But it's worth something!

#105 - 108

Just one of the many excuses for not letting go of clutter. Sometimes we pack rats feel like we can't get rid of something because we think we can get money for it. The point is, you only get money for something if you actually sell it.

Some people make a good living off of eBay but I think it takes a very organized person to do that. That's not me. Just the idea of listing items, packing them to mail, answering emails and going to the post office (with two kids in tow) makes me want to sit down and put a wet cloth over my forehead. I always thought it would be fun to have a garage sale but the reality would be my kids crying over the stuff and not wanting to let any of it go. So I don't do that either.

It's only the last year I've come to accept I'm not going to make money off of any of my stuff. Even the stuff that *is* worth something. But still, sometimes I get thrown for a loop. Like these candlesticks here.



I think we got them for our wedding. Maybe not, I can't remember. The point is, I don't like them. I'm not objecting to candlesticks in general (thought I'm really not the type for candlelit dining), I just don't like this style. They look sort of odd and like they are in danger of breaking just by looking at them.

So I took them out of my (very cluttered) china cabinet meaning to freecycle them and then it happened. I turned them over and found whoever gave them to us had left the price still on. $40. Of course my mind immediately started wondering if I could get that $40. How cool would that be? I looked on eBay and found some other Gorham stuff but not these. I then googled and found these exact candlesticks being sold on a used site for $25 (reduced from $35). That was a nice wakeup call. I realized (yet again) that no, I wasn't going to sell these. It's just not going to happen.

I've come across posts by people whose houses are full of clutter that they can't give away because "it's worth something". They never sell it of course but they keep thinking they might someday and so they hang on to it. I have people in my family like this too. It's very liberating to accept that no, I *won't* sell it. And no, it's not throwing away money. As Flylady says, I'm blessing others with it. That's a nice way to think of it and I get a less cluttered house because of it. It's win-win :D



Oh, and as a bonus when I freecycled the candlesticks I threw in these two candles that someone gave us years ago. Whoo hoo! Four more items gone :)