• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Minimizing the stuff you have and/or collect

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tabris

Member
Has anyone ever gotten to a moment in your life where you are trying to minimize the things you have and how did you go about doing it? Give away things or sell them on craigslist?

I just went through my closet and drawers and I have so much junk I don't use anymore. Why do I keep my old PSP and GBA? A boxed Wii I haven't pulled out in like 5 years. Why do I have a bunch of computer and a/v cables? Why do I keep the boxes of the things I buy? Why do I have physical books anymore? I'm trying to digitize my next gen games, which is a bit silly, but once a game is on sale I own a disc for I'm buying the digital copy.

Ideally I want to get rid of this (older picture missing some games esp PS4 games):

r83o1Oc.jpg


Unfortunately due to bad decisions by Sony, I can't digitize most of this but hopefully enough gets released that I can box up those games.

Thinking about getting rid of most of my blu rays too.

As well as get rid of all the storage cases I have in my closet. I want my life condensed down to my furniture, some decor, some cooking supplies, bathroom supplies, clothes & accessories, and my current electronics (desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone, next-gen consoles, tv, home theatre, apple tv)
 
B

bodyboarder

Member
When I decided to minimise I was ruthless, not used in the last 30 days it was gone. I tried selling things in bulk, and whatever I couldn't sell or wasn't worth much I donated.
 
T

Tabris

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
I'm in the process of doing this. eBay and craigslist are your friends.
Click to expand...

Why are you doing it? What instigated it?

I'm personally trying to minimize as I keep getting offered opportunities to move to another city and/or country and I want to be able to move or store things easier.

I tried selling things in bulk
Click to expand...

How did that go?
 
T

Tabris

Member
I'm also thinking about throwing out all the souvenir or sentimental items.

Which I feel a bit bad about, since there's some items that remind me of people and/or times, but it's also just weight on me from being mobile.
 
D

Dog Problems

Banned
Yeah, over the past few years I've been getting rid of a lot of old video game stuff. I use to collect systems, games, and all kinds of extras but it got to the point where I felt smothered by having so much junk. Then I moved and that made me realize how much crap I really had and I hated having to deal with moving it all. So I've been slowly selling most of it on here, through the Buy/Sell/Trade thread, and I've also sold a few things on eBay. Some stuff just isn't worth anything so I donate it to Goodwill or the local mission. I have very little left now which feels really good. Every bit of that stuff hadn't been used in years and I no longer cared about it so I'm happy a lot of it went to people who can get some use out of it.
 
V

vern

Member
I've been steadily getting rid of things for the past few years.

Recently I went hardcore and got rid of everything that I can't carry on my person because I am hoping to travel more extensively and not have a permanent home for the next year or two. Meaning all my clothes, gadgets, etc., are now given away or thrown away.

I have two backpacks and a camera bag now. Gonna get it down to one backpack once winter ends or I when I head to somewhere warm (Thailand I think next week).

The only thing I have that I can't carry is a bike... It's a nice bike can't just get rid of it. But it's sitting in my friends home now just gathering dust. Maybe I'll sell it at some point.

If I ever decide to settle down somewhere permanent again I'll continue to rent furnished homes so I don't need to buy furniture. I'll continue to live as simply as possible, makes life a whole lot better IMO
 
I

ikuze

Member
Tabris said:
I'm also thinking about throwing out all the souvenir or sentimental items.

Which I feel a bit bad about, since there's some items that remind me of people and/or times, but it's also just weight on me from being mobile.
Click to expand...

I had so much stuff and everything was everywhere. But after giving "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo a read, I finally managed to get rid of most of my stuff. Now I only have the few things which make me happy. If you want to spend some money on it, I would totally recommend buying and reading it. It literally changed my way of thinking about buying useless stuff and keeping everything clean and neat.
At times what she says can be a little weird, but if you just follow it without questioning, it's going to be great :eek:

This sounds like a sponsored post haha
 
T

The Illiterati

Member
I started ten years ago to just stop caring about physical objects of any kind. If its cheaper I'll buy it that way, or if I can hope to resell it, but I see little point in collections of anything. I have no time to rewatch or replay anything when there's a million other things to consume.

