If I’m going to live in a van I need to get rid of some stuff. Even though I live in a studio apartment and don’t buy very much I still have too much stuff. I need to go through it all and see what I need to keep and what can be sold or given away. I don’t think there is much worth selling but I’ll probably give away a lot of stuff on Craigslist of Freecycle. It is kind of amazing that even though I try to only buy stuff when it is really necessary I’ve still managed to accumulate a lot of stuff. Not near as much stuff as most people who fill their garages with all their extra stuff but still a lot. It makes me wonder how much money is spent each year on stuff that is barely or never used and then just goes into storage.
The late George Carlin had a lot to say about stuff.
There is also a good chance that I will give some of my stuff to charity. After all, if I don’t need these items, maybe I can give them to someone less fortunate who can use them. Old clothing and furniture can come in particularly handy for those in need, as they might not have the resources to purchase these items for themselves.
Another thing that I am considering doing is making a sponsored boat donation. Through this program, you can donate your boat for a good cause. I currently have one in storage and I’m looking to receive some sizable tax credits for my troubles. The boat will be sold at auction with the proceeds going to a children’s charity. I am trying to downsize as much as possible to save money, and quite frankly, paying to store this boat is eating up some valuable resources every month.
In the end, this boat donation program really is the best of both worlds, since I don’t want to have my old boat in storage any longer and would love the opportunity to help those who are less fortunate. The tax benefit is like the icing on the cake, as we all could use some deductions when the taxman comes calling.
We just moved and we were astounded at the amount of stuff we had compiled over the past few years. We ended up giving a lot of it away, since we are heading overseas for about 5 years and couldn’t bring it with us, anyway. Some stuff we were selling on Craig’s List and eBay, as well, which gave us some insurance that we would have a little extra cash for the move.
Jerry
I have an entirely different relationship with stuff now. We have lived in our 650 square foot house for 6 years now. At first we were just a young married couple, but our life has expanded and now we have three kids here. And it works. I love my house and so many things about it that we make the ‘stuff’ stuff work. Everything that we have we love or serves a purpose.