, my friends and family had plenty of time to assimilate my lifestyle. Though they may have found my empty rooms, bare walls, and sparse wardrobe quirky, they simply accepted it as who I was.
Those of you on a faster track to freedom-from-stuff, however, may find things a bit more challenging on the friends-and-family front. Never fear – I’ve written this Quick and Easy Guide to Coming Out as a Minimalist, just for you:
1. Tell the truth. Be honest about why you’re embracing a minimalist lifestyle. For example: you’d like to be more mobile, you’re concerned about the environment, or you’d like to be able to find things in your home without mounting a search expedition.
2. Focus on the positive. Explain the benefits you’ll experience from adopting a minimalist lifestyle, rather than the negatives associated with a non-minimalist lifestyle. For example: instead of saying you gave up your TV because it’s a soul-sucking time-waster, explain how you’ve found more time to read, write, and pursue your hobbies without it.
3. Give concrete examples. Many people have a hard time relating to “minimalism” as an abstract concept. However, if you tell them exactly *why* having less stuff makes you happier, they’re much more likely to understand. For example: you’re striving to declutter your home so you’ll have more space to work on your art, play with your kids, or do yoga.
4. Make it about you. “I don’t want to end up like you” is not the way to tell your debt-ridden, shopaholic sister-in-law that you’ve decided to consume less. Concentrate the attention on your finances, your clutter, and your closet space.
5. Don’t preach. Banish the phrase “you should” from your minimalist vocabulary, and don’t in any way suggest that your lifestyle is superior to someone else’s. If you put people on the defensive, they’re much less likely to understand or embrace your choices.
6. Show instead of tell. Here, as in many aspects of life, actions speak louder than words. Invite people over to your newly-decluttered space, so they can see your calm, spacious, and serene environment. The sight of an elegantly-spare room is much more powerful, and compelling, than a vague concept like “minimalism.”
7. Ask for help. Recruit a friend to help you declutter your wardrobe, or destash your hobby supplies. It’ll give them a first-hand look at how and why you’re paring down your possessions. Not only will it help them understand your choices; it may also inspire them to do the same!
8. Have a sense of humor. If someone pokes fun at your mattress on the floor, or teases you about your empty cabinets, smile and take it in stride. Appreciate the lighter side of living outside the status quo.
9. Steal my words (and those of other minimalist bloggers). If you’re not feeling eloquent enough to explain your decision to others, let us say it for you. Whether you’re struggling to explain your lack of a couch, your limited number of shoes, or your desire to downsize to a tiny home, you’re sure to find a relevant blog post you can forward along. At the very least, they’ll know you’re not the only “crazy minimalist” out there. 
10. Don’t assume a negative reaction. In fact, you may be surprised how many others share your desire to declutter. Mention offhand to your colleague or neighbor that you’re “downsizing your possessions,” and you’ll likely be met with a knowing sigh, and a comment to the effect of “I’d like to do that, too.”
It’s never easy to make a dramatic lifestyle change, let alone explain that choice to those around you. However, with a little tact, grace, and charm, you can help others understand the joys you find in a minimalist lifestyle—and perhaps even inspire them to join you on your journey!
Does anyone else have tips or experiences to share on “coming out”? Let us know in the Comments!
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
Whenever I pack for a trip, I organize my stuff into modules: for example, I have a toiletry module, a clothing module, a first aid module, and a “long flight” module (earplugs, eye mask, iPod Touch). This system helps me keep everything organized, and prevents me from overpacking.
When I moved overseas with a single duffle bag, I used a similar strategy. I arranged all my possessions in packing cubes: one for pants, one for shirts, one for underwear, one for paperwork, one for kitchen supplies, one for toiletries, etc. It made six weeks of hotel living significantly more pleasant and manageable.
In fact, I loved using modules so much, I made them an integral part of my everyday minimalist life. They’re the sixth step of the STREAMLINE strategy that I outline in my book.
There’s no great mystery to the concept: a module is simply a set of related items that perform a particular task. To make one, all you need to do is:
- Gather like items together
- Cull the excess (like duplicates!)
- Contain them for storage and/or portability
The container can be a drawer, shelf, box, storage bin, or ziplock bag—whatever’s handy and appropriate for the contents.
