Getting Rid of Stuff.......One Way or Another....It's Still DeCluttering P*rn!

Since the Great Toy Sale of 2011 didn't happen, I have had to come up with other ways to try to A-get rid of things while B-getting back of few of our hard earned dollars as well.

So I listed about 40 items on the local Yahoo Tag Sale site and threw photos of it all in the online photo album for the site last Friday.  I sold 11 dolls of the 12 I had listed before Saturday was over!  Of course, 1 person crapped out and didn't take 2 of the dolls she asked for and then I held for her for 3 days. Grrrrr
None of the toys or collectibles I listed sold, just the dolls. Weird....
I made $89 on the ones I sold and I'll relist the 2 that person didn't take.  I'll list some more items this weekend and see what else I can sell....or maybe I'll wait until Halloween is over and people might be more in the mood for spending on Christmas presents.

A lot of this stuff  from the Toy Sale will end up going to Salvation Army as well as the local Yahoo Group Christmas List for helping the needy.

Another group I give to is a local volunteer fire department.  They hold a fundraiser each fall, usually Oct. or Nov.  It's what they call a Chinese Auction around here.  You may know it as a Penny Auction, or a Tricky Tray or a Silent Auction or some other name.
Basically, you buy sheets of tickets at the door, as many or as few as you want.  There is a master stub and about 25 other smaller tickets on each sheet.  All tickets have the same number.  You keep the master stub and you deposit your smaller tickets into buckets that sit next to prizes in the hall....one bucket per prize.  You can put 1 or you can put 1000 tickets in the bucket of something you want to win...or you can skip buckets and put nothing in, it's all up to you.
After a couple of hours of ticket dropping, they call time and you sit down.  The folks running the auction then pull a ticket from each bucket and if it has your number on it, you win the prize.

I must say these are very enjoyable events and I go to them whenever I get the chance.  It doesn't have to cost you much money and besides the social aspect of the event there is the thrill of maybe winning stuff so it satisfies the gambling addiction in me....such that it is.lol

Mostly the folks running one of these will solicit local businesses for prizes.  The organizations members also will donate items to make it more successful.
And then there are crazy people, like me, who donate brand new stuff from my hoard of crap.lol

About a week ago a local volunteer fire dept. that I have donated TONS of items to for their auction contacted me.  I have been a very generous donator of crap there for the last 6 or so years so they plan on me giving them stuff at this point.
Since we were out of town for a few days I didn't have a chance to call her back yet.
Well she called again while I was out at the grocery store yesterday.  The event is a week from tomorrow so the fire dept. ladies are getting antsy.  Hubs, who took the call, said that the fire dept. lady(who is in charge)is tired of hearing the other ladies nag at her about getting stuff from me.  She feels like she's stalking me.lol

So I went out in the garage this morning and here is what I've got together to donate to their Fundraiser....

3 ceramic Cookie Jars (Ronald McDonald, Boyds Bears Xmas, Nightmare Before Xmas)
2 sets of ceramic Salt & Pepper Shakers (Wedding Set, Xmas set that matches cookie jar)

Dept. 56 Old Globe Theater ceramic set
Maxine Snow Globe

1 Original Furby
1 Curious George Bank/Gumball Machine
1 Spider-man Clock

 3 Boyd's Bears Critters

1 Cat in the Hat Clock
3 assorted Boyds Bears Resin Figures (Ike & Libby, Edward the Elf, Jeremy as Noah)

That's $365.00 worth of good, new in the box, decluttering crap leaving the house on Monday, making 2 nice big fat donations to charity for October.

Yay me!! ;-)

Sluggy

Just Shoot Me In The Head Next Time!

Well, obviously, since I am on the computer this morning and NOT out in the garage running my Toy Sale you can guess that the said Toy Sale is NOT happening.
Lots of crap is aligning around here that has just made it not possible to have this Sale.
And I've been feeling quite depressed all week because of this.

I don't do well under stress anymore and things around here have been stressing me out a LOT!
Hubs reminded me, right in the middle of my panicked "I've got to get this up and running but nothing is working out right" state that we don't NEED the money this Toy Sale might bring in.  And I had my doubts that we'd make much anyway.

