Negatives - remember those? Downsizing Step 7

Yes, it's been busy!  With the ominous move lurking in the horizon, today I decided to face the garage and found a huge box full of hundreds of negatives and pictures.    These pictures were never put in albums because they didn't make the cut or because I never got around to it.   Hard to tell but what  I know is that I have a box of pictures/negatives from two moves ago! -So this box has not been unpacked nor touched in 11 years!

So many pictures and so many negatives - remember those?   We used to share the photo packets with the grandparents and ask them to mark which ones they wanted copied.   This is of course, pre-digital age and you had to order the copies off these negatives.  They were precious.  However,  the current state of my negatives collection is in such disarray that even if I ever wanted to use any of these negatives it would be almost impossible to find it. Thus came the executive decision - dispose of all negatives and if I ever ever organize these pictures and desire to make a copy - will do what most 21st century people do and take a picture of the picture! ... Done!

Wow! that was a relief...On to the next box.

"Minimalism" the draconian way to downsize? - Downsizing Step 6

Today, Brian Lehrer - NPR show in WNYC - covered the topic of minimalism.  To hear the Brian Lehrer's 15 minute show click here

So interesting for me in my downsizing saga  to hear this show on the Minimalist way of living.  These "minimalists" are touring with their book "Everything that remains" a memoir on their  conversion to minimalism.   (click here for their blog)  

The one thought that stayed with me after hearing this interview is the importance of figuring out what adds value to our lives or brings us joy.  Basically we should evaluate all of our belongings with that lens  -  so that we keep stuff that serves a purpose or brings us joy.  The authors recommend that this should be re-evaluated every so often because what we value today may change tomorrow.  

Another thought that "rang the bell" is that I may be an organized hoarder.  I tend to have a lovely uncluttered home on the outside and but  I certainly keep tons of other stuff neatly put away out of sight.     Net, these  "just in case" items are the ones that need to go independent of "sunk costs".   I have certainly come to terms with this as I sold things like the elliptical machine on craigslist  for a fraction of the original price and am getting ready for the tag sale which will certainly have rock  bottom prices.

Perfect show at a perfect time for me!

love, love my books - Downsizing Step 5

A friend asked me a couple of days ago how I was doing with my downsizing task and then proceeded to say  "and how does it make you feel?"  in that therapist tone that makes you cry.  I thought about it and realized that downsizing our book collection is by far the biggest source of stress & sense of loss during this process.   Books are special to a family of readers.  How can I sift through hundreds of books representing so many years of collective reading all around the house?    Thankfully we have partially shifted our reading to our kindles/tablets in the past couple of years but still, its overwhelming.

It's funny to talk about this to my pragmatic friends who say  "are you planning to read these again?". If the answer is no - there you go.   I don't even mention this to our daughter ( who's out in college and the biggest hoarder of books ) because her answer is always "I want to keep it".  So for now, we won't touch her bookcase but the rest is up for grabs because we will be limited to books that fit in the bookcases in the apartment.  It will make zero sense to pay for a pricey storage to keep books for secula seculorum so it is time to let go.

So here were my baby steps:

• first was to start with the recipe books - I counted 30 and use none to be honest  because I google all my recipes nowadays - yet, after extensive deliberation I couldn't part of 12 of my recipe books - that will have to be on round 2!   
• then I ran into our high school guidance counselor who told me that they could use gently used SAT/AP test books --  we got dozens of those!  
• finally I heard of a Children's Book Drive for underserved children in Harlem/Bronx- so I quickly collected & delivered a box full of preteen/teen books  that I am sure no one will miss.  Still, I managed to keep some classics & favorites like To Kill a Mockingbird, Nicholas, Harry Potter & Unfortunate events series.  These seemed to precious to pass on- yet!

And now I wonder - how will I tackle the next step?  What will be my criteria to sort through the hundreds of books in our bookcases/attic/garage?   Any suggestions for criteria other than "are you planning to read it again" are welcomed!

My closet, here we go -- Downsizing Step 4

I finally took the courage to face my closet.  It took half a day to go through because I had to try out everything!  Now that I have lost weight I am not too sure of my size but this exercise proved that I am back to the size I used to be "most recently".   However,  because the sky is the limit,  I saved a couple of  aspirational items (a size smaller) to see if I can fit in at a later date -- not a good downsizing decision but a great motivational decision!

Some items are hard to give away because of the cost although any good accountant would say - the heck with the sunk costs!   Nevertheless, I have a pair of nice Brazilian leather pants (too small) and an Austrian wool jacket (too big) that should have some residual value.    Would a concession store work? I have never used one though I know there's one in town.

So 3 giant trash bags of clothes & a box of recyclable hangers to give away later,  the closet still looks full!   How is that possible?

To Craigslist or not to Craigslist - Downsizing Step 3

People are asking me how I am getting rid of things...well the answer is not yet.  I am systematically going through rooms and separating stuff to be sold or given away.    That wonderful pile of stuff is starting to fill up the side of the garage where I used to park our car.  I figure that would be good training for  getting used to a life with no garage - at least I have a driveway and no need to look for street parking!