Modules are particularly beneficial for the following household items:
Craft supplies – dedicate one storage bin to each hobby, like knitting, scrapbooking, or beading
Office supplies – gather together all those pens, paperclips, sticky notes, and rubberbands
Kitchen gadgets
Spices, condiments, and baking supplies
Clothing – assign certain drawers, shelves, and containers to particular items
Sports equipment – use boxes, bins, or hanging bags to corral balls, helmets, pads, and more
Electronics – consolidate those cables, chargers, and headphones
Accessories – like jewelry, scarves, belts, wallets, and bags
Seasonal stuff – like winter hats and gloves, or summer flipflops and beach towels
Holiday decorations
Cleaning supplies
Cosmetics and toiletries
Why are modules so conducive to a minimalist lifestyle? Because they help you pare down in three ways:
1. When you consolidate like items into modules, you see exactly how much you have. Owning sixty-three pens seems more absurd when you see them all together, than when they’re scattered throughout the house. Ditto for twenty white t-shirts, three staplers, or a lifetime supply of yarn.
2. Modules put physical limits on your possessions. For example, once you fill up your box dedicated to video games, you have to toss something old before adding something new. It’s a super-effective way to put a lid on further accumulation.
3. Modules provide a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. The result: you’re much less likely to acquire an extra screwdriver, measuring tape, or bottle of vanilla when you can easily find the one you already have.
(Just a note: be sure to declutter, declutter, and declutter some more, before you put anything in a container–otherwise, you’re just organizing your clutter.)
Modules help you organize your stuff, eliminate the excess, and refrain from accumulating more. They’re one of the easiest and most effective ways to get your stuff under control—and keep it that way!
Let me know what you’re putting into modules in the Comments…
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
If you’re tackling your clutter in fits and starts, it can sometimes feel like you’re making little progress. Although you’ve purged a number of things, you’ve hardly made a dent – or worse yet, accumulated more in the meantime. When clutter becomes particularly invasive, it’s time to wage an all-out war.
1. Psych yourself up. Like a general going into battle, prepare yourself mentally for the challenge ahead. Spend some time thinking about how your clutter makes you feel: frustrated, upset, anxious, tired, overwhelmed. Get good and angry at your clutter.
2. Draw up a battle plan. Instead of fighting your clutter willy-nilly, draw up a full-scale plan of attack. Outline the battleground – be it your living room, desk drawer, or linen closet – and decide the date and time to launch your offensive. Devise a strategy for routing out the clutter: such as completely emptying out the contents, then deciding what goes back in.
3. Call in reinforcements. If you’re planning an epic battle (like cleaning out your garage, basement, or attic), round up additional troops. Family and friends make terrific soldiers: they provide extra hands and moral support, and help strengthen your resolve when you feel weak or sentimental. Rally family members to get rid of their own stuff!
4. Identify the enemy. Clutter is an expert in camouflage, and does a bang-up job blending in with your more useful possessions. You’ll find it holed up in your sock drawer, your medicine cabinet, your coat closet and elsewhere. Keep a sharp eye out for anything you haven’t used in the last six months.
5. Interrogate. Give every possession you encounter the third degree: ask where it came from, what it does, and what value it adds to your household. Determine whether it belongs in your kingdom, or should be banished. Don’t give anything a free pass.
6. Round up the intruders. Establish a holding cell for all intruders you find: it can be a box, a garbage bag, or a designated area of the room you’re working on. Don’t be tempted to leave them in place and deal with them later; they’ll surely escape to other parts of the house as soon as your back is turned.
7. Decide their fate. Deal with the captives responsibly. Instead of tossing them in a landfill to deteriorate, give them a second chance: find new homes for them via eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, or charitable organizations. They may become valuable citizens of another household.
8. Expel them from your kingdom. Once you’ve decided their fate, don’t let them hang around. Have a garage sale, ship them out, schedule pickups, or pile them in your trunk and drive them to Goodwill. Don’t give them a chance to re-infiltrate your home.
9. Shore up your defenses. Set up blockades to prevent future invasions: get off mailing lists, don’t bring home freebies, opt out of gift exchanges, set limits on your possessions, and question every purchase. Be a good gatekeeper, and clutter will find it much more difficult to slip past your defenses.
10. Be vigilant. Constantly be on the lookout for new intruders: scan your surfaces on a daily basis, and expel them before they become entrenched. Pay particular attention to hotspots where clutter tends to gather.