So I said "screw it!" and pulled the plug on the sale idea on Wednesday and said haul it all off to charity.
Besides, we NEED the tax write-off more to get us over the standard deduction amount so it pays to itemize instead of taking the standarad deduction for our filing status.
One of the big drawbacks of being middle class and having a paid off house is that it's difficult to have enough deductions to itemize(unless you live somewhere the property taxes are Very high and/or you have out of pocket medical or employee costs)without that mortgage interest deduction.

Then on Friday I reconsidered hauling it ALL off to charity and thought I'd attempt to recoup some cash by selling some of the toys on a local online sale site.

This is where I'll interject my post title....somebody just shoot me in the head next time!!!

I posted about 30 items yesterday with really low prices.
Now I am in the midst of dealing with people wanting things and having to arrange pick-up/drop-off days/dates/times.
There goes my weekend.....

And one of the many fun perks of dealing with people locally is dealing with the crazies.

For example...I posted my items with prices.  As things are spoken for, I repost an updated list of what is left.   So everybody can see what is still for sale.  Sounds sensible, right?

I had a post of 12 dolls.  I sold 10 of the dolls so I updated and reposted that 2 of the dolls were the only ones still available.  This email was posted with the original email copied below it.

This morning, I get an email reply on that repost that says this.....
"Wanted other things. TY."

So what the hell is this person saying?

1. Did they want the other dolls that I sold already, but felt the need to email me and tell me they wanted what I sold already and don't want the ones still available?  If so, why do I freaking care??!!
2. Do they want the things that are left?  Or do they want "other things" that I am not selling and I'm suppose to be clairvoyant and KNOW what they want?  In either case, why do I freaking care?


I also had 2 people ask for dolls that were already sold....they sent their emails as replies on the post where I said that these dolls were sold already!!
Give it a minute to let that one sink in......


After today, I am so DONE with this......seriously.
Take this crap out of my house before I change my mind again.lol


Sluggy

Storage is Done!...Well, For Now......

See this photo here.....

This photo means I have physically gone through every box in storage.
Go me!
Remember what that area looked like before?....

Crammed full as far as the eye could see!lol
Now?....there is an echo if you talk in there.

Here is what is left....

The stacks on the left going to the back are stuffed animals, beanies, etc. that I need to dispose of.
Daughter's dollhouse is also to the right of those boxes.
The tubs stacked up in the center back are fabric.
The tubs/boxes to the right of the fabric are some toys bound for eBay.
The tubs in front of those boxes are more fabric.
And in front of all on the right is my excess tp/paper towel stash plus excess toiletries.

Obviously the Toy Sale didn't happen last weekend as I wanted it to.
It was a combination of my back issues which meant I didn't get everything done in time.
The rainy weather was a factor too.
#2 son also had a band competition on Saturday.

This weekend we are expecting nice sunny weather and no band practice/competition.
I have made strides in getting items cleaned up and shelved in the garage and if I can get Hubs to drag heavy tubs of toys around the house for me, and the drugs don't run out, this sale might actually happen.
I hope I'll be ready by Saturday!
I need to get some flyers put up in town still and the ads online on Wednesday or Thursday.

I am making plans for whatever doesn't sell already......yah, I am a geeky planner.lol
I can try selling some on the local online selling board.  That's the first notion but I don't have high hopes for that idea.

After that, I may make some of this available on a different online group.  It revolves around providing free Holiday gifts for those who can't afford them for their kids.  It's a statewide group but I'll need some of the 'angels' on that group to come up with some cash donations for the shipping costs to get the gifts to any towns not close by.  We'll see how that goes....

If none of this pans out, or if all of it does and there is STILL stuff leftover, then I'll be giving more stuff to Toys for Tots and/or Salvation Army.
Then I have all these white plastic shelving units to get rid of, so they will probably go to SA also.

I do still have a TON of items eBay-worthy besides the ones in the photo above.....and they are all sitting in my living room now!
Ugh.

To make this more of an "Ugh" moment.....2 days after I finish the sale, I have company coming to stay here for 2 days.
So just when I'll want to fall into bed from exhaustion, I'll need to clean out the living room and clean the house.

I just need to drink...... ;-)

Sluggy