Almost everybody, at one point or another on their journey to become minimalist, ask themselves a difficult question: What should I do with all the excess possessions I am removing from my home and life?
Should I sell them or donate them?
While each person will ultimately make that decision for themselves, here is a general guideline I have followed and recommended:
If you don’t desperately need the money, you should always donate to a local charity whose mission you believe in. The only exceptions are valuable items or large items you are unable to transport yourself.
This is the solution that benefits the most amount of people: both you and the world around you.
Consider these three reasons why it is better to donate your unneeded possessions rather than sell them:
1. Trying to resell your old, unused items only adds time, effort, and stress to an already burdensome process.
Let’s face it, the process of becoming minimalist for most people is not a simple journey. If you’ve spent the first several decades of your life accumulating as much stuff as you can, getting rid of it is not going to be an overnight process. It’s going to take hard work and intentional focus.
Unfortunately, the process of reselling items you hope to remove from your home takes additional effort: snapping pictures, posting online, answering questions, bartering price, meeting buyers…
To make matters even worse, the amount of money we think we’re going to get for each item rarely materializes. Again, I think exceptions should be made for particularly expensive items, but for the most part, the effort is rarely worth the financial return.
2. Donating your unused possessions provides benefit to others.
Our excess can become a blessing to other people. The items in our closets, our drawers, our basement, or even in the back of our cupboard—almost anything that is still usable—can be used by somebody else. Even if you have no need for an item anymore, almost always somebody in your immediate community can be using it.
I am more convinced than ever that most people want to be generous. If you were to ask a roomful of people, “How many of you want to be known as generous?” 99.9% of hands go up. It’s a pretty small percentage of people who don’t want to be generous. This is something we all want to be true of us.
The problem is, for many people, they just can’t seem to find the margin to become generous. But at the same time, our homes are filled with things we don’t need, items we’ve collected, possessions we’ve accumulated that are unneeded by us. Those items can become the very margin we need to become more generous—and in very specific ways, they can bring help to people and causes in our community.
3. Generosity is not just the byproduct of minimalism, it is also the lifeblood of it.
As we minimize our possessions, we find margin for generosity—not just while we are removing possessions, but as our lives change in the future. Generosity is a byproduct of minimalism.
But I’ve discovered that generosity is not just the byproduct of minimalism, it can also become the very motivating factor that helps us declutter and minimize our possessions as well.
A woman shared her story with me several years ago. She began,
“Look, I’ve been trying to declutter for several months and I’ve actually done a pretty good job of it. I’ve been through many of the rooms in my home. But my closet and my wardrobe, was always going to be the toughest space for me. I love clothes. I love fashion. I knew even before I started I was going to have a hard time getting rid of clothes.
She continued,
Until now, I have not tackled it in any way. However, just last week, everything changed. I was driving downtown, and I happened to drive by our city’s battered women’s shelter. I don’t think I had ever noticed it before. But on that day, I began thinking about the building. I thought about the women living inside, many of whom escaped in the middle of the night from an abusive relationship, with nothing but the clothes on their back and their children in their arms. I saw them leaving, maybe even running, until they found this safe space.
As I thought of the women in the shelter, my mind raced back to my closet—full of beautiful clothes that I hardly ever wear. It occurred to me how much dignity, and how much beauty, and how much honor those clothes could bestow upon those women.
And that thought changed everything for me! I went home, grabbed a bag, and couldn’t fill it fast enough. I found another bag and filled it immediately. The next day, I took several bags of my finest clothes to this women’s shelter, knowing that they needed them more than me. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. They needed them more than I did.
If you have recently discovered the joy of owning less and are beginning the process of becoming minimalist, might I make a suggestion: If you don’t desperately need the money, donate the possessions you are discarding. Find a local charity that you believe in, and donate there.
You will benefit yourself, you will find motivation in the act, and you will bring a positive change to the world around you. What could be better than that?
Though I agree with the concept of minimalism, I would propose that simply donating everything is not the most wisest of ideas when there is some money to be made with a little work and investment of time. When I began to declutter my home, I needed funds and so I began the task of putting the ornaments, china, knick nacks on ebay and netted over a period of months at least $2000. I donated clothing and shoes as those were items that I did not want to bother with listing and were time consuming; but I would encourage everyone that needs money it can be made more easily than a yard sale with a little effort and will help you to organize yourself even more and might even spark a new business venture. I also had much needed funds to pay off debt.
I would also point out that places like Goodwill are NOT charitable organizations and are for profit – so it is best to give your items to a church charity or organization in need like a shelter.
