Hi friends! I have been decluttering for 5 months now. It is amazing the amount of things we hold onto for “someday” or “just in case.” I honestly thought was done decluttering my craft stuff back in April but what that did was clear my mind so I could start to see past the fog of my excess. All that stuff takes up space in your head so I needed to make space in my craft room to make space in my mind. For that reason I needed to get rid of a massive amount of stuff quickly. Many people,asked me why I didn’t have a yard sale or sell my items online. I’ll explain why in today’s video!
Video!
I was so against the thought of trying to sell my excess (and the time involved) that I didn’t even post the declutter video until after I had given away all of the stuff. I know my weakness and that is seeing the potential in everything that could possibly be used for art so the longer those discard boxes sat around the more tempted I would be to put items back in my craft room.
I am not thumbing my nose at money by not having a yard-sale or to say that my time is more valuable than someone who would choose to do a yard sale. Heck, many people love the community aspect of it, haggling over prices and visiting with customers and there is nothing wrong with that at all, if it adds value to your life do it! I just know what is right for me, I am never going to get what I think the items are worth, the money is already spent and my time is a truly finite resource that I am very protective of and want to spend wisely. As always I welcome your thoughts in the comments below! Happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 
Bravo Lindsay!!
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I totally agree with you. By giving or donating you are sharing the love of being creative. You are giving someone who may not have the extra money to be creative the chance to be creative. That is the best gift ever.
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Well said!!
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I couldn’t agree more! We just moved and I donated and gave away to friends, SO MUCH STUFF! I had to get it out and I haven’t had much luck selling crafty stuff locally, so donating it made more sense to me. Once we are in our new house, I will probably find more that I should have let go! Too much stuff overwhelms me!
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me too. I don’t know if I’d live long enough to use all the stuff!
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Lindsey giving away craft supplies is the way to go. I would be so tortured seeing my stuff sold for pennies on the dollar. And, I would be temped to grab things up and put them back in my craft space. Giving them away is indeed the way to go.
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You were right to not bother with a yard sale Lindsay. All of those hours of time and then you have someone haggling over a dollar!
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Hi Lindsay! Yeah, I’m struggling with this whole ‘should I have a garage sale or not?’ issue, myself. You are so right about only having a finite amount of time! I just don’t know who I’d give it to.. Wondering if you gave yours to Good Will, or some other organization who sales used stuff? I have much more than just craft supplies to get rid of, too. We have several online or “virtual” garage sale Facebook groups. I just started posting some bigger ticket items that I want to sell. But so far, no takers. Good for you, that you were able to let go of a bunch of stuff without getting ANY monetary return at all! I don’t know if I can do that. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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Well, NOW I watched your video, Lindsay. So I KNOW what you did with your stuff.. LOL Nevermind! 😉
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Hi Gail, I also wanted to add that if I had a lot on one thing, matboard for instance, I called my local elementary school and told them what I had and asked them if they could use it. They were thrilled to get it! Knowing that you are giving a wanted item to benefit your community helps because your donation feels like a gift not like you wasted money. So if you have a large amount of paper, beads, canvas etc call a school, they might be able to use it but they can rarely use odds and ends. I have a friend with a preschool and she took the smaller amounts of “kids craft items” so you can do a bit of research and put your stash in deserving hands:) But don’t feel bad donating it to Salvation Army, Goodwill or any other thrift store that does good things.
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I would love to get craft stuff! My son was killed in the Army and crafting is my way to deal with losing my son.
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((hugs))
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Schools can always use items such as stickers, decorative scissors, punches, paint, glue, pencil crayons, markers, paper, etc…
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Great idea.
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It is easier for me to give away to charity than try a yard sale. Setting up and taking down and then all the excess left is a pain. Stamp sets I put in my booth so I cover the rent at very low prices. You will never get what you paid for these things. I still have boatloads of purging to do. I have old Stampin Up sets that would probably sell on ebay but keeping up with that is not my cup of tea.
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I am so very much in agreement with you. I would much rather give my craft things to someone I know will use them and have fun. I tried a garage sale ONCE. lol Never ever again. One dollar price on something worth far more and they want to talk you down to a quarter. Nooo, not for me – just take it. 🙂 Off to purge some more! Have an awesome day all!! 🙂
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Totally agree with you! It’s not worth the hassle, the yard traffic, and especially the time! I donate to church, red centers, schools, library, Am Vets, etc. Someone else can enjoy the treasures and probably get more joy from those items then I would ever get from the chump change I could possibly get.
