My wife and I have moved several times. On each occasion, we purge and say, "Wow! How did we collect so much stuff?"

Then we continue to accumulate once again. It's bonkers (and don't tell my wife I said this, but I'm only responsible for about 15-20% of what comes through the door).

Anyway, nice of you to help out others with things that are no longer useful to you.

😀

I have always HATED shopping and keep everything as long as I can.....I have clothes that are DECADES old. Older than a lot of the people I talk to!

much more than the new stuff.

the quality is MUCH better

I still have the T-shirt I wore in basic training 50 years ago and it was MADE IN THE USA. Still fits, too!

Much better quality back in the day.

I had to shop for a dress for my nieces wedding last month and cringed at what it cost.

total ripoff

Than what I spent in the last two years on my entire wardrobe.

And I found my MOB dress at JC Penney!

It had to match the suit that hubby already purchased. I looked a all the stores in the mall including Penny's. This was a country club affair. So dress was semi formal. Penny's was just as expensive as the smaller dress shops. I prefer simple lines and that was hard to find.

on sale.

I never get rid of anything if it continues to serve the purpose for which I bought it. And in my mind I don't buy much new stuff, and I actually think I don't buy much new stuff compared to the majority of people. Nevertheless, little by little it accumulates.

I still wear my Dad's football jersey. This year my daughter got me 2 flannel nightgowns from LL Bean to replace my old ones because the old ones had so many patches that they weren't holding anymore and would just tear at the seams.

When I have to buy something dressy , I usually go to St. Vincent's. Can find designer stuff there from the rich Italians in town.

I absolutely hate shopping for anything. But I do have a lot of stuff I inherited from friends and family when they died. Cedar chests, a tea pot collection and so much more. I have the trunk my grandma brought when she immigrated from Italy. And her souvenirs from the New York World's Fair. Stuff I can't give away and I have no clue what my daughter will do with them when I'm gone.

it is AMAZING the amount of junk people stop by to pick up

way back in 1993 - a lovely robe- it was almost in tatters.

One of my tattered flannel night gowns was one I bought my mom for her last Xmas. I really hated throwing it out but the fabric had gotten so thin it kept ripping. And patches just weren't holding up.

I get it.

they will also give you a IRS form so you can use it as a tax write off if you so choose.

homeless shelter & food program in Milwaukee. Unlike some other non-profit thrift stores , donated items are not re-sold. They go directly to those who need them most.

With low pay and long hours.

Either to someone I know that could use it or to a little one room church closer to town that seems to need everything! It’s crazy how much we accumulate without even realizing it so let’s recycle ♻️

Last edited Sat Mar 14, 2026, 05:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I only replace stuff than finally dies - like my coffee maker which was eons old. Word is that none of the new ones will last as long as tge last one.

As for give-aways: Think of the joy your stuff can give someone! Do you have somewhere that supports women who've left abusive relationships? ... or political refugees?

Re the fabric: you mean you don't have the coffee mug that says: "She who dies with the most fabric wins" ?

just replaced by more easily breakable stuff

with a small hole you cut in the center, but the coffee tastes sp good, better than Mr. Coffee machines. My MILs always had a peculator. It's very old school but it is well worth it.

Still seriously I’m thinking about hoarding emergency food with these lunatics in charge.

Looks like one of my BIL’s garage😀

We really downsized when we moved a year ago. Fortunately, I have always purged stuff I did not want/need so I did not have too much of a problem. i donate things I don’t need and i always shop the thrift stores. I know a few friends that cannot, or will not, part with things. I have been to too many estate sales to see where your “treasures” end up. People pawing through your “stuff” and it would be humiliating to me. Rule of thumb…….something comes in, something goes out. works for me.

Hey. When it comes to '80s cheese - it's the cheesiest.

Fun fact: While the movie and the mall it was filmed in (the Sherman Oaks Galleria) is widely identified with the Reagan years, it was actually built during the "malaise" days of Jimmy Carter (opened in 1980).

Another fun fact? The movie was released 40 years ago today.

Time flies!

😀

The mall scene in Schwarzenegger's Commando (where he lifts a phone booth - with the villain in it - off the ground) was also filmed there.

Sadly, they remodeled that mall in the late '90s. I'd visit sometimes during my L.A. days in the 2000s.

I miss California.

My wife (83) is a lifelong hand quilter, having learned the art from age 6 when she went to church quilters with her mother and grandmother.

Every stitch goes in by hand. None of this sewing machine or long-arm quilting machine.

Quilters say the one who dies with the most fabric wins. She’s somewhere in the top ten nationwide.

