One of my favorite weekend activities is estate sale-ing with my friend Dr Karin Kratina. We love walking into houses and getting up close perspectives on how people (and their stuff) lived. But seeing other’s accumulations always made me wonder why they hadn’t gotten rid of it all sooner. I became uncomfortable with the idea that one day my fellow shoppers would be trekking through my abandoned things. 

 

In the Spring of 2024, with my estate sale purchases getting out of hand, I attended a decluttering class with Angela Dragon. The first thing I decided to get rid of was a bunch of coins that had been sitting in shoe boxes for decades. After some unsatisfying encounters at coin stores and coin clubs, selling at auction became an interesting possibility. (One reason I love auctions is, for the most part, the market decides true value.) As I looked around my house I knew there was enough stuff for at least a few auctions. And whenever I told friends (most of whom are old, like me) about my online auction plan, they wanted to give me their stuff too. So, as is my way, I went whole hog and decided to get an Auctioneer license. (That meant 80-hours of classroom study and passing the state exam.) 

 

With my new Auctioneer license in tow, I started holding auctions on various online platforms. I got rid of many of my surplus items as well as possessions that belonged to friends. Talk about a learning experience! (And a huge amount of work.) I did dabble with the idea of buying stuff to flip – it’s so hard for me to pass up a great deal. But my husband David repeatedly reminded me that the goal is to get rid of stuff so that we will eventually be able to downsize into our next living arrangement.  

 

Over the last three years I have experimented with a variety of possible ways to emancipate stuff. Some of these methods have been more fun and/or fruitful than others. There is no one-size-fits-all method. Sadly, some stuff has little or no value and must go the way of donate or dump. However, other things allow us to recoup some of their initial cost and they can go on Marketplace, Ebay, or Etsy; in a garage sale; or into a local consignment shop. I am currently using these and other strategies as I continue to discern what things I will carry forward on my journey.    

Today, I better understand why elders don’t get rid of their stuff sooner. Getting rid of stuff requires physical and emotional effort. And many of us don’t even know where to begin. Rehoming stuff has become my passion so feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk about freeing yourself from the stuff that is keeping you stuck. Or watch some of my recent videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ElinorRobin to jump start your work. Stay tuned because I am putting together a booklet that will give you guidance and some concrete steps to take.