Downsizing With a Difference: Giving it all Away

Let’s say you were downsizing and had lived in your home for decades. Picture the furniture, carpets, books, clothing, kitchenware, music, artwork, decorative items, plants, photos, etc. Think about going through all that! Now imagine that you’ve picked out everything you were going to take with you.  What to do with the rest?

Would you perhaps host a garage sale, sell items on-line or list items on Freecycle.org or on your neighbourhood free site (like Free Stuff NDG)?

If you didn’t have the energy or the inclination to sell the leftovers, or if you decided that you wanted to give away absolutely everything that you weren’t taking with you, how would you go about it?

An article by Petula Dvorak inspired this blog (Give it Away, give it away now, Montreal Gazette, December 7, 2109). Dvorak describes how a Washington, D.C couple, Fritz and Karen Mulhauser, hosted a “Downsizing Party.” They invited scores of friends and acquaintances to come over and take stuff, served food and mimosas, and over the course of a day, divested themselves of the sorts of things listed in the first paragraph, and more. Some of their furniture was promised to community groups.

A few years ago, a friend of mine who was moving to Toronto organized a similar event. She invited friends and acquaintances to come over and help themselves to her belongings. She also served food and drink. Even though I was unable to attend, I thought it was a novel and wonderful idea. She was able to see who claimed what, rather than dropping boxes off at Goodwill or Renaissance and not having a clue what was done with it. Like the Mulhausers, she shared a story about each item before it was happily carted off. 

Prior to our last move, some fourteen years ago, we hosted two garage sales, got rid of a lot of things, and made a few bucks. I enjoy hosting a garage sale, even though it involves quite a bit of work. Perhaps I’ll blog about it in the spring. Selling items online, which I’ve done to help clients who are moving or downsizing, usually takes a bit of time and you usually get only a fraction of the value of the item.

I hope you agree that a downsizing party is an idea worth serious consideration!

Please contact me if you’d like some help preparing for your very own downsizing party… or downsizing in general, organizing, decluttering, or any sort of move! Contact me at sheindll@positivespacesmtl.com or 514-882-3610.