Goodwill is a charitable organization.
No, they’re a for profit organization.
I donated to “goodwill” for years until I started hearing some negative things about them.
Google, is goodwill a charitable organization? After reading the results, I will never donate to them again, I will throw it away first.
I enjoy being generosity focused on my neighbors and I am not such a patient person! First I give to needy groups in my area, then I give to children/animal shelters! The only rule I tell my charity partners is , “Please don’t throw anything away, pass it one”. Works for me and doesn’t take any time from the lives of my life !”
Love this article re. donating. Want to add that Goodwill is not just a thrift store – it helps people help themselves. Goodwill prepares people for employment with training, vocational counseling and job placement. Imho, it’s better for the community if we donate to an organization that provides services to help people get back on their feet than it is to try to make a few bucks off discarded stuff (unless the money is needed). I also donate to a local thrift store that benefits the community work of area churches and found donating is much more rewarding than listing stuff on Craig’s list, consigning items or having yard sales (all of which I have done at one time or another).
Thanks for the comment Elizabeth, though I disagree with your classification of Goodwill.
Goodwill is a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Because of this classification, their financial statements are made available to the public. You can find them here: http://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2017-Goodwill-Industries-Internation-Form-990.pdf
I believe she is thinking of the Salvation Army.
Personally, the next time I give something away, it will probably be to one of my literacy students, because I know their lives are hard, and they would be most grateful.
This is all fine but if you impose this onto a partner or child, you may not be the most popular. Be aware.
I hope nobody would impose these changes upon anybody.
The message in this article is brilliant. Everyone decides for themselves how to implement it in their lives or not.
I have donated TONS of really good stuff to Goodwill… even things I knew had some monetary value. Maybe it was the lazy way out, but for me… I felt instant freedom and mental/physical health just to have it all out and be done with it once and for all.
It was exactly the same for me.
I agree about donating. Sometimes I am just so ready to get rid of bags and feel it’s too much hassle “to Ebay”. I cant say my things were expensive and I don’t think I could ask enough to bother. But my things are nice enough to help my church’s clothing bank. I’ve seen the happiness it brings women to pick out clothing for their children for back to school and for someone who had her things stolen at a shelter where she stayed and had nothing but what she was wearing. That’s priceless. Ebay is always an option if I’m ever in need of cash.
I agree! Took 3 car loads to Goodwill yesterday. The house looks overall the same but I know I am making progress. My one handicap is family china that has been give to me…. seems like 3 sets, not necessarily complete… and not used by us…. Guess I should learn how to do eBay.
The feeling of freedom is the payment I believe.
I tried selling baby clothes and equipment years ago to the local chain of consignment shops. They were EXTREMELY picky about what they accepted. I thought I followed their guidelines, and out of two bins of unused or barely used clothing and equipment, they accepted two items and paid $6. Not even worth the gas it took to get there, much less the time it took to sort, fold, load, transport and wait for them to go through it. Never did that again! I live on a quiet street, and garage sales don’t work here, either. Tried that, too (yes, advertised all over, including photos and priced low… simply nobody came). I have a charity do porch pickups. Easier on me, less time.
I have attempted many times over many years to minimize and parents down with little success. I own a house on the country and work 3 hours from home and stay in an apartment while working. Doubles of everything are costly and multiple purchases due to losing things between the 2 places is common. I recently moved from one apartment to another and sorted, threw, and donated before moving! It felt so good that I’m now motivated to start at home! It is an overwhelming task.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for your continued motivation! I continue to make progress and have donated TONS of stuff – for the last month I have donated every Monday. As I continue to minimize I have found I love my simpler life – working on the family (3 teens), more of a challenge – but by focusing on MY things first (which is most of the house), I am trying to lead by example.
Fun to sell things on neighborhood Facebook page occasionally, but I do not NEED the money so better to donate to my local charity of choice. Read and appreciate almost all of your articles!
Just read Enough – Finding more by Living with Less by Will Davis……a real game changer!
Thanks again….
When the teens go off to college they will leave behind everything that they don’t want for you to “take care of”. Their lives will change radically from high school and they are so into trends!
When the teens go off to college they will leave behind everything that they don’t want for you to “take care of”. Their lives will change radically from high school and they are so into trends!
When the teens go off to college they will leave behind everything that they don’t want for you to “take care of”. Their lives will change radically from high school and they are so into trends!
I’m finding that donation is the way to go with the things that I feel a strong attachment to, but no longer have any use for. The baby stuff is very hard for me to let go of, but passing the things on to my family and friends who are becoming parents or grandparents works for me.