Same with toys or collectibles, which I personally have no interest in, after having loads of that stuff as a kid. I just got tired of clutter. I'm still guilty of having clutter, but its not of the collectible nature.
 
G

gruenel

Member
I put all my games/Blu-rays/DVDs/CDs in CD wallets a while ago. Fuck those cases, they use way too much space. It's much less clutter now and I still have all of my stuff available.

inb4 GAF crucifies me
 
S

Subpar Scrub

Banned
Every 6 months I go through my shit and throw away things I don't need or don't use, within reason.

I don't throw away books or video games because they're easy to store, and I may not be able to repurchase them in the future (depending on exclusivity or publisher bullshit).

It's strangely satisfying having so much space after a good clean out, but I somehow manage to fill a lot of that space after 6 months.

The fact that I keep everything I own in a relatively small bedroom is the main reason I NEED to have clean outs though.
 
V

VegiHam

Member
I've done this; and the benefit to my life has been fantastic. I never lose anything anymore!

I've had to move house multiple times in the last few years, and so have all the family members I've been keeping things with. Getting rid of lot of old crap has made that process easier; so it was done for practical reasons more than anything.

Unfortunately, once you start you just want to keep going. I can move house easily now but I still want to get rid of some things I don't use that take up cupboard and wardrobe space. Personally, I've never found Marie Kondo's methods particularly helpful; but I know they work for a lot of people.
 
J

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
I know this won't help (sorry) but I feel like posting anyway.

I've literally never had this problem. I'm a minimalist by default. I get lots of weird looks about it among friends. Growing up, I had it pretty rough, and I never had many toys or anything, and what little I did have was often sold off or what-have-you. This stuck to me and as an adult I can't own more than a few games, Blu Rays, anything.

Actually, it's, er... its own sort of problem.
 
T

The Wall

Banned
Yup. I've been particularly brutal about it lately, and have a least a small bag and a box still of things to sell, rehome or donate.
 
T

Tabris

Member
Yeah I'm definitely not a hoarder. Like I'm just talking about a single closet, a bookcase, and a couple drawers. Nothing close to most people. But I want to minimize that even further.
 
V

VegiHam

Member
Tabris said:
Yeah I'm definitely not a hoarder. Like I'm just talking about a single closet, a bookcase, and a couple drawers. Nothing close to most people. But I want to minimize that even further.
Click to expand...

OK, either this is going to be trivially easy for you because you aren't too attached to things and the main problem will just be finding ways to get rid of them; or very difficult because everything you haven't gotten rid of already is sentimentally important or valuable.
 
C

Crub

Member
One of the biggest perks with being PC gamer. Your entire library is digital, and can be accessed from whatever computer you currently have in use.
 
andythinkpad

andythinkpad

Member
That's why I digitize everything. All my photos, music and movies are on 2 NAS servers. I am also in the process of uploading a 3 copy to Amazon cloud drive since Amazon give out free 1 year trail.

It's actually pretty time consuming to digitize the audiobooks since I like to convert the audible files into mp3 format and cut them into chapters. It's very rewarding to collect and organizing them.

Personally I am not against collecting physically stuff but only for decorating. I have about 20 fancy coffee table books of National Geographic variety and I plan to put them in a custom made bookshelf to compliment my living room.
 
G

georly

Member
I plan on doing some of this next year. Working at gamestop for 9 years means I have tonnnnnnnnnnnnns of game merch (mainly preorder bonuses and free stuff for employees). I already donated 90% of my preorder bonus shirts to charity, but now it's time to sell off the rest of my junk, all my old gaming action figures I bought.

I'll probably sell off any big/bulky collector's editions I have, too. I don't know if i'm ready to part with my old games yet, especially if I can just keep them neatly on a bookshelf. It's mainly the stuff that has to sit in a closet because it won't fit out in the open, that's the stuff I want to part with, I think.

Really looking forward to how freeing it will feel.
 
T

tokkun

Member
For most people, it's primarily a psychological barrier - loss aversion. They don't want to be in a situation in the future where they want those things again and don't have them. So I think the way of attacking it also has to be psychological. Here are a few tricks I've developed:

-When you are looking at an item you haven't used in a while, ask yourself "Could I replace this for $50 if I really wanted it again?". For a lot of the stuff you own - including things like books and games - the answer is going to be "yes". Then if you get rid of that stuff, you haven't really lost it, because you can always get it back if you want it enough, although odds are that you never will want it back.

