Okay, I admit it, the garage sale did not happen. Instead of doing something new I reverted to my usual modus operandi with one small twist. I gave stuff away to family and friends, sold a couple of big ticket items through craigslist and word of mouth, and I've started listing things on freecycle again.
Oh how I love freecycle. I figure that anyone who is willing to take the Subway, walk or ride their bike across to town to pick up one or two Piano Primers deserves them!
There have been two small disappointments on the road to decluttering. We have each discovered that our treasures are not as valuable on the open market as they are to us. In the children's case it is the problem of what to do with their stuffies. Some toys and books can be given to smaller cousins but the kids were really hoping to make a small fortune from selling their huge collection of stuffed animals. Why, you ask, do they need so much cash? Didn't their mother already blog about their generous allowance? The answer, of course, is that they need more money to buy more stuffies! Perhaps if you were eight years old you would understand.
In the case of the grownups of the household the problem has been what to do with the hundreds of classical, jazz, world and alternative cds (every song's a treasure) in our collection once they've been burnt to the hard drive. The answer, yet again, is give them to nieces, nephews and siblings. The after market for used cds is just not what it used to be. And why were we hoping to receive this windfall from selling our cds? To buy more music on iTunes of course! Plus ca change!