I agree with everything in this article. One thing that has helped me let go and donate is reminding myself of how my parents kept everything, how stuffed their house was to the point of being dysfunctional, and how much work it was when they died. It was a huge job and it didn’t help that we were grieving while we had to deal with it. It cost $38,000.00 to keep the house (utilities, insurance, yard care, etc.) and an entire summer and many, many weekends of sorting through the contents of the house, the shed, and the storage building before we could auction off everything. I don’t want my kids or anyone else to have to be in this situation because my husband or I couldn’t let go of things. So I say to myself, “Is this stuff worth $38,000.00 and months of my children’s time? No, it’s not. Let it go.”
I had two rummage sales in my life. They were so much work and so little profit. Never again. Now, I gather all my discarded items in boxes in my basement and donate them to a rummage sale which my church hosts once a year. Those profits go to a camp for foster kids. I feel good about my donations and I don’t have to hassle with hosting the sale. Filling up the boxes gradually, as I weed through rooms of my house during the year does not add stress to my life.
I could write a book on how to have a successful sale, but most people don’t have enough stuff to make it worthwhile, live in an area that’s not likely to pull in enough shoppers, don’t know how to market the sale, or worse, expect a lot for rather worthless items. If you can work it properly, and you have a ton of stuff, thousands can be made. If you have a few hundreds worth, yeah, skip it.
This article is so timely for me. I’m trying to get started on letting go of so many things. I have donated many times in the past to local charities and Good Will. There are some things that I would like to sell but I will not have a tag sale for the many reasons stated. A family member may have a tag sale and I might be able to join in. Thanks for pointing out the positives of donating over selling.
The donate argument has one big weakness–the assumption that they will get the most for your items (you will do the most good). Smart charities will have an “expert” on hand to at least give a quick visual check to everything before it’s put out for sale, but that’s not typically the case. This is why resellers shop them so often, and
I got a belt for $6 that was worth around $400. That never should have happened.
I’m currently boxing up things for a donation, but they’re items I don’t want to deal with for a dealer sale, garage sale, consignment or online sales. I wouldn’t starve if I dumped the cheaper items in the donate pile, but it does all add up, and it could pay for the small house I really want.
Laura, if you are willing to share any tips from the book on selling that you ‘could’ write, please let me know !
I have no issue happily donating items that aren’t very valuable.
I had some negative experiences selling with Craigslist (mostly people wanting to bargain and/or not showing up and wasting my time) so I got discouraged and started to donate my expensive items instead, when I could really have used the money.
So I want to try my hand at selling again, maybe with EBay. Any selling tips are appreciated !
Letting go of our things can be very hard sometimes. We place too much value on it and convince ourselves there is money in it or a perfect new owner for it if we just wait. But what happens instead is we hang on to it for too long and miss out on blessing someone else with it. I wrote about my own struggle with this recently on my blog.
This article hit the nail on the head for me today. My car is loaded up with clothing, kitchen items, decor, etc and ready to be dropped off at my local, charitable thrift store. I wanted to have a yard sale but with temps in the 90’s to 100, it’s just more realistic to donate right now. I want the stuff out of here. I’m on a roll. Now, if I could just get my husband to relinquish his excessive things. 🤦🏼♀️
The positive… I have made much needed space in my cabinets for linens and towels that end up sitting on a chair.
Thank you so much for this timely article. Oddly enough, I struggle with guilt over not selling my items and bringing in more money. As a penny-pincher the idea of selling my items is extremely tempting. However the amount of time, energy, and frustration it would take me to learn how to sell on Ebay, etsy, or Craigslist (I’m old enough to have grown up before the Computer Revolution), much less the time and expense of shipping the items makes me take the “lazy” way out and donate the items to a local charity. It is simply the easiest and most rewarding system. for me. Thank you for relieving my guilt!
In Utah, we have Deseret Industries. It is run by the LDS Church, but you can donate to it whether you are Mormon or not. I don’t necessarily agree with everything the LDS Church does, but I can feel good about supporting this cause. I like it because they have a very organized worldwide system to distribute items. They can get A LOT more $ than I can by trying to sell items. They use the $ to hire mentally and physically disabled people, people that have hit hard times–single women, unemployed fathers/mothers/people, etc. They also distribute items not only at the stores, but also to disaster areas around the world, 3rd world countries (think used clothing), etc. We donate not only to them but give a lot away on FB to our local community which is lower-socioeconomic. We have given away 2 over-sized U-Hauls, and about 12-15 pick-up trucks full. It feels sooo good supporting people that need it–wherever you choose to give. One of the most rewarding things in my life.