So, the stuff to sell I figured I would try craigslist and/or the Rye Moms Sale facebook page.  I even tried ebay but I have to say that craigslist has been the most effective, while the Rye Moms facebook page has been a hit or miss - although today I sold a 6-person camping tent (a disastrous wedding shower gift)  in less than 2 hours from posting!

Craigslist is a digital classified ad.  Pretty simple but you have to post and re-post to stay on top of the running list.  I sort of forget and repost every 4 days or so - but it works because people search and all matches come up so as long as you are on the top 25 or so items you are ok.    For a list of my "active" items on sale on craigslist please click here.  

So why wouldn't you sell on craigslist?   Some people are afraid of dealing with strangers - especially because it's a known fact that scammers are everywhere.  But with paypal & cash sale, this sort of goes away.   I have to say that (knock on wood) I have not had any bad experiences with craigslist buyers.   On the contrary it's been fun to meet all sorts of people - like the Chinese family from Queens who bought the ping pong table for their 7 year old to follow the mother's steps.  They spoke in Chinese as they struggled to get the table on top of a minivan ill equipped to secure the table.  

And today, I was able to sell my 8 yr old elliptical to a gym equipment retailer who will refurbish it and make a profit in the resale.  Its a win-win although I wish I didn't have to give such a huge discount to get rid of it!    But it went and with it, a cooler that was sitting in the pile of things to sell or give away.  I mention it to the delivery guy who picked up the elliptical and he quickly asked about a few things and walked away with a new cooler for $10.  He was happy - and also let me know of the sofa he would buy when I am ready  -- there he goes!

So little by little stuff is starting to move.  The strategy is - bigger things try to sell online --- smaller stuff wait for a Tag Sale before we move in the Summer.      Welcome any other ideas! 

Bicycles - Downsizing Step 2.

As I think of the next possible low hanging fruit in my downsizing saga  - the bicycles & many accessories came quickly to mind.

I remember the day in 2003 when we moved back to the U.S. and  I paid extra at the car dealership for a fancy boating hitch in the mini-van JUST to be able to use a 5-bike rack for family excursions.   The kids were little (10, 8, and 5 yrs old)  and amenable to biking trips - the 15 mile ride in the Everglades  being the most memorable.  But the truth is that we didn't use that rack that often, then, let alone now. We only use our 2-bike rack.  So the 5-bike rack has to go - craigslist here we go.

But what about the bikes?  My objective is to have 2 bikes max when we move to NYC.  Last count, we had  7 bikes in the garage!  How is that possible? We are only 5 people and 2 of the kids don't even have their own bikes in our house.  Well, I discovered that one of the bikes was left behind by my son's friend 3+ years ago - and never claimed!  Is that ours by default? If this kid doesn't claim it as soon as he comes home from college  it's out the door.

Then there are the other 6 bikes: 3 of them are mine and these days I only use my Trek hybrid.  So time to get rid of my oldies!   The first one was easy to dispose of.    I responded to a wanted ad on the Moms Sale facebook page and within a week was able to sell this nice Brazilian aluminum bike to a young woman who needed transportation to her nanny job.   But,  oh,  with my second bike I am having a hard time  parting.  I love my Peugeot mountain bike - its been with me 25 years - and I keep refurbishing it!   It went on many biking "dates" with Alain's old Bianchi but we know they have to go.

Fortunately, at the bikeshop near us I stumbled upon the Westchester Cycling Club program "Bikes4Kids" which collects bikes for foster children.  Well today we loaded the car and there they went. They told me I could get a tax deduction but I told the guy that there was not price for sentimental value - was that corny or what?

We are now down to 3 bikes,  our 2 bikes and our son's who will take his to college next year....   on to the next chapter!

 

Downsizing Step 1

Today, I decided to face the monumental task of downsizing our 3900 square foot home.  We are hoping to purchase an apartment in New York City (NYC)  that at best will be 1,500 square feet and will have little storage and no external storage - at least for now because there's a waiting list for the storage bins in the building.. that's it - no garage, no attic, no extra closet space.  So this means war.  War against STUFF that we have collected, and trekked in all of our moves but that must  now decide if any of it is worth taking the precious real estate in NYC.  

With the looming empty nest, there are so many questions to deal with  - so many mementos and items with sentimental value.   I must have saved boxes of pre-school & elementary  artwork - what do we do with that?  Not to speak of the hundreds of photo albums and family videos - do we digitize all of these?!  Oh, boy - it's exhausting just to think of it - no wonder I procrastinated.

So today I decided to start with the obvious.  Start with the stuff that hasn't been used in years -- the ping pong table and elliptical machine ads are out on craigslist/fb.  I also contacted a "professional organizer" to seek out advice - we shall see...

I also found this group -  the free cycle network (https://www.freecycle.org/)  where people in neighboring areas give and receive STUFF for free!  A wonderful communal idea - why not try it?   I haven't offered anything yet, but I responded to one WANT ad - for a group who needed memory games for a Senior center in the Bronx.  Within a few hours, I had found someone at my door ready to take 2 huge bags  filled with board games, balls, weight training equipment - STUFF  that had been sitting around for years and these seniors will start using tomorrow - bravo!  It's a baby step, but it's a start. Here we go!