Heed this advice, and you’re certain to emerge victorious. After you reclaim your territory from the invading clutter, you’ll have a new empire of space – and a sense of peace and serenity will reign in your household.
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
When it comes to downsizing our possessions, some things are easy — like knickknacks we don’t like, dinnerware we don’t need, or clothes that don’t fit. Others, however, present more of a challenge; and I don’t think I’m the only one who puts books near the top of that list.
Therefore, I was excited to hear from Barry, who recently decluttered his bookshelf. He kindly agreed to share his “before” and “after” photos with us:
 Barry's bookshelf Here’s what he wrote about his experience:
As a book lover and a graduate of medical school some years back, I’ve carted half a ton of books around wherever I’ve lived. About a year ago I began reading Leo Babauta’s works on simplicity and minimalism and have made significant progress in shedding nonessentials including some of my books. (I have a post about Breaking Up With Your Books that was inspired by a friend’s similar predicament with book clutter.)
Five years ago after becoming a single parent, I downsized into a small beach house here in California and the one bookcase I kept was still crammed full and became a catchall for odds and ends. It really started to get to me so the first step was to color code the books. Some of my friends asked me how I’d ever find anything with the books arranged this way, but I responded…’Since I read them all I think I know my books!’ Finding the book you want is never an issue if you’ve read it.
The second step was shed more volumes and in the process make my bookshelf a bit more appealing and minimalist in nature. I bought an Amazon Kindle and, except as gifts for others, I haven’t been able to buy a print book since. Now, like my music, I buy my books in digital format. I guess that means my library won’t be expanding either.
How inspiring! I love how Barry realized that arranging his books wasn’t the solution, and instead narrowed down his collection dramatically. By keeping only the volumes most important to him, he’s created a wonderful, streamlined library that perfectly fits his needs.
Furthermore, he’s maintaining his minimal library by purchasing new books in digital format. I’m using the same strategy, and dream of the day when every book ever published is available electronically!
Big thanks to Barry for sharing this with us! Please check out his blog, 4 Plates, 4 Cups, 4 Bowls ~ Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Life, to read more about his minimalist journey.
Do you have a minimalist makeover to share? If so, please email me your “before” and “after” pics, and a few words about your inspiration, motivation, or techniques:
ct09 AT missminimalist.com (remove the spaces and replace the AT with @, of course!)
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Beth’s closet and kitchen makeover. Shortly thereafter, I heard from Lea Ann, who had just finished a closet makeover of her own. I was amazed by the “before” and “after” photos:
 Lea Ann's Closet What a difference! I asked her to share with us exactly *how* she accomplished this transformation. She wrote:
Background: I lived in San Francisco where space was tight. Moved to Wisconsin and am suddenly in a 770 s.f. apartment that has more space and closets than I was used to. To leave San Francisco, I’d given away all but a car load of items and road tripped to Wisconsin. Thus I didn’t have that much to move into an apartment and certainly didn’t devise a system for anything. My “system” was to toss things on shelves and in drawers and be done with it.
.
Real Life: I’ve lived in the apartment over three years and have accumulated “stuff” and stored the “stuff” by making a couple trips annually to IKEA to stock up on all kinds of containers to contain my “stuff”. I have this incredible walk in closet that I’d lined with shelving units and hanging organizers…so much so that I felt closed in when entering the closet. So I began tossing things INTO the closet and shutting the door. Was never happy with this, of course, but it kept the clutter out of my apartment and in that closet.
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August, 2010: I’m informed by my coworker who is also a neighbor that there are water leaks and the owner and an HVAC guy will need access to every upper units attic access – which happens to be in the master bedroom closet. PANIC. I panicked. Then thought this is the time to conquer the closet once and for all. Sort of. Life is ongoing and so is the closet maintenance.
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Closet:
- I began by taking everything out of the closet and placing it into my living room.
- Each item was put in a category: clothing/shoes, linens or “stuff”.
- When the closet floor and back shelves were empty (amazingly large and clean!), I vacuumed it out and stood back, proud of my progress.
- I tackled each category from the living room, keeping only what I loved and needed, and gave away the rest. Linens were tucked into the bathroom closet. Current size/season clothes were hung up or put into a shelving unit while “out of season” and “out of size” clothing items were put in boxes labeled as such.
