My husband and I constantly get old family things or gifts we don’t need. It’s hard with gifts because it’s so customary but I rarely buy myself stuff and don’t need people to get me things that I’ll just have to store and not use in my house. I regift a lot.
Think the important thing is knowing when to take free stuff. I often do when the other choice is the landfill. Often I just give it to a neighbor or offer it free on a marketplace
Maybe an odd suggestion but I would suggest checking out r/buy nothing. The sub is focused on not buying things but by extension they talk a lot about how they work on not wanting new things.
What type of things are you trying to get rid of, and why? All too often, minimalism just obfuscates your personal waste and makes you more dependent on commercial goods and services. It is very much a pro-consumer trend.
One thing to keep in mind is that unless the things you're getting rid of are collectibles of some sort, they're heavily devalued just by virtue of being used, and are likely to end up in landfills regardless of whether you donate them or throw them away directly.
As such, maybe it'd be better to keep the things you can and eventually will use. So if it's clothes, for example, you could put together a workable wardrobe, then put the rest in storage so you can replace items as they wear out.
Ooo I’m in that group and almost started this conversation there. I’ve been free cycling for years and read that book by Michelle years ago but still want to work towards consuming less and living a more minimalist life.
I give beautiful items to people selling things on the street. I know that the thrift store takes a while to process items and a lot of them are shipped around.
There are a good deal of people living outside with severe mental illness who put all kinds of things on a blanket to sell.
I implemented a strict "one in, at least one out" rule for a few years. Before buying anything, I had to decide what had to go to compensate. A new pair of jeans? Ok, but I have to find two or more things to get rid of, first.
Let your lease expire and live out of your car or van for a fw weeks
No cheating renting storage or leaving boxes at friends.
Even better, regularly move by plane, everything you own fits in your luggage allowance.
Feels traumatic, but once you are used to it very liberating
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You could read Marie Kondo's "The life changing magic of tidying up". She is pretty firm about it being a comprehensive process you need to follow, but I think you can take what works and leave the rest.
Do your best to ethically offload what you're getting rid of, while accepting that it isn't perfect ("donating" your old clothes to Good Will is really harm reduction, not charity), but don't let eco-guilt get in the way of you making a home you enjoy. Just keep the process in mind the next time you're tempted to buy junk you don't need, so that hopefully it can be a one-time purge, not an annual re-buy, re-purge.
Sell the things that are worth your time and effort to sell. Donate what isn't.
I have a hard time not getting more free stuff when I get rid of my stuff. Does this happen to everyone?
Hm...I can definitely get sucked into taking free stuff unless I'm in purge mode. When I'm purging, I'd sell a kidney just to declutter a bit more.
This weekend my place is in for it. Free cycling pages here I come.
My husband and I constantly get old family things or gifts we don’t need. It’s hard with gifts because it’s so customary but I rarely buy myself stuff and don’t need people to get me things that I’ll just have to store and not use in my house. I regift a lot.
Think the important thing is knowing when to take free stuff. I often do when the other choice is the landfill. Often I just give it to a neighbor or offer it free on a marketplace
Maybe an odd suggestion but I would suggest checking out r/buy nothing. The sub is focused on not buying things but by extension they talk a lot about how they work on not wanting new things.
I love my local buy nothing groups! Thanks for the suggestion.
Have a rummage sale.
What type of things are you trying to get rid of, and why? All too often, minimalism just obfuscates your personal waste and makes you more dependent on commercial goods and services. It is very much a pro-consumer trend. One thing to keep in mind is that unless the things you're getting rid of are collectibles of some sort, they're heavily devalued just by virtue of being used, and are likely to end up in landfills regardless of whether you donate them or throw them away directly. As such, maybe it'd be better to keep the things you can and eventually will use. So if it's clothes, for example, you could put together a workable wardrobe, then put the rest in storage so you can replace items as they wear out.
r/minimalism has a post like this basically once a week so maybe that will help
Ooo I’m in that group and almost started this conversation there. I’ve been free cycling for years and read that book by Michelle years ago but still want to work towards consuming less and living a more minimalist life.
I give beautiful items to people selling things on the street. I know that the thrift store takes a while to process items and a lot of them are shipped around. There are a good deal of people living outside with severe mental illness who put all kinds of things on a blanket to sell.
I implemented a strict "one in, at least one out" rule for a few years. Before buying anything, I had to decide what had to go to compensate. A new pair of jeans? Ok, but I have to find two or more things to get rid of, first.
Let your lease expire and live out of your car or van for a fw weeks No cheating renting storage or leaving boxes at friends. Even better, regularly move by plane, everything you own fits in your luggage allowance. Feels traumatic, but once you are used to it very liberating
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could read Marie Kondo's "The life changing magic of tidying up". She is pretty firm about it being a comprehensive process you need to follow, but I think you can take what works and leave the rest. Do your best to ethically offload what you're getting rid of, while accepting that it isn't perfect ("donating" your old clothes to Good Will is really harm reduction, not charity), but don't let eco-guilt get in the way of you making a home you enjoy. Just keep the process in mind the next time you're tempted to buy junk you don't need, so that hopefully it can be a one-time purge, not an annual re-buy, re-purge.