I know e at Lyon what you mean.
She had more cloth than Joann Fabrics and she’s still in business.😀

😂

One day I watched a woman loading up her trunk with blankets and space heaters. She never saw me.

An old lady told me years later that she and her co-workers across the street used to look out for me and a few other folks during the Christmas holidays because we didn’t give away rubbish.

Things that belonged to my deceased parents. Definitely no junk there. I haven't even started on the two barns on the farm. That's on my list for this summer. ❤️

Last edited Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:02 PM - Edit history (1)

and told her to pass it on when she reached my age. She was delighted. A nephew called me since and said he wants my two paintings that mum did after dad died. I was delighted. They don’t want the cutlery and that kind of stuff but there are things they want like recipes and paintings.

I am procrasterbating instead of digging out of my own hoard of construction odds-and-ends I set aside to do “projects” in my reclining years.
The years are here, but the passion has fled. My mission now is to get rid of it all so my Lovely Wife doesn’t inherit my trove.
I’ll keep the guitars, though. That’s the hill on which I would now prefer to die.

“If i’m late, don’t wait.
Go on without me.
I may tarry awhile.
I mean to know, before I go,
How come the Devil does smile.”
Jesse Winchester

Sometimes I feel like I might be a low level hoarder.


I'm making small steps and I recently donated pottery teapot, creamer and sugar serving set several weeks ago. Along with some other items.







I just donated some clothing to Hearts for the Homeless. It was a small bag but..... I did it! I have much more clothing to go.


The Salvation Army thrift stores have closed three of their buildings in my area. I read that The Salvation Army is facing significant financial difficulties mainly from rising operational costs, declined grant funding and declining donations.


It's too bad because they provide food pantries and shelters for those who need it. I hope that they survive this crisis.

particularly teapots and other designs by indigenous folks in our region
The tops of my cupboards are full of them. It doesn’t help that one of my sisters has also been making teapots for decades.
As we say here “dawg nyam mi suppa”when the big earthquake comes because they sure will be crashing down.

I actually garbage picked this teapot set last fall that I just donated.

I was scanning stuff that I could easily part with and the teapot set was the selected item. I'm still hoping that I saved it from the landfill as this set is still at Goodwill and ready for a forever home.

I know how difficult it is to declutter sentimental items.

I hope that you enjoy your teapots for many more years without the big earthquake making them crash down.

Indeed - parting with sentimental stuff is not such sweet sorrow😀

😀

Packages left like that are usually treated as suspicions. Just saying.

Working on the farm for $16,000 a year there wasn't any discretionary spending happening. That was 10 years ago, but since income in the county for over half of the households is under $35,000 today, and most households have at least 2 people working, I don't think it has changed much since I retired. We do have an increasing number of remote tech workers doing whatever it is they do for their 6 figure salaries pushing rents up.

Great idea to clear clutter by gifting to others!

for about 2 yrs so gave to my brother in law who loves it!

Pass it on

The gratitude was heart wrenching but so satisfying.

but many haven’t replaced their homes yet so giving them stuff like this doesn’t make sense at this time.

I had two big rental garages in Calif. that were packed. Moved it all here after we built a big new garage. There's still a lot in there I just don't know what to do with....like huge family photo albums my mother had. I have no idea who most of the people in these old black and white photos are. My brother ended up with just as many, and his kids have no interest in them.

I also have a really hard time letting go of anything my family gave me when they were alive....parents, two sisters, and a brother. I realized the other day when I pulled on a sweater my sister had given me after she tired of it that it had to be more than 40 years old. Still in good shape, still pretty.

I did give away a ton of stuff to a guy that used to do odd jobs for us--clothes, furniture, bedspreads, etc.--even the wedding dress and hat from my first marriage! He has several daughters. I gave that dress away with no hesitation, but have hung on to my sister's maid-of-honor dress.

There has been a problem in our area with items being donated to charities ending up in yard sales.

My grand nieces and nephews love them.
I’m so glad we were able to identify who was who over the years.
Dad’s youngest sister and her best friend were great. And mum’s uncle was very close to us.

A lot of families appear to be near the poverty line, especially the ones with kids. We have a ‘free table’ where anyone can leave items to be reused. Most items rarely last more than a couple of hours. A particular mom was seen wearing my castoff red, green, black, and gold hoodie this winter…..just kind of lit me up inside.

We are one large family here and most of us try to get along and help those in need. There are a few exceptions however……and they seem to be extremely unhappy individuals.

Peace ☮️

You made me smile😀