-For things that are more expensive or rare, think about whether you have a friend or family member that might want it. Make a deal with them that they can have the item, use it as much as they want, are not liable if it breaks, but have to return it to you if you ask. This is a way of effectively giving things away without feeling like they are actually gone.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
I've gone digital with most my media for the very reason of minimizing stuff/clutter. I'm not one of those paranoid people who think you'll lose a game forever because it's digital. At worst I'll be able to just emulate it in the future.

... But then I got into collecting keyboards with all that free space.
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
what is the last time you played any of those games

when is the next time you will

if the answer is i dont know then sell that shit
 
B

bjork

Member
I got rid of a bunch of stuff mostly so it'll be easier for people to clean up after me when I die. Seems like a weird reason, but it makes sense for me.
 
T

tuffy

Member
Empty 100 disc spindles are cheap and take up a lot less space than the cases they replace. It's a nice way to store a lot of discs that I don't want to get rid of, but don't go back to very often either.
 
Darren870

Darren870

Member
Once you beat it get rid of it. I had a big purge before I moved over seas. Felt so good to be rid of everything that was weighing me down.

There was a few games I kept because I thought I'd play them once I got settled in. You know what? Its been 7 years now and I still haven't played those games....
 
S

Shadybiz

Member
Alucrid said:
what is the last time you played any of those games

when is the next time you will

if the answer is i dont know then sell that shit
Click to expand...

Yes! I recently decided to sell my 3DS and my Vita, along with the games. I haven't played either in at least a year, so what the hell is the point of keeping them around?
 
F

Friggz

Member
instead of selling stuff or tossing it...i just moved into a bigger house. let me know if that helps.

also if you have and dreamcast games ill buy them.
 
Strangelove77

Strangelove77

Member
I'm getting there in steps.
For right now, I'm getting rid of things that I can't immediately find. If I actually have to look for something extensively because I forgot where it was, then I don't need it.
Then eventually I'll get rid of things I can't actually use in any way. No random objects apart from shit that goes on walls for decorations. No more collectibles or pointless trinkets.
Then I'll get rid of everything I haven't used in 2 years.
Then everything I haven't used in 1 year.

Then who knows from there.
 
B

Busaiku

Member
I had a ton of plushies and other toys lying around.
It got to the point that I had little room to do anything, and cleaning took hours.
Decided to give like 95% of my stuff to winter drives last week.
 
T

Tabris

Member
Friggz said:
instead of selling stuff or tossing it...i just moved into a bigger house. let me know if that helps.

also if you have and dreamcast games ill buy them.
Click to expand...

Ah you may have missed my post after:

I'm personally trying to minimize as I keep getting offered opportunities to move to another city and/or country and I want to be able to move or store things easier.
Click to expand...

And if I move internationally, the cost of shipping may exceed the cost of the items. I also want to reduce the amount of things I have so they can be stored into my parents basement if I sell my place (or rent it out unfurnished instead of furnished) and move internationally as I don't trust having a storage locker.
 
G

George Oscar Bluth II

Banned
I have been getting rid of stuff like DVDs and games that I just don't use anymore. Also gave away a lot of old books and action figures that were collecting dust in my room. My room is very small, but I've managed to clear a lot of space. Still have some more to do, though.

A lot of the stuff I gave away held some sentimental value because I've had them since I was a kid, but I didn't see any point in keeping them. Stuff that I really care about is kept though.
 
I

IronRinn

Member
I'm at this stage too, OP and I have way more crap than you do. Way more. Doing eBay mostly as Craigslist is a wasteland by me. Sold some stuff here as well. I would like to do more on Craigslist and here because eBay is really a constantly evolving nightmare for sellers, especially if you're just a normal schmuck trying to get rid of things and not running a store.

I have to change a bunch of stuff about my life but trying to make myself feel better by buying shit is a big part of that. I had a moment a few months ago where I stood in my basement and just wanted to take everything and throw it in a pile on the front yard and light it on fire. Much of it is worth a fair bit of money though, so I'm just slowly working through photographing all of it and putting it up for sale.
 
