Getting Rid of Old Shit

I’m lightening the load.

Don’t think for one second that getting rid of old shit is easy for me. I do find all kinds of reasons to keep stuff around, but life events sometimes insist on your making the decision to get rid of shit.

My divorce was such an event. I had to part with a lot of things I had accumulated over the years. It made no sense to try to stuff them into an apartment. That huge rolling toolbox that I had bought and was sitting in my garage? Gone. That hydraulic jack I used to jack our vehicles and was also sitting in my garage. Gone, too. I just did not have the space for this stuff.

“You could have put them into storage!”

Let me tell you about storage. I have put things in storage for a limited time when I lived with my ex-wife, and a few times before that. However, this is not a long term solution.

Why?

You pay for the space that you use, even if the items you put there are not being used. This cost can accumulate to a point where you’re paying more in storage fees than what the items are worth.

You also need to think about depreciation and deterioration of the items you put in storage. Not all storage spaces are climate-controlled. A storage facility can suffer damage from the weather, just as a home can. At any rate, even if no environmental disaster happens, the things that are in storage are likely to depreciate over time.

Finally, if you need to move around, the items you have in storage also need to be moved. I’ve moved twice since my divorce. I’m likely to move again. How many times do you want to pay for movers to move that antique chair that you are not using before you decide that you’ve paid enough?

Let’s go over the other options.

Keep It Or Toss It

You can decide to keep things. I’m probably still keeping more than I should, but I’m doing much better than I used to about getting rid of things.

I have two computers that came with me in the divorce. At the time, I was not in a mindset to evaluate whether to take them with me or not, so with me, they came. However, they were built by myself in 2015. That’s rather old, and they no longer serve any real purpose. One was a home server. It has been replaced by smaller computers. The other one was a gaming desktop, and I no longer game. Out they go.

This is a good illustration that changing circumstances can render desirable belongings, undesirable. Getting those computers made eminent sense at the time. Now, they just use up space, and they would use up effort or money when I move again. Better get rid of them.

As I’m going through my stuff, I find things that are technically still functional. I used to be of the opinion that I should keep all things that are still functional, but my opinion has evolved. I know have a test: if I ever need this item, am I going to know where to look to retrieve it? For instance, a pencil. I rarely use pencils these days, but if I do need one, will I remember to go look into this specific box to find it? If the answer is no, then I get rid of it.

I’m getting rid of a lot of things with this simple test. There’s no point to keep something just in case if I’m not going to remember where it is when I need it.

Sell Or Give It

There are things that I have that I am going to try to sell, but, truth be told, I’m not really fond of being a seller. I don’t like haggling. In some cases, I’d be at a loss to figure out shipping. I reserve selling for big ticket items. I do have a few.

The other option is to give items away to someone who wants them. I have a few items I’m offering for free.

Recycle It Or Trash it

If I want to get rid of it, but all other options fail, then I am left with recycling it, or trashing it. I have a few items lined up for recycling. Unfortunately, I also have some items that are going to be trashed. There are some items I’ve been advertising some items for months with no takers. I am patient, but my patience is not infinite.

So there you have it. That’s how I get rid of old shit.