Forgot–they also have Deseret Industries in Idaho. :0)
I don’t disagree with the message, but I also don’t quite follow it. When we first started downsizing we donated A LOT of stuff. Your typical lot of clothes, nick-knacks and kitchen ware, bag after bag after bag full. These weren’t particularly mindful donations, it was mostly an out of sight out of mind approach.
However, we set aside the things with cash potential and have slowly been selling these off, mostly through eBay and Craigslist. And since February we’ve made $839.63, which is pretty exciting. We live in 200 square feet, and the thought that after all this purging we still have things to sell is astounding (although, yes, some were set back intentionally). If downsizing has a financial connection for you, I think this kind of progress is really helpful for continuing growth.
I used 2 thought processes
A/ my ROI is my use of the item . I don’t look to my possessions to owe me re-sale value on top of the value I received from using them. My home is not a store of 2nd hand items
B/ giving it away to be used by someone (2 or 4 legged) is a big pop of fun for me
Love this!
This is a great post. I have been mostly donating recently. I volunteer for the local crisis pregnancy center and the clothing, baby items and furniture we get there is hugely useful to our clients. I also donate to the theift store run by our local animal shelter. We purchase many of our clthes from thrift stores. Several have designer brand selections so we safe significant cash, help the charities and keep items out of the landfill. This is a win all around.
This article has been so helpful to me! We moved recently, and
I agree with everyone who says “donate!” It accomplishes a couple of things… makes you feel good, and it gets stuff out of your house quickly. I donate to a local thrift store that is part of a 501(c)3. One of the things I donated were kitchen canisters that were given to my grandparents when they married in 1932. The canisters weren’t in great shape, but they were in pretty good shape given their age. I didn’t want to burden the thrift store with items they couldn’t sell, so upon arrival I showed them and asked if it was something they could use. The woman showed me a whole section of items from that era. She said people love that stuff because of childhood memories. She told me someone would buy them and display them. I had them in a box in storage. That motivated me to take everything out of storage and give it away. Some things should be enjoyed. And how will anyone enjoy them if they’re stored away. And how “special” is the item if it’s stored away. So I say donate donate donate and move stuff on. There will be someone on the other end glad to get it!
I’ve always liked leaving unwanted items at the end of driveway for others to take. Always free. One time I left a small dog kennel and lawn mower. Mower needed small repairs but otherwise in great condition. Next thing I get a knock on my door and a lady asking if I was sure they were free. She had been taking care of an elderly lady who had moved into a small unit with a courtyard with her little dog. She was so greatful for them as it was just what she needed. Her husband was handy and would fix the mower for her. Seeing how happy this made this woman an knowing it was going to help someone in need was worth more than any money.
Thank you for this article. I largely agree with it, but the glut of donated clothing has me concerned. I keep reading articles about how thrift store rejects are being shipped to other countries, destroying their textile industries because they can’t possibly compete with our castoffs. So, I suppose my next goal with the donation process it to try to donate to charities that keep the items circulating locally. I’m not sure that’s always possible, but that’s my next goal. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
It’s true that charity shops in richer countries get more donations than they can sell locally. Lately I’ve been trying to buy secondhand where possible, especially clothing. It’s amazing, I’ve never been better dressed, plus I find it easier to let go of items I no longer need because they didn’t cost much. Items are saved from landfill, and the money helps people in need too. Everybody wins!
I just received your email titled: Should You Donate or Sell Unneeded Possessions…what a lifesaver…thank you! Your email helped solidfy my decision to DONATE all of my mother’s items to a local charity! She’s is moving to a nursing home and I’ve been left with deciding what to do with all of her “things.” I’m now excited to donate it all and feel that your email was “Divine” timing. Thank you for continuing to make such a positive and life-changing impact in my life! I’m so grateful I began my journey with you of minimizing my own life a few years ago. Eternally Grateful!
Perhaps Elizabeth is referring to Goodwill in Omaha. Their CEO made over a million each year, and 14 other executives over $100,000, including his daughter. This had been going on for years. Just Google Goodwill Omaha scandal. There’re lots of great non profits, hopefully this one has been cleaned up.
There is another good reason to sell items rather than just donate which is to teach your children the value of money and how items are valued worthy. These sales teach children that if they look after their toys and clothes, they will be valuable to others. It also helps them understand money in a different way if you let them organize, price, and handle the money as well as negotiation. We donate the things that do not sell. We also only hold our sales for an hour or two.
