1500 Days to Freedom

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Ask the Readers: What is your Criteria for Donations?

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Hi there, Mrs. 1500 coming at you once again.

Last week, I asked you about regifting. Are you for or against it? It seems that most people are for it, if you follow certain guidelines. Michelle from Making Sense of Cents had a good point, you should make sure it is something the new recipient would use or want. Don’t just regift because you have it lying around the house.

Mrs. PoP from Planting our Pennies has actually managed to get the gift-givers in her life to stop giving gifts! Mrs. Pop, you need to teach classes on that. As the very least, teach my mother-in-law!

Michael at Student Loan Sherpa reminded us that “it is definitely a social crime and you must treat it accordingly. Make sure you remove any trace of its gift past. Regift across social circles, if you get something from out of town family it can go to a work friend. Finally, don’t regift something that the gifter will constantly be asking about.” Very good points.

Thanks for all the great responses! I have no qualms about regifting, if you follow the rules.

On to this week’s question: What is your criteria for donations?

As you well know, we have just moved from a 2800-square foot (plus 1400 sq. ft. basement) house in wasteful-land, to a 1400-square-foot, no basement house in a city we really like. As a mini-hoarder, I have a lot of stuff. A LOT OF STUFF. I would like to get rid of it and live like a normal person. It was all nicely spread out in our larger home, but this new smaller house just won’t hold it all. I liked having a clean house and I want to get rid of it. I know I won’t be able to do it all at once, but rather in waves. I am committed to culling our clothing to about 15 outfits per person, plus another 2-3 for dressy occasions, which are few and far between.

So what is your criteria for getting rid of things? Clothes you haven’t worn in one season? 6 months? 2 years? What about things in the kitchen? Is it better to keep those turkey pans, or donate them and just buy a disposable one every year? How about bathroom stuff? I don’t really use hydrogen peroxide very often, but I do need it occasionally. Ditto rubbing alcohol. How do you purge?

I had a 4-bedroom house before, and now we are in a 2-bedroom, but expanding to a 3-bedroom. I have lots of blankets, sheets, towels. How many do you need per person?

So, what is your criteria for donations, purging, etc.?

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  1. Hi, Mr. 1500! We’re currently purging as well, and I really liked your post about the state of your new digs. We’re also in about the same space (1276 square feet, with a separate garage) so I can sympathize with your stuff being too great for the space.

    Right now we’re proceeding by getting rid of a set number per month, but to be honest I feel like we could be moving way quicker than one thing a day. There are boxes of books out there that, by themselves, could eclipse our monthly number in a day and the sad thing is, I’m actually waiting to get rid of it so I can “book” my numbers for a future month. Sad, right?

    A trick we’ve used with clothing is to have a set number of hangers, and then never acquire new hangers. No stuffing of dress shirts into dressers to game the system: things that ought to be hung (dress pants, shirts, dresses, etc.) are subject to the hanger rule, and this keeps our closets from getting over stuffed. Whenever either of us buy a “hanger” piece of clothing, something else (i.e. – something from my side of the closet) has to go. 🙂
    Done by Forty recently posted…June Net Worth UpdateMy Profile

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    • I like the set number of hangers idea, and the get rid of a certain number every day idea. I sometimes get overwhelmed, which is happening now. I am just unpacking all the toys, and will start culling a few every day in about a week. The girls don’t need all those toys. First to go? All those flipping happy meal toys!!!

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  2. CJ, I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I absolutely love it. I love getting up in the morning, peeling potatoes, making green bean casserole, different cranberry sauces (because Mr. 1500 loves cranberries) basting the turkey, making stuffing (Stove Top because there isn’t stuffing out there that tastes better) and cooking non-stop for about 4 hours. The flimsy aluminum turkey pans can bend, and spill hot juices all over your feet, effectively ruining your Thanksgiving dinner by forcing a trip to the hospital. But you can put them on a cookie sheet to give them some support. But that is so wasteful, buying a new pan every time you want to use it, especially when you already have nice turkey pans, but they take up so much room. This is my dilemma.

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    • Can you store them somewhere else other than the kitchen? My mom has a cupboard in her basement where she stores those once-a-year and once-in-a-while pots and bakeware. It frees up space in her kitchen, and she gets to keep her good quality items. I do the same thing — prime space in the kitchen is for the things that get used the most often.

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      • Conveniently, our new house is equipped with the absolute ugliest kitchen ever. Those cabinets are getting a paint job (even if I painted them with a broom, they could not look uglier!) and going into the laundry room and the garage. I like the idea of having a seldom-used item cabinet. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  3. This can be a tough one. I generally say if it’s something that I can’t remember when on earth I used it last it is definitely getting put in the donate pile. For things like the turkey pans…if you use them for that specific time of year I say keep them – within reason. I know you can buy disposable ones, but why spend the money if you don’t need to and why have something else that has to be thrown away. Our big issue is having multiples of stuff. It drives me nuts, but when you have a mother & mother-in-law that likes to send you crap (err…stuff) all the time, then there is only so much you can do. 😉
    John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted…Who Knew Buying a Mattress Could be So Much Fun?My Profile

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    • Mr. 1500 doesn’t understand the need for multiples, either. I want more than one stirring spoon, and more than one pancake flipper. But I really didn’t need 6 of them, so I got rid of the ones I didn’t use. But I sometimes make pancakes or eggs for breakfast, then a grilled sandwich for lunch, and haven’t had time to run the dishwasher between, so I would like 2 for non-stick pans.