- The “stuff” on the coffee table was sorted through, one container at a time, and homes were found for items.
- When I needed a container to house an item from the living room, I pulled from my Outbox.* I’d pick a container that was the appropriate size and then contained the items and put them away in the closet.
*The Outbox is the area in my office nook off the living room that I designated for items that I’m not sure yet what to do with. Having the Outbox helps me have a place for those “I just don’t know” items and lets me decide when I have more time what to do with the items. I also used the Outbox to store all the pretty, empty containers and empty banker boxes that I have available in which to store items. When I’m done around the apartment, I will gather up the extra containers and give them away to my highly organized sister-in-law Maya or donate them to the thrift store.
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What helped me during this makeover were these things:
- I decided on some key words and kept those in mind the whole time. My words for the project were quick, organized and pretty.
- I put like with like in my first quick sort with items from the closet to the living room, then when I sorted items to be put away in the closet, I kept like with like.
- It wouldn’t have gone as smoothly if I hadn’t pulled everything out of the closet and started with a blank slate.
- When looking at a category/pile of items, I pulled out only what I knew I wanted to keep, THEN for the remainder of the items, they were to be tossed or given away.
- Honesty was key. I pulled out a dress I love but its wearable life is over. So I put it in the garbage. I knew which items I loved and which items I’ve been hemming and hawing about for a long time. I let those items go to the thrift shop! Something I’ve been hesitating on may be a delight to someone else!
- Ongoing Process: I don’t feel “done” and imagine I never will be. So it’ll be a challenge to maintain the closet and not let it get back to how it was. But I do know I don’t want it to get back to the mess it was when a friend saw the closet and went “oh. my.”
- Confidence Building. Completing this project has me smile each day. I smile when I see the closet AND am encouraged that I can do anything – it just takes babysteps.
I’m thrilled that Lea Ann was kind enough to share her makeover with us, and provide us with such wonderful inspiration. If you’d like to see more of her closet pics, please visit her blog, Just Daisy.
Note: I’d love to make “Minimalist Makeover” a regular feature! So if you’ve recently decluttered, please email me your “before” and “after” pics, and a few words about your inspiration, motivation, or techniques:
ct09 AT missminimalist.com (remove the spaces and replace the AT with @, of course!)
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
Last week, Beth left the following lovely comment on my post about The Joy of Less:
Thank you! I read your book last week and loved it! There is so much valuable information in it! I started today with my bedroom closet. I kept remembering your words and kept going. I did it and the bedroom (which I am going to use as a yoga room too–don’t have a mattress and box spring–just a futon) is next! My closet looks so good! I can’t believe it but I am only using half of the rods to hang clothes on. I feel like a real minimalist–ok maybe a beginner but I’m into it now. ( :
I was immediately intrigued by her closet makeover (what minimalist wouldn’t be?), and invited her to send me some “before” and “after” photos. I also asked her which advice from my book she found to be most valuable, or inspirational, in her decluttering process. Here was her reply:
What really helped me:
Your advice to take everything out, everything! I didn’t want to do it at first–just as you wrote–there were some things I thought I’d be putting back anyway, why take them out? I did as you suggested though and you know what, many of those items never made it back into the closet!
Also your suggestion about using modules for projects or like items. This really helped me. I make jewelry and knit. Now I have jewelry supply, knitting supply and even technology supply modules instead of having these things all over the table surface or on the closet floor! That box on the shelf with the bike helmet is my jewelry making supply module.
For the kitchen–your strong advice (I love it) to have a place for everything. I realized if my drawers and cabinets were not cluttered then I’d have room for the kitchen items I use but don’t need to have cluttering the counter.
Also–invaluable–your idea of Trash, Treasure or Transfer. This made it fun and easy to do the initial sort through the stuff. I would always get stuck right at the beginning obsessing over items or paperwork and just quitting. This time I just made piles. In trash I had recycle or shred. I’m shredding some of it myself but am going to a community shredding event for the bulk of it. That gave me the idea to post links on my blog to shredding events.
So without further ado, here are the photos of Beth’s closet transformation (before on the left, after on the right):
 Beth's closet
Notice the clear floor, the nice amount of breathing room between clothes, and the color coding of the bottom rack. She also removed the jumble of boxes from her top shelf, leaving just one box and her bike helmet (what a difference!). I’m sure this serene and streamlined space makes it a pleasure to get dressed each morning!
