Recently, I wrote about what I learned from brewing my own beer and how it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Given that realization, I decided to sell my homebrew equipment.
I’m reporting to you that, over the weekend, someone came and bought it and it’s no longer collecting dust in our basement. Here are a few thoughts:
– Was it easy to get rid of it? Yes, actually.
– Do I feel better with one less unused thing sitting down in my basement? Yes.
– Did the thought cross my mind again that maybe I should have hung on to it just in case I ever wanted to use it? Yes. Briefly.
– In the end, am I glad I got rid of it? Yes.
I sold the kit for $125 and it got me thinking. What if I could sell an unused item every month? I’d get to experience the joy and freedom of decluttering, plus get a little extra money at the same time. Sounds like a no-brainer!
Question: Is there anything that you could sell that would give you joy and freedom plus bring in a little extra cash?
You reminded me that we have a Total Gym under my daughter’s bed that none of us have used that I intended to sell a long time ago – that would make me very happy to get it out of there and make some money at the same time! Thanks for sharing your experience and reminding me, Michael!
That’s great, Ann! Yeah, there’s just something about getting rid of that stuff that piles up. It’s very liberating. Let us know how selling it goes.
Ann, we have a total gym I bought for $40 at a yard sale and used alot until I found a better workout with just dumbbells. It’s sitting in the garage collecting dust now. I could actually make money on it!
Michael, what online service do you use to sell items? Craigslist, ebay, etc.
Michael,
I’ve found Craigslist to work the best. Although, I have used ebay for smaller items that can easily ship.
Congrats on selling that! It is SUCH a great feeling to sell things! We have a goal of selling 2 items each week (either via Craigslist or the local facebook selling sites). It is AWESOME to declutter and sell things we simply don’t need. The money we make from selling things, we are using toward some home repair and upgrade projects (windows, blinds, trees, etc).
That’s awesome, Jennifer! 2 things a week, you’ll get through stuff pretty quickly like that. I like it.
I like that you’re putting that money towards something specifically. I think that gives it more purpose and is more motivating. I makes it more tangible.
How much money have you generated so far?
oh wow… YES. We have a lot of junk in our basement that we have not used in a while. Two of those things are: a practically brand new stereo and a practically brand new bathroom vanity. We could EASILY sell those for cash! Thanks for the push to declutter. 🙂
Alana, do it and let me know how it went. Isn’t it crazy how that stuff piles up?!
Michael, You’re inspiring me again. Getting rid of things is hard for me. Some sort of deranged hoarding mentality. I am going to begin asking myself “Is this needed for me to reach my Vision”? If not, seriously need to consider dumping it. One of the huge benefits of FAA process is Developing the Vision. Wow, really hard but really important! If anyone wants to find out more about Free Agent Academy, I highly recommend it!
http://www.jasonvandehey.com/2012/03/are-you-on-a-journey-or-just-plodding-along/
That’s a great question, Jason. Makes me think of the Proverb, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Which class are you in in FAA?
I’m in IDEA, assignment #4. “Core purpose / Vision / Mission”
Aren’t you in Idea now also?
I am. I’m working of the heart portion. I think that’s in assignment #2. It’s tough to dig in, isn’t it? At least that’s what I’m finding.
Amen to that! For me it was hard to differentiate between “care about” and “Heart”. I care about a lot of things, but my Heart centers around one area.
Jason, what is that area? I haven’t been keeping up with your assignments in FAA.
Michael, it’s Families. Healthy Families. We are such a dysfunctional country, and many families are in about as bad of shape.
Awesome, love it!
I’d always thought of trying to homebrew beer even though I’m not a drinker. Always seemed like a fun hobby to have.
Joe,
That’s what I thought too. However, it’s a very time consuming activity and I realized I just didn’t enjoy it enough to spend, basically, a whole 2 days doing it.
Nice, congrats on the sale! I’m sure someone will make good use of it. We also like to sell things out of the house, and lot of it goes up on craigslist. I love your thinking about de-cluttering at least one item once a month. That’s gotta have its benefits in both in sanity, and pocketing some extra cash…
Rob,
Yeah, the guy who bought it wants to use it to make wine, actually!
It only makes sense to get rid of stuff on a regular basis. Think about how much stuff we bring into the house all the time.
Michael,
Congrats on selling the homebrew equipment! As I said when you first posted about getting rid of this — I get a great sense of freedom from getting rid of the things I’m not using. I mostly donate stuff, but right now I’m trying to sell my husband’s old motorcycle — in preparation and expectation of a new one.
If you don’t get rid of it, someone else will after you are gone. At least give someone else the opportunity to enjoy it and like you said — make a little cash.
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne Clements
Victory Christian Coaching
Great input, Marianne. “If you don’t get rid of it, someone else will after you are gone.”
Well said.
We have been doing this as we work through our Financial Peace debt free project. All of the feelings you mentioned we have experienced in this process. Thanks for the encouragement. Blessings, @missioncoach
Very cool, Rob. That’s such a great program, glad it’s going well.
[…] maybe I could pick up a side job, focus on getting a new student or two, or sell a few things. While this approach has its place, I’m probably not going to come up with any ideas that are […]