      I need about 900 can openers, because Mr. 1500 loses things…

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  4. We don’t really have any real criteria other than if we can’t store it somewhere that makes sense, we probably don’t want it around.

    As for things like turkey pans and fancy serving dishes, that’s what I always figured the cupboards over the fridge were for. =).

    There are some things that we have multiples of that we probably don’t need (sheets!), and could get rid of, but for now they have a storage space we’re comfortable with, and we’ll just use them up as we wear them out eventually.
    Mrs PoP @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…PoP Income Statement – June 2013My Profile

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      • Oh, crud. Now I have to move ours from the bottom cupboard to the top? Alcohol etiquette: Never remove your guests’ Jim Beam from the a lower cabinet.
        Tammy R recently posted…Smelling the RosesMy Profile

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        • If you keep it in the top cabinet, and then put a bunch of stuff on top of the refrigerator, people won’t snoop. Also, this is where my parents always kept theirs.

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  5. I do it in cycles. There are some seriously easy wins — things I don’t wear anymore, things I hardly ever use in the kitchen — those go first. Then, I’m just ruthless. Once a month, I pull out a bag and just fill it. I take it all to Goodwill, where I allow myself to buy something new-to-me as a reward for donating. It takes some adjusting but it’s totally worth it to me. I’m still not quite there yet and I had to store suitcases offsite.
    Kathleen recently posted…I’m Going to #WDS2013 — Are You?My Profile

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    • We are all on one site, and the garage has been rearranged to fit one car inside. But there is a long way to go. I like this fill a bag once a month idea. I really like the bonus item for you idea!

      All these comments are really encouraging!

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  6. Good question! I’m usually a one-in, one-out type of person but I do additional de-cluttering each season as well. (Plus I recently moved!) There are a few questions I ask myself, including:

    – Does this item suit my currently lifestyle or a lifestyle I think I should have? I recently got rid of a slow cooker because I thought I’d love it for stews and chilis. (That didn’t work out.) In the past, I’ve gotten rid of clothing and shoes that didn’t suit my current lifestyle either.

    – Am I holding on to this item for emotional reasons? When I moved, it gave me the freedom to get rid of things I was given or had inherited that I didn’t really want. Moving freed me up from a lot of guilt.

    – Is this item going to cost me money to maintain or finish? A few years back, I got rid of a bunch of crafting and art supplies. I was holding on to stuff for future projects, then realized additional money would be required to finish all these projects! I kept the ones I truly loved and gave the rest to groups that make things for charity.

    Hope this helps! Good luck with the purge.

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    • Wow, this helps a LOT! I can now go through my wardrobe again and do the life style/style question. I can already think of like 9 things to dump. I am a sucker for craft supplies, too. But I never actually do any of them.

      Goodbye yarn. I am not going to knit you. I know this.

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  7. I currently live in a 600 square foot 1 bedroom guesthouse house. I have never really had too much stuff because I’ve always lived with roommates while on my own, but the number of things I own, have been creeping up. I like to go through each room and check and see how often I go use things. If it’s only once every few months or less I consider purging.

    For instance, let us use a bread maker for a good example. Do I use this item that often? If not, do I have another way do making the same thing? Yes I do, an oven. Time to get rid of the bread maker!

    Luckily for me there is a thrift shop drop point within walking distance where I live and I can drop things off little by little. This is very important because my girlfriend will be moving in with me by Christmas time and we both need to minimize.

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    • I got rid of the bread maker! I also got rid of the foreman grill I didn’t use, but had nice thoughts about, and the rotisserie chicken cooker. I can buy those from the store, for little more than the cost of the chicken itself. And it was bulky and very hard to clean.
      Good luck with your purge and the move. I hope the transition is smooth.

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  8. I recently culled through the closet and kept 2 sets of sheets for each bed. My 7 yr old daughter had SEVEN sets – accumulated from grandparents who thought they’d give her a ‘fun’ set here and there. Stop.buying.all.the.things . . . I need to do the same thing with my bath towels. I did try to cull through the clothing again this weekend and got a decent sized arm full from my side. I have thought about doing my husbands (and never admitting to it, of course) as well since my ‘suggestions’ that he go through it himself have gone unheeded.
    I did pare down the kitchen a little this weekend but not enough probably. I got rid of extra utensils, cookie sheets, mugs, plastic cups (which are like rabbits in the way they multiply). My college aged summer babysitter is supposed to go through the box today and take what she wants for her first apartment so I hope she lightens the donation box some.
    I think downsizing would be nice in the sense that it would force you downsize and really go through your things for the things that you NEED. Like if I had a smaller kitchen I’d probably get rid of my air popcorn maker, donut maker, one of my crockpots, griddle – ok, I have a lot of kitchen gadgets but in my defense, I cook. A lot.