I have joined a Buy Nothing local Facebook group (Buy Nothing g is an international movement…and have been giving things away to my community.
The story on the clothes was such an inspiration! I just quit my corporate America job earlier this year to start a work from home business. I did a closet clean out before quitting, and I had a fantastic business capsule wardrobe. However, I no longer need the suit jackets and nice clothes I used to wear every day. I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to exactly let go of some of the nicer items. While I could sell them, it is so much time and effort, and the money is not an issue. I LOVE the idea of taking them to a local women’s shelter. Some of the jackets are fun colors. I hope they make a woman smile and feel special, just as they did me.
Thank you. This is just what I needed to hear.
Oh goodness, I found donating to be so much easier with most of our stuff! When we were emptying out our house, to move onto the boat, we took daily trips to Goodwill.
However, there is one caveat. Don’t donate anything you wouldn’t be willing to give to a friend. Thrift stores put donated garbage in the garbage, where it belongs. So be kind, and spare the middle man from having to throw away anything that wouldn’t be useful to anyone.
Hello,
I am an artist who is downsizing from one home to a much smaller one — Great chance to minimize! But as a multi media artist my two biggest problems are what to do about my art supplies and what to do with my older artwork. Can anyone help with ideas about this?
I live in Germany and a guy of the german equivalent of Goodwill told me, that tvey throw a lot of perfectly good stuff away. The reason is that more and more people want to get rid of a lot of stuff and the organisations simply don’t have enough space to store everything! They only need a few things like man’s clothing (only seasonal), Blankets for refugees etc. You can ask in front what they need.
Since I know that I sell or give away everything through ebay/craiglist – for the environment.
last but nit least i’m always very thankfull when people sell their stuff for a few bugs so i can save money – i want to do the same.
My experience of off-loading my possessions was a real surprise. First, you segregate all the obviously valuable stuff and put it on an auction site. No problems. The financial transaction provides some solidity to the agreement.
Then you select the junk and advertise it on Freecycle groups. You would amazed at the number of people who say “i’ll take it” but then don’t turn up. My advice is to put a very short deadline on collection. Anyone who fails to collect within the allotted time ( e.g. 24 hours) should be deleted and ignored for future offers.
Third, you look at the gizmos and gadgets you have and you think they must be useful to someone. Phone chargers, USB cables, memory sticks, old phones, etc. So you go to a charity shop, and… whoa!!! They tell you to take it away! Bu… bu… but… Surely? No. No thank you.
European laws say that everything electrical has to be inspected before a charity shop can sell it. And that process is not cost effective, so they refuse to do it.
“You’re kidding! This is a nearly new £200 home Skype telephone system without a scratch on it. Even the rechargeable batteries can be sold.” “Sorry mate. Find a skip and chuck it away.” “What about the laser printer?” “…Skip.” “Laptop?” “Skip.” “But it has a big expensive solid state hard disk in it.” “Sledgehammer.” Huh?
What a waste. I threw an entire car-load of 100% good electronics into a skip because I ran out of time to give it away.
It took me 6 months to off-load. And it was hard work. Beware of stupid European regulations.
Even in North America, there are many things that charity shops cannot or will not handle. The shop I volunteer at cannot accept certain kinds of baby gear and other things with potential safety issues. Check the shop’s website, or phone to ask, and please respect the limits they set–charity shops have to obey disposal regulations too. Some bigger shops have the volunteer base to clean and fix things, others don’t.
I look around my home at the age of 59 and know I won’t live long enough to ‘elegantly’ dispose of all the things that once seemed so important.
Sure you can! How long do you expect to live? How long do you think it will take you to dispose of things? Get a friend or two to help you! Offer them a % of any money you make.
Me. Becker, thank you for your continued advice, support, and weekend reads. I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to list some clothing and kitchen items I don’t want online to sell. And I’ve been wondering if it’s worth it. Every bit of money earned is good. Perhaps for me, right now though, with little kids, and making small headway each week, like you said, it’s more important to make more progress de cluttering, Than trying to sell odds and ends with all the posting, responding etc that accompanies it and probly only make a couple hundred dollars in the end.
Thank you for helping me to be brave enough to just let go of these things, donate them, and continue moving forward. I know I will be just fine without that couple hundred dollars I might make off of some of my used clothes and kitchen items I don’t use anymore. Someone else might feel differently, and that is ok. Just like you (Mr. Becker) said, if it’s something of great value, like China, sell it. But I don’t have any China to sell so I’m off the hook ;). Have a good weekend!
-Katelyn
*Mr. Becker, not “Me. Becker” Darn auto correct :).