My top tips for minimising

Today I thought I’d share with you my top tips for minimising your stuff!

1. Start with one small area- a bookshelf, a drawer, a cupboard
2. Sell the good stuff on eBay. I try everything on there first! You’d be amazed at what sells and you’ll probably get the best price
3. If you have really good stuff to sell, try your local freeads or Preloved
4. Sell your books on Amazon Marketplace. It’s really easy to list items and you’ll generally get a good price. It even has this handy feature which shows you how much you’ll earn and how much you’ll pay in fees, before you list. I wish eBay had that feature!
5. Join up to a group on Facebook and sell your niche items there. For example, I sold the vast majority of my degree books through a book sales site related to my profession. It was dead easy to do and best of all, there are no fees attached. You can take payments through Paypal (for which you will pay a small fee). Or if you’re local- why not arrange to collect/ drop- off?
6. Join up to a local selling group- I found one near me on Yahoo Groups. I found it very easy and straightforward.
7. Sell your books to a trade -in store. I use these as a last resort because the prices won’t be as good, as if you sell the book yourself. Try several and check around for the best price. I recommend; www.webuybooks.co.uk           www.zapper.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk/Trade-In        www.fatbrain.co.uk    www.musicmagpie.co.uk
8. Do a car boot sale. Google your nearest one. In my experience the biggest isn’t always the best- as you have too much competition. Go as a  buyer first, to check it out. Compare fees, as some are really expensive!
9. Give stuff back to its owners! You’d be amazed just how much stuff I had around- mostly books and DVDs that belonged to other people
10. Freecycle it! Search for a group local to you, list your item with a short description and wait for the offers of collection to roll in! Beware, choose your buyers carefully- some are trying to make a quick profit by selling your item on and abusing your kindness. Some will ask for it and never turn up, wasting your time! Don’t be put off though- there are some great Freecyclers out there. There are other similar sites- like Freegle. Find the one that’s right for you
11. Donate it- bag it up and take it to a charity shop, or fill a charity bag and leave it on the curb (I don’t like these schemes, as there are so many non-genuine ones out there!) Or dump it in one of those recycling type, charity banks (especially good for clothes or shoes)
12. Donate all sorts of items to a local re-claim scheme for people on a  low-income. They usually like furniture and appliances. But can take smaller stuff, like pictures, mirrors and cans of paint
13. Some libraries take puzzles and allow people to swap them there
14. Look out for opportunities in your local area. My local Homebase has a thriving book swapping section. They also carry free DIY items and plants/ seeds. Maybe your item could be used as a prop in the school play? Maybe your local Drs surgery would really appreciate that stack of magazines?

Share your tops tips with me now!

Radical Simplicity

I’ve just finished reading Radical Simplicity: Creating an Authentic Life. My reason for reading it was simple- when searching my local library for minimalist reading material, this was the only book they had on the subject! I must admit that is a little disappointing because his isn’t quite the brand of minimalism I am aiming for. However, it was an uplifting read- he still had to get rid of a lot of belongings to live in a teepee, shed, hobbit hole etc!

I loved his explanations of simpler living, like having a fire for heat and not cooking so much. He was so much more in tune with nature than we are today, living in our hermetically sealed boxes. The most profound point I will take away from this book, is what he said about needing to work for something to appreciate it. His example is around obtaining water for his shower/ bath, needing to wait for it to heat- his shower was hard earned, long awaited and all the more sweet. In today’s world, everything is instant and someone or something else does the hard work for us. Therefore, we often don’t appreciate what we have. Ponder that thought for a while!

I was disappointed by the quality of the photos- seeing as he was once a photographer. They were all black and white- simplistic- yes, but not easy to see. I really wanted to witness more of the detail of his radical way of life.

I’ve got a few other books that I’d like to read, but they will currently have to re-side on my wish list. I refuse to buy more books, when I am trying to thin out my belongings and get rid of so many. It seems to defeat the point. Also, they are all relatively expensive and there doesn’t seem to be a second hand market for them here in the UK. This means it will be harder for me to re-coup their value if I decide I don’t wish to keep them forever and they are more expensive to buy in the first place.

I’ve been shipping out more stuff, mostly via eBay and it really is starting to feel like I’ve made a dent in my stuff! It has also occurred to me that my brand of minimalism is going to look somewhat more excessive than others. I can’t abide the thought of having bare surfaces all around. I need some well chosen objects to act as inspiration and give interest to my life.