But wait... there's less!

What do Snoopy and the Peanuts gang have to do with decluttering? It's a typical example of parting with things we no longer need. In doing so we're making money, saving money and bringing joy to the lives of others. Peanuts While I still enjoy the Peanuts characters, comics and movies, I wasn't really using these Linus and Lucy figures. They were sitting in a shoe box (along with Schroeder and Snoopy). Schroeder and his piano now serve as a bookend on our bookcase . But for Linus and Lucy I decided they'd be more loved by someone else. The other day a Peanuts-loving parent bought them for her (and her kids) to enjoy. Another success is increasing the joy in the world. Numbers I love stats, so I keep a record of our sales. Together, these two Peanuts figures were the 598th sale my wife and I have made. This particular sale because the $8 took our combined sales to $4,500 (over several years). I've double checked with my tax accountant and this is tax-free income. :...

Downsizing can help others as much as yourself. Selling items is great, but donations can also have a huge impact. You've probably heard of Movember , the charitable movement that tackles men's health issues of cancer, mental health and suicide. Men around the country, and the world, grow a moustache for the month as a conversation starter about men's health and as a fundraiser for the issues. My mate Phil goes a bit further that most and hosts his own fund-raising cricket match. How Australian is that? I didn't play in the match, but did donate a new match ball I had sitting in a cupboard from my playing days. I could have sold it earlier, but I liked the fact that it would save Phil the full retail cost of a new ball. Cricket balls can be expensive ($25-$90) so the money saved means more funds raised for Movember. It's also good to see an item serving the purpose it was made for. In the same weekend, a lead singer bought my waistcoat for his performa...

Here's a question that came my way: "I plan on parting with a lot of things. But do I attempt to sell or just pass my belongings onto an op-shop? It feels overwhelming that I could be drawing out the length of the process by trying to sell." It's a good question. Here are four reasons why selling is great - and really helps you declutter. 1. You know it goes to someone who'll use it. There's something reassuring about an item you once loved going to a "good home". My wife sold her old money box to a mum and daughter for a small amount. It's nice to imagine the kid cheerfully saving up her pocket money in it - and makes it so much easier to part with. She'll get far enjoyment from it than we ever did. 2. Selling makes saying goodbye easier. My once-beloved jacket had not been worn for years and was an obvious candidate to be given away. Still, to see it go was difficult. Thirty dollars made it a whole lot easier. Many other items are in th...

We meet many people through selling our excess stuff. Some are fascinating. Some funny. Some odd. Some a little weird. Today a local buyer declined to pick up their desired item. Or to have me bring it to him/her. I say him/her because even their profile name sounded more like a code name, giving away no information. The instructions were to wait for the all-clear and then deposit the item at a designated letterbox (presumably theirs). The money would be in a side compartment. This was definitely a first. Unexpected and a little strange. I might not have done it, but being very local I did it during my afternoon walk. I'll probably never know who the buyer was - or why they wanted this secretive method. In my free ebook Less Clutter More Cash I said selling to people can be fun and interesting. At the time I didn't expect that to include doing a spy-like drop-off to a secret identity. Now that I've done it, I think they're onto a pretty good idea. Letterboxes...