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    • I have removed the frivolous kitchen gadgets for the most part. I still have the Xpress Redi Set Go in the box. I really wanted that, but it gets super hot when you use it. Cathy from the commercial must have teflon fingers.

      I have too many sheet sets. You are right, two for each bed, because I know laundry isn’t getting done that day…

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  9. I don’t have any set criteria – and like someone mentioned earlier, that’s probably part of my problem. I have bursts of getting rid of things vs doing nothing, and when I’m really “in the mood” to get rid of things, I almost indiscriminately toss things into a sell/donate/freecycle bin if it doesn’t have a home. Generally, my criteria is: 1) is it mine? 2) have I used it in the past year? 3) Do I plan to use it within the next 6 months?

    I have to check that it’s “mine” and not Dad’s before just tossing it – I do toss some of his stuff, but only after asking permission… We’re finally moving to a point where our whole house is “ours”, and I won’t have to ask permission for much longer 🙂
    Mom @ Three is Plenty recently posted…July Challenge – do not eat outMy Profile

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    • I hope Mr. 1500 doesn’t see this, think that we have been married for almost 12 years and everything is “ours” and start tossing…

      I do have about 20 plastic totes. I need to get rid of some, some of them have a weird smell from the plastic, like chemical cinnamon, so that is easy to dump. But I like the idea of having a bin in the house and it just gets filled up. Maybe in the garage…

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  10. We use donation boxes a lot for clothes and shoes. Friends have taken much off our hands. But if it is simply to hard or time-consuming to get rid of it, I have no qualms about trashing an item. I hate the idea of simply shuffling unwanted stuff around. If something can get stored without being in the way or looking messy, we may hang on to it for a spell. As for turkey pans, I’d just go to brunch on the holidays;) – then take one of those long, luscious walks with the fam!
    cj recently posted…Smelling the RosesMy Profile

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  11. The way I see it you have two choices. Choice number one would be to consolidate your essentials as much as possible and donate whatever doesn’t fit goodwill. Choice number two would be to keep everything until your house gets so packed that the documentary crew comes in to film the next episode of Hoarders.

    Obviously, choice one is more reasonable, but doesn’t reason get trumped by the chance to be on tv?
    Michael @ The Student Loan Sherpa recently posted…Thoughts and Lessons from the Interest Rates DoublingMy Profile

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  12. Rule #1: Only donate it if someone else would reasonably find it useful. Don’t waste volunteer’s time by “donating” things just to avoid throwing them away.
    Rule #2: It evokes that “eeehhhh” feeling. If your immediate response is to not deal with it (“It’s a cute shirt but…eh.”), then it needs to go.
    Rule #3: For kitchen implements, if it has been used several times in the past, and could have at least two to three uses over the next year, it stays. Turkey pans are in.
    Rule #4: Toiletries, first aide nonsense, etc stay. They’re useless until you need them. But then you cut your finger, or forget to buy toothpaste….

    I do always give things a chance to “integrate” to avoid spending more money having to repurchase something I already owned. I’ll put shirts on, and if I still like them, they get a second chance. If I still haven’t worn them by the next purge, then they go. And two sets of sheet per bed. If you take one off, and the laundry doesn’t get done….

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    • These are great tips, thanks. I really like the first one. Sometimes I feel guilty throwing things away, so I donate them, thinking “I will let the thrift store decide if they can sell it.” I guess I should bite the bullet…

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    • Not back in Chicago. They have really crappy winters. Colorado is the place to be for amazing weather.

      Sadly, I am not ruthless. I am ruthful. If it even has a sliver of a chance of getting worn, it stays. Sigh, I am not very fashionable.

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  14. Mrs. 1500! I know you can do it, but you have to find your way of doing it. For me, I work in waves – then the mood strikes. One day I go into the closet and say, “Enough!” and then grab any item I happen to dislike at the moment and put it in donation bags. I just don’t do plans well. I can’t commit to Saturday being purge day because I might not feel like it on Saturday. If I can get CJ on board with a promise of a pint out afterwards, I can get him to frisk a closet in record time. I do have to monitor his work because he is a lot like Mr. 1500 it seems and would rid us of it all.
    Tammy R recently posted…Smelling the RosesMy Profile

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    • Yes, it seems as though CJ and Mr. 1500 share the common bond of minimalism. You just have to go through his pile to make sure he isn’t getting rid of too much.

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  15. Wow, I cannot say the same thing, which is why it is so hard for me to purge. I can remember things right now that I wish I had not given away. Things that I purged, then remembered a use for. Mr. 1500 had a good point, though. If I need it again, I can go and buy that one thing. We aren’t paying for space to store things I might need, and I won’t need all of it. I know I have gotten rid of way more things that I never missed, than things I have donated then needed. It is so hard to break out of the hoarder mentality.

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  16. I like the certain number of hangers rule. I have way too many clothes, and just purged a whole garbage bag full of things from my closet. Mr. 1500 likes to talk a big game, but he also has clothes to get rid of…

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