The Dilemma of Downsizing

A family member has passed, your parents are moving, or you just need to clear the stuff out of your garage. Whatever your situation, downsizing can be overwhelming. Our advice? Pause before you purge.

In these situations, we’ve found that most effective way to move forward is to divide your stuff into three categories: junk, useful, and valuable. Junk will need to be donated or dumped; useful can be sold via word of mouth, a yardsale, or social media; and valuable can be sold to a collector or dealer. The challenge is understanding which things fall into each category.

The first thing most people donate is clothing. Though most clothing falls into the junk category, some clothes can be quite valuable (denim, old t-shirts, dresses, leather coats, vintage lingerie). So before you toss clothes, check with a trusted dealer.

On the other hand, though we might be able to offer you a lot of money for grandpa’s old Levis, we might also tell you that grandma’s china cabinet should go to the local shrift shop (along with her teacup collection).

So take a pause and think junk, useful, valuable. If you aren’t sure which category something belongs in, reach out to a trusted source. We talk to folks every day about downsizing and we are always happy to help. You can text us photos, bring things in, or have us to come and take a look. We can help you sort the trash from the treasure and if you have something that would fit the vibe of our shop, we’ll evaluate it and make you a fair offer based on current value. So pause before you purge and ask for advice because grandpa’s stuff might be cooler than you realize.