The value of things

Some of the things in our homes are worth very little, yet some may be worth a lot of money. While this has no effect on the emotional value of your possessions, having paid money to acquire something may just be the reason why it’s so difficult to get rid of it once and for all. We simply hang on to it because we believe it’s worth its weight in gold.

Clutter doesn’t define itself by its monetary value: it is clutter because it is in the way and has no definite immediate or future use. In a way, valuable objects that clutter up the space are even worse than cheap and disposable ones: letting go not only has an emotional impact, but a financial one as well. We do perceive the worth of something and therefore it feels absolutely bonkers to throw it out!

It makes absolutely no sense to throw anything out that you may have saved up for over a long period of time. On the other hand, these objects tend to have intrinsic value that you could make use of. If you decide to let go of something, why not consider selling it and having at least some return on investment? There are many ways of selling stuff these days, not least of all through the internet: sites like ebay and similar ones make their living off such things. Admittedly, it is a little time-consuming to do so and there is a bit of a learning curve involved, but once you get to grips with the system it could be a way to make an upside out of a downside – because that’s exactly what your clutter is at this point.

In fact, you could also consider having somebody sell stuff for you. There are people out there who would do that for a percentage of the proceeds or a fixed price. This actually has another advantage: once you have given whatever you have decided to let go to someone else to sell, there is no longer any temptation to go back on your decision. Out of sight, out of mind – it’s all over except for money potentially rolling in.

Think of it like this: if you do not want or need it, and it takes up space, it constitutes a negative amount in your wallet! It might not exactly cost you anything at that point, but it does clutter up your life in other ways.

If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:

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