Decluttering/Minimalism

Has anyone ever completely cleared their life of all the stuff they don’t actually need?

After long periods of having a certain level of disposable income I’m currently in a situation where my outgoings exceed my income. I started Ebay-ing a few bits and pieces but quickly came to the realisation that I have so much stuff that at the time of buying it, I thought was important.

I have hundreds of records that I never play, a ridiculous amount of vinyl figures, old Face magazines, 30 odd pairs of trainers… the list goes on. Almost none of which I actually use or even appreciate. I used to think that they held a relevance or a memory but I’ll still have the memory without the thing right?

Be interested in hearing if anyone has done it or thought about it.

The key is to not have room for a lot of stuff, and then prioritize. Hence, my studio is full of bikes (mainly), which I most definitely need. All of them.

‘Keep your stuff in a shop’ a wise woman once said

I go through phases, having had to move abroad i did one massive de clutter and it was surpringly easy and i dont miss much of it.
A few things i wish i didnt get shot of but that passes.
The selling part on ebay was the biggest hassle.
If i were to do it again id do a yard sale.

Thinking of giving to charity anything I haven't worn in the last two years. Selling anything I haven't used with the same idea.

Yeah, I keep looking at the stack of vintage skateboards, tweaky bits of hi-fi, (inevitable low-end-bike-parts-bin), oh I dunno stuff and think I am better off shucking it all and living in a tent in the woods.
A mate of mine collected old Mac gear as a side-effect of his job and he faced the same dilemma, recently. But then he found a collector who was even more of a sad case and who happily took it off him. So maybe the point is to find someone who will take those Face mags and actually do something with them (archive, store, display) - and you can feel that they haven't just ended up as landfill.

I actually moved back to the UK about 6 years ago and when I had my things sent back a lot of it was still in the original shipping wrappers from when I moved abroad 10 years previously.
What's the rule? If you haven't used it for 6 months....?

So maybe the point is to find someone who will take those Face mags

Definitely true, but such a pain to find them. I was getting shot of old Lego, which is a really liquid market, but it still took weeks and loads of admin to move it on.

My rule was if i aint opened or used with in a year it pretty much went, although records were set apart from that.
I did a massive purge though and cut the collection roughly in half.
Also disogs is your friend on this if you have the time. Had alot of random house 12s that went for good money (over a 10'er)
As said above there are things people are willing to pay for you just have to spend time sorting it.

I'm in no rush to get rid of everything. Its more of a different mindset I've taken on that allows me to part with the things I thought were important or held a certain relevance.
Maybe that's hedging my bets and lets me keep everything while feeling I'm doing something.

Discogs is a good shout. Most of mine is late 80s/Early 90s Hip Hop and early to mid 90's D&B. Will have to see if I can pare it down to a single record box.

Not used it in the last 6 months? Freeze it. Hammer it into your neighbours lawn. Empty shelves are a delight in themselves.

£ and sizes of trainers pls

9.5 UK. Nothing particularly rare. Mainly Nike AF1, AM1, AM91/95/Lights from the late 90's/Early 2000's. OG Pocketknife and Darwins. Then various Adidas SS, superstars, etc.

My wife keeps me honest when it comes to hoarding because the instinct is SO STRONG in me.

Being in small flats in London for ten years has helped. My worst vices are records, bike shit and documents (any bit of paper that serves as a momento, so cards, ticket stubs, little hand-written notes and silly stuff).

She grills me on it though: why is there this big keyboard in a box in your wardrobe?! [Korg MS-2000B] It's taking up so much space! You never use it!

Yeah, because when I get it out you say it takes up too much space and sounds annoying!

I have the issue with a lot of surplus electrical stuff. Minidisc players, mp3, DAB, tablets, computers, etc all get superseded but you've paid decent money for them and they still work so you don't really want to send them off to landfill.

I've managed to get rid of a fair bit of stuff on here, I'm not going to ebay stuff that's worth a tenner so giving it away on here for a forum donation shifts a lot of stuff.

Interestingly vinyl was my only regret and to minimise the impact I gave all of mine to a close friend, which has worked out brillantly I still get to play them without the storage issues.

I love this idea, I often hold onto things because it pains me to throw stuff away that one day may be just what you need, but I also love the idea of living a pure/simple/minimal life style - we are a throwaway/fashion 'in one month, out the other' kinda society and that doesnt sit well with me. Maybe next week when i get chance ill photograph all my stuff and maybe it'll be useful to someone who needs it now, rather than me who may need it in x months/years...

Great thread. culled lots apart from bikes / tools etc a few years ago - many happiness.

When I was DJing more, one thing I constantly heard was people's regret at selling off their vinyl when digital came in in the early 00s.

Interesting that vinyl is coming up as something that people have regretted selling. I did sell a fair few d&b 12's when I sold my decks a few years ago and haven't really thought about them since. I think I'm going to have a proper cull and perhaps just keep classics for now.

There really is so little about my possessions that actively motivate me or make my life more enjoyable (apart from my bike). I listen to most of my music and radio/podcasts from one source - my phone. My turntable gets used maybe once a week.

When I think about the things that actually bring me enjoyment it's the intangibles, the indefinables. It's the experience not the t-shirt.

Group rental for a warehouse for everyone to keep their crap/records/toys/parts/instruments/80s Video games/Skateboards in?
Count me in!

I've done this a fair bit.

eBay can be a pain but selling lots of small things REALLY adds up and you'd be amazed how much you can get back for stuff you don't use.

I make it as simple as possible:

1. Over a week or so, put as much stuff as possible in a box for selling
   
2. Clear a spot in good natural light, take nice pictures of everything, piece by piece
   
3. Set aside 2hrs to list everything on ebay, auction, with their recommended starting price
   
4. Set aside 2hrs one week later to box everything up and post it
   
   

It's a pain to take pictures, write descriptions, post, etc, so just do it as a batch and it's a lot easier

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising is well worth a read.