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You nailed it, Lindsay! I stopped having yard sales years ago because of the tremendous amount of hours and work involved. At some point (the recession?) people rarely bought, and when they did, they wanted to pay pocket change. Even crafters I knew, who said to let them know whenever I cleaned out my stash, seemed to lose their enthusiasm when it came to buying, and if they did buy, they too wanted to pay pocket change. And again, like you, when I decide to get rid of something, I want to get it out of my sight fast. Donating is the way to go.
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I have been doing some major decluttering though out my whole house this summer. I have a younger than me helper who does a lot of the heavy stuff and she takes my discards and delivers them to a church organization that I volunteer at. I understand all about getting it out of the house and out of sight.
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I am 100% in alignment with your reasoning. I, too, prefer to give away rather than haggle over money I spent, in many cases, long ago. I have given away tons of art supplies to our local Youth Ranch. I have also made many items, from ceramics, to baskets, to florals and wreaths and paintings, jewelry, etc., etc., which I take to our local Women’s & Children’s center at Christmastime each year. Not only do I get to unload items which (you’re right, they do take up space in the mind!), not only take up space, but I feel happy knowing I am helping make some holidays brighter for a few folks.
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Hi Lindsay! I signed up for your online course and love it. I am looking forward to starting section II where we paint!! I ordered the Jones palette so I have plenty of mixing space. My beginner sets were a bit small and now that I have been bit by the watercolor bug I am so excited to hone my skills!! LOL You are so talented and I wish we could all join you in Maine for a class! Not in the winter though!! LOL
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Thank you Phyllis!
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I am so glad that I’ve decided to donate my stuff too. I watched your video yesterday on You Tube after I had closed and taped over 15 boxes of things from various parts of my house. I swear my house feel better to me. Almost like there’s more oxygen in it! Lol! I’ve thanked you before, but thank you again for finally helping me realize that it’s okay to give things up.
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I am with you. The money is spent, I had the opportunity to use it and now I can gift it to some one else.
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I agree! I gave hundreds of dollars of card-making supplies to my church. The kids are loving it!
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Oh, I am with your way of thinking!! I totally understand the haggling involved in having a yard-sale & in the end donating makes us richer & freer in so many ways. Happy crafting!
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Good for you for sticking to your guns! I know that the longer I look at something, I always justify on why I need to keep it. Besides, giving is your personality.It gave you joy.
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I agree with you 100% too, I would rather give my excess (once I decide that that is) away than sell it. At the moment I am working through books and magazines. The magazines I recycle. The books either go to my local library or Goodwill.
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Good for you. I cleaned out a lot of stuff too and after all the marking practically gave it away. But gave my friends a chance to buy it for a little big of nothing. Though bought some and still have things left. I keep saying I’ll give it to a special place that uses that kind of things, but now have taken a few things back out. So after hearing what you have to say, will give it away. Thanks for the good advise. Edna
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I would appricate anything crafts! I could use everything. My son was killed in Iraq serving in the Army. Crafting is my way of coping and living. I give my work to those artist that honor my son with quilts and paintings as a thank you gift. Any supplies would really help. I will pay postage.
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Lindsay, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of how you parted with your unwanteds. Yard sales are a lot of work, particularly when they go for more than a day. Selling on eBay, Craigslist, etc has their own problems.
When I downsized from a craft room to a 6ft folding table, I did what you did. No regrets.
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yes I usually give it away myself. I’m not good at yard sales.
Just got back from Bangor Me and scoop up bargains at AC Moore.as well as LLBean.
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Lindsay, I am so glad to know that I am not the only one who feels this way. I have been purging my household goods and craft supplies and setting them aside to maybe put in a garage sale. Guess what? That is not going to happen. Garage sales are a lot of work and by the time you finish with your sale, your hourly rate is low. Very low. Then you still have to box things up again to take to Goodwill or where ever. My boxes are going in the car to leave today!
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Makes a lot of sense to me!
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Thank you for this video Lyndsay. After getting rid of a huge amount of STUFF from my craft room I’d intended to sell it all, but after watching several videos on you tube, especially yours I decided it just wasn’t worth it. There are some more high value items which I will sell on ebay, but I just haven’t got the time to put in. I needed to see this stuff gone, so I have donated to the library, some children’s clubs, friends and my friends children. Its not all quite gone yet but is getting there and I do feel loads better. I have felt more creative and I can’t thank you enough for your help and inspiration. You’ve made such a difference to my motivation and maybe this time I will actually finish it.
Thank you again
Tracey.x
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I think that’s the best way for me to get rid of it too, the longer I see it, the more I struggle to let go. Thanks for the pep talk.
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