M

Mascot

Member
I went from a one-bedroom apartment with no storage to a four-bed house with double garage, huge loft and large summerhouse, and in three years the house was full.

Problem is, as soon as I throw any 'useless' item out I find I need it a week later.
 
B

Begbie

Member
No thanks, I like my stuff! I don't 'hoard' but I enjoy my collectibles, blu-ray collection, etc. If you want to see how fast stuff can accumulate just wait until (if?) you have kids!
 
I

industrian

will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
I've ripped all my games and Blu-rays and put them on my NAS.

The cases/manuals/discs have been put in boxes and put into my garage for storage.

When I moved from Scotland to Korea to Japan to Taiwan back to Scotland and then to Australia I made it a policy to try and keep my life within a single suitcase. It didn't work out too well though.
 
M

MikeDip

God bless all my old friends/And god bless me too, why pretend?
I like my stuff too much. I want more stuff.

I'm the type of person who has a garage sale and ends up with more stuff at the end.
 
B

battousai11

Member
I'm at this point as well; My wife and I are moving for her work in about a year and a half, and I don't want to have so much stuff when we move. I just need to find time to list stuff on eBay/CL.
 
L

Like the hat?

Banned
I'm trying to really minimize but it's hard. A big problem I have is getting rid of my kids' things. I have nothing from when I was a kid so it's hard to get rid of their things.
 
G

gaiages

Banned
Stuff like books and clothes, I just donate to a local charity (not Goodwill).

Games, I meticulously went through every game I both own and want and decided if I *really* wanted them, and ended up cutting a lot of fluff from my physical collection. I sold them on eBay as individual listings, since I didn't have anything worthy of a 'bulk' type deal.

Other stuff, like random goodies/paraphernalia that I don't want, I'll send to my friends as little gifts. They like it and I get rid of clutter, win-win :D
 
Z

ZackieChan

Member
Tabris said:
Has anyone ever gotten to a moment in your life where you are trying to minimize the things you have and how did you go about doing it? Give away things or sell them on craigslist?
Click to expand...

I have condensed my life down into a backpack and a briefcase. I've got clothes for a week in there, along with some other stuff. But every time I repack the bag I get rid of things. This allows me to be a full time traveler. I've never felt so free. It's amazing.

When I go to see family and friends I'm amazed at how much junk they have. Just so much stuff. I used to hoard old stuff - now I've gone in the complete opposite direction.

vern said:
I've been steadily getting rid of things for the past few years.

Recently I went hardcore and got rid of everything that I can't carry on my person because I am hoping to travel more extensively and not have a permanent home for the next year or two. Meaning all my clothes, gadgets, etc., are now given away or thrown away.

I have two backpacks and a camera bag now. Gonna get it down to one backpack once winter ends or I when I head to somewhere warm (Thailand I think next week).
Click to expand...

Two backpacks is chump-tier. Get on my level.

Thailand is the perfect temperature right now. It's gonna get real hot real soon though.
 
T

Tabris

Member
Can you tell me more about your travels in Thailand ZackieChan? I have a friend who's going there to live the digital nomad life for a while and it's very tempting to do for like 6-12 months.
 
P

psylah

Member
My personal manchild outlet is collecting Nerf guns, and it's getting out of hand. Half of my closet, 2 rubbermaid bins under the bed, a few hanging near my desk, it's getting to be too much.

Luckily I get them for 2 or 3 dollars at thrift shops, so I'm not throwing away tons of money if I resell them. Last time I had a purge, I made a couple hundred.
 
F

freenudemacusers

Member
I'm pretty aggressive when it comes to getting rid of old stuff. I grew up with a lot of clutter and do not like it. As of now my family can fit in a small storage unit, which I think is pretty good, and we're still culling some more.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Thinking about getting rid of my physical media for New Years 2024
42
3K
Mr Hyde replied
  • Locked
Im really low guys
2
531
EviLore replied
No TV app allows you to sort your digital movie library, how is this still possible in 2023?
21
2K
Bojji replied
Cord Cutting & Live TV: What's the best service?
23
1K
RavageX replied
I'm a pretty sad man...
2
52
4K
Days like these... replied
Top Bottom