Some Things Having Little Value When Home Downsizing – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

There are two types of people who are downsizing their homes today. My mother is from the “Depression Generation“. She grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, she remembers when things were really tough, and she has thrown very little away. She kept everything, just in case things got bad again.

I’m from the “Woodstock Generation“. My generation bought things thinking that they would grow more valuable with age. We thought all we had to do was buy it, wait 10-20 years, and then sell it for a profit. Little did we think that maybe… just maybe…our children wouldn’t be interested in the same things that we were.

Both generations…the Depression Generation…and the Woodstock Generation…have kept way too much stuff. Our houses, basements, garages, and closets are filled with things that we probably should have thrown out years ago, at least from a value-perspective. And as people begin downsizing their homes today, they must deal with this excess personal property…before they can close on their Real Estate.

If you are thinking about downsizing your home, here is a list of things that take up a lot of space, yet have very little, if any, financial value. The sooner you dispose of them, the sooner you will be able to complete your home downsizing.

• Paperback Books: Once you’ve read a paperback book, rarely will you read it again. Instead of keeping boxes and boxes of paperbacks, pass them along to friends or donate them to a library, church, or good cause. Trying to sell them for ten cents apiece at a garage sale is simply a waste of your time.
• Contemporary Hardback Books: Dittos on these books as well. I predict that no massed-produced NY Times Bestseller will ever fall into the “Collectible” category because so many were printed. Literally millions of Tom Clancy and John Grisham books were published are nearly impossible to sell for more than $.50-$1.00 at a garage sale.
• Old Newspapers: I’m sorry to report that your 1963 newspapers on the JFK Assassination are not worth much money. Neither are your newspapers on the Moon Landing or other such historical events. These are extremely common today because few people ever threw them away…and have very little value today.
• Old Magazines: Most old magazines have nominal value and the more recent the date, the less value they have. Relatively few post-1960’s magazines have much value. Value increases the earlier you go into the century. Early 20th century magazines having cover art by collectible artists, famous people on the cover, and interesting color advertisements are collectible to some. Others like to collect magazines issued on the date of their birth. But other than that, most late 20th century magazines end up in the dumpster.
• Old Photos: Most old 20th century photographs have little value to anyone except you and your family. A few exceptions might include military photos, photos of vintage automobiles, or photos with famous people or historical events. But your family photos generally just take up space and have very little value to others. In today’s world why not digitize the photos you want to keep, offer the balance to family and/or/friends, and when they don’t want them, simply let them go.
• Old Clothes, Shoes, Coats, Hats and Gloves: Aside from some designer clothing and retro styles, most 20th century clothing has little or no resale value. Good quality women’s and children’s clothing can sometimes be sold in a consignment shop, but there is little market for most used men’s clothing. Why not consider donating your old clothing to someone in need, or to some group who can use it, rather that simply throwing it away.
• Direct Mail & QVC-type Gadgets: Most of these items never worked as well as advertised and usually are not worth keeping today.
• Exercise Equipment: Basically every home in America has at least one piece of almost brand-new exercise equipment that was purchased with the best-of-weight-loss intentions. But most have accumulated more dust than hours-of-use. There is so much used exercise equipment out there that it is very difficult to sell. Don’t expect to receive much for yours, and often its better to donate it rather than leave it at the curb.
• Holiday Decorations: Your old holiday decorations usually mean a lot to you because of the memories associated with them, but they are just used decorations to someone else. Unless they are truly antique holiday collectibles, don’t expect to see much value from these.
• Children’s Trophies, Awards, and Artwork: In your attempt to downsize your home, how many trophies & awards do you really need to keep? I wouldn’t advocate tossing out a family Heisman Trophy, but if the majority of your childrens’ awards are more sentimental, why not consider taking some pictures of those old trophies to serve as your memories, and offer the real awards to your children who won them.
• Family Travel Souvenirs: Some of these items may be considered “Collectibles“, but most have only nominal financial value and serve more as pleasant memories of your past vacations and travels rather than valuable collectibles.
• Family Heirlooms: This is a tough category because although some family heirlooms can have considerable value, most have nominal value. Check these out carefully, usually with the advice of an expert. Keep those items of value and dispose of those that are just taking up space.
• Old Letters, Correspondence & Documents: Unless the paper is signed by someone famous, or includes some type of historically important topic or letterhead, if probably won’t bring much in the open market.
• Outdated Tax Returns, Bank Statements, & Bills: You should keep these as long as the IRS requires, and after that, they are just taking up space. But you should probably shred these papers rather than just throwing them in the trash, just to be safe.
• Broken Electronic Items: We all have certain items tucked away somewhere in our home that no longer work. Rather than throw them away, we’ve kept them, anticipating the day that we would take the time to repair them. But that date just never seemed to arrive. If the item has been broken for a while, let it go.
• Broken Furniture: Same thing here. If it’s been sitting around for a while, and its still un-repaired, it’s probably time to let it go.
• Outdated Technology: The world is moving too quickly and items that you purchased only a few years ago are technologically passé today. Despite being only a few years old, they’re outdated. They’re not worth keeping until they officially become antiques, and trust me, the younger generation will never want them. Let them go.
  • 33-45-78 RPM records and record players were replaced by cassette tapes.
  • Cassette tapes and recorders were replaced by CD’s.
  • CD’s are being replaced by IPOD’s that can hold 15,000 songs (How do you keep track of 15,000 songs, anyway?)
  • Next year something else will replace the IPOD.
  • Early computers. I confidently predict that computers with 64 megs of RAM will never come back in style.
  • Flash lights requiring large, many, and/or expensive batteries will also not be coming back any time soon.
  • Walkie-talkies and 2-way radios have been replaced by cell phones.
  • Typewriters have been replaced by desktop publishing.
  • Old and Outdated Appliances: Nothing else needs to be said. Just let them go.
  • Outdated Coffee Makers
  • Outdated Popcorn Poppers
  • Outdated Waffle Makers
  • Outdated Juicers
  • Outdated Blenders
  • Outdated Sewing Machines
  • Outdated TV’s

• Large Entertainment Centers: Although these were quite expensive when originally purchased just a few years ago, these are just too small for today’s ever-widening Flat Screen TV’s and their value is dropping faster than a stone in water.

If you care to attempt to sell these items in a garage sale, enjoy yourself. Perhaps you’ll turn them into a few dollars. But if you count the time you’ll spend preparing for, actually conducting, and cleaning up from the garage sale, you’ll probably be working for less than minimum wage. You’ll have to decide whether your time is worth more than that.

And finally, if you are planning a long distance move through a common carrier, remember that if you are paying for the mover to pack, and if the price of your move is based upon weight as well as distance, it makes little financial sense to pay to mover to move it, only to dump it when you settle into your new home. Sometimes it’s just better to let go…and move on.