Beth was also kind enough to send me a snap of her gorgeous, decluttered kitchen:
 Beth's kitchen Those empty countertops are a minimalist’s dream! Keeping all surfaces clear is an important step in my STREAMLINE method (my strategy for achieving, and maintaining, a decluttered home). As I mentioned to Beth, this photo would have made a great illustration for my book.
Many thanks to Beth for sharing these inspirational photos! If you’d like to learn more about her minimalist journey (and see more of her decluttering pics), please visit her blog, Staying True. You can also read her full review of my book while you’re there.
I really enjoyed this, and would love to make “Minimalist Makeovers” a regular feature on the blog. If you have one to share (whether it’s your garage, your living room, or simply your sock drawer), email it to me at:
ct09 AT missminimalist.com (remove the spaces and replace the AT with @, of course!)
Please include a photo of your newly-decluttered space (and a “before” pic, if you have one!). Also, let me know what decluttering advice (from my book, or otherwise) inspired you most.
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
By miss minimalist |
Let’s face it—we all have clutter in our jewelry boxes: broken chains, gifts from old flames, grandma’s wedding ring, an uncle’s old watch. Jewelry, however, can be especially difficult to purge. Unlike most clutter, gold and gemstones have intrinsic value—tossing them in the trash is like throwing money away.
Good news: the price of gold is near its all-time high, and jewelers everywhere are buying it from people like you and me. (It may seem contradictory that jewelers would want to buy gold at such a high price, but they make a profit by selling it to a refiner.)
Here’s how it works: clean out your jewelry box of all the bits and bobs you no longer want. Take the pile down to your local jeweler. The jeweler will separate out the gold from the costume (not gold) pieces. You can facilitate this process by looking for 10K, 14K or 18K stamps on your items; in the absence of such markings, the jeweler will use acid, or an electronic tester, to determine the gold content. The jeweler will then weigh your pieces on a scale, and use a multiplier to calculate the gold (“scrap”) value in dollars.
It’s a great way to get rid of (and get cash for!) broken, common, or unattractive jewelry that has little antique value or artistic merit. Finer pieces, or those with quality diamonds and gemstones, will command a higher price than this “scrap” value, and should be taken to an estate jeweler for evaluation.
And if you don’t need the cash, consider gifting sentimental pieces to someone in the family; Uncle Ed’s pocket watch may not be your cup of tea, but it might be a treasure for a nephew or grandson!
By miss minimalist |
I was recently cleaning out some bookmarks (digital decluttering!), and ran across this oldie-but-goodie from the New York Times:
The Tyranny of the Heirloom
In the article, the writer interviews several people who feel compelled to keep the things they’ve inherited — a Victorian settee, an ugly painting, a massive sideboard — despite their dislike for them. Some do it out of guilt, some to hang onto memories, others to preserve their family “history.”
I can relate, as I inherited my grandmother’s twelve place settings of china right after I graduated from college. I dragged them around with me for years, carefully packing and unpacking them during moves across three states. (Perhaps one of the reasons I became a minimalist!) Fortunately, I was finally able to unload them on give them to another family member.
Want to avoid the tyranny of the heirloom? Here’s ten ways to declutter them — with less guilt than simply throwing them away:
1. Be generous, and give them to another family member. (I could never understand why heirs fight over material things — I say, let ‘em take it all!)
2. Donate them to a charitable organization, and let them do some good rather than gathering dust in your basement.
3. Sell them, and donate the money “in memoriam” to your loved one’s favorite charity.
4. Sell them, and use the money for something you really want.
5. Donate historical items to a museum or university.
6. Save a piece of the heirloom (like a swatch of your grandmother’s handmade quilt or wedding dress).
7. Save one item from the collection (like a single plate or tea cup from a set of china).
8. Photograph them, and save the photos (instead of the items) for memories.
9. Re-make the heirloom into something more useful. Have a jeweler set the stones of a gaudy old brooch into a pretty necklace, or use the yarn from your grandpa’s sweater to knit a nice scarf.
10. Avoid them in the first place. Tell family members (gently and politely, of course) that you don’t want them to “save” anything for you, and encourage them to find alternate homes for their treasures.
Has anyone else ever felt “shackled” to an unwanted heirloom? Or does anyone have other creative strategies for getting rid of them?
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