Marie Kondo's Method Doesn't Work! Advice for Downsizing...

[dannahbanana]

Hello pony friends!

I've been flirting with the idea of downsizing my collection. This comes with me attempting to downsize with everything I own...clothes, keepsakes, etc. I've been reading books on how to tidy up and part with things. It is a challenge for me because I am overly sentimental. One book I've read is Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Her most widely known method is of holding an item and asking yourself if it brings you joy. If it does, keep it. If it doesn't, then discard it. This method works for certain items for me--clothes, dishwares, and other common household items. But when it comes to toys (especially MLP), that method does not work for me effectively at all! How can I not feel joy when holding a pony?

I'm reaching out to ask those who have downsized:
1) What was your motivation to downsize?
2) How did you go about deciding which items to get rid of? What is your method?
3) How do you feel now that you have downsized? Relief? Regret?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Tak]

Hiya!
I regularly purge my possessions, so I definately see the value of Marie Kondo’s methodology. However, it can be really hard to get started.
I, personally, had to decide which ponies I absolutely would cry over parting with and which might be more appreciated in another home. Knowing that the person they are going to will love them as much, if not more, than you, can make it feel so much better.
My motivations are debt, declining health (limits my abilities to clean/play/enjoy ponies, and I have a teen that needs to learn that possessions aren’t quite the same as memories), and I need more space for the future.
I decided what can go by starting with, ‘which ones make me happiest’, then I picked the size of the space that the ones I keep must fit into.
I have only felt minor regret in downsizing. It was my first time downsizing and I have never been good at selling. I sold many for far less than realistic value and ended up paying ppl to take my ponies in some cases. Don’t do that. I get relief from having less stuff to keep track of and less desire to run and check ‘do I have that one?! I needs it!’ It is also a relief knowing that the ponies are going to the right ppl. I love knowing that they will be enjoyed.

 

[OctoberMoon]

I literally just watched a YouTube video on the Swedish death cleaning method. My motivation is to be able to make a better place to live for my son's disability. I am working on cleaning up the basement that is full of great memories and sentimental attachment to my grandparents things and my childhood stuff. Eventually I will be gone and I don't want to leave him with the burden of stuff that he could care less about. The method is just that. Get rid of it before it becomes someone else's problem. It's going to be hard. We've already donated hundreds of vinyl records to goodwill and purged almost all of my grandmothers bird collection. If this stuff can bring someone else more joy than sitting in my basement then that's what I'm hoping.

 

[ArchdevilAntidot]

I have only felt minor regret in downsizing. It was my first time downsizing and I have never been good at selling. I sold many for far less than realistic value and ended up paying ppl to take my ponies in some cases. Don’t do that.

D: horrible

We've already donated hundreds of vinyl records to goodwill and purged almost all of my grandmothers bird collection

But those could have brought you money, to improve your life.

Why, essentially, bin them?

 

[OctoberMoon]

D: horrible


But those could have brought you money, to improve your life.

Why, essentially, bin them?

It would have taken way too much time to go through and sell the amount of records he had. I wouldn't have been comfortable selling them especially on eBay or such because I don't know conditions well enough to put a value on them. We are talking about bins and bins and bins of records. Plus it would have taken so long for them to sell and I would still be stepping over them. The stress of having them around was way more than the fact that I donated them. Someone can take a chance and buy them at goodwill. Now I will have to sell my giraffe collection because they're not something I can just give away.

 

[Cactusflower]

Ah, Marie Kondo. The “Sparks joy” method will never work for me. I have hoarding disorder and my primary hoard is toys.

I have difficulty letting anything go. If fact, I’m taking a break from organizing right now because I was overwhelmed.

Anyhow, I have some practical advice coming from someone who has significant struggles with downsizing.

Start with the easy stuff. Get rid of duplicates. Broken/project items are another area I examine closely. Will I have time for it?

Do I have space for it? The answer is no. To give you an idea. I have a 2400 square foot home and I can’t possibility fit or display all of my toys. I literally have thousands of toys and I collect at least 50 different types of toys. The choices will get harder. What do I love the most? What collections would be better off with another collector.

I will never be able to spend the time I want with all of my toys. I’m going to have to let some go. I know I’ll be happier in the long run.

Good luck!

 

[Leave a Whisper]

If I'm not that crazy about something, I give it away or trade it. I don't have PayPal or anything like that, so my best chance to sell it would be a yard sale.

 

[starscout]

Most of the time, I can get kinda anxious about throwing things out since I'm worried I'll regret later or I could use it down the line. However, every now and then, I get this unexplainable need to just get rid of much of my belongings. When I get like that, I just sorta rip the bandaid off and throw donate, throw away, or sell any of the things I don't really value. For example, I had a decent collection of Care Bears that I downsized significantly. I only kept my absolute favorites and the ones that have sentimental value to me. I've found that, even though I really loved and valued them at one point, I haven't regretted getting rid of them at all.