Regrets of Things Sold or Given Away?

Sometimes I wish I hadn't sold my vintage component stereo system and collection of vinyl LP's, but then I remember that I made enough off that sale to pay my house note that month, and I realize I really don't miss it that much after all.

If it's just a few items that you have sentimental feelings for - set them aside and don't sell them.
Some people will set a size - a box maybe - and anything that fits in the box is ok to keep.
If the box is over flowing - go through it and decide what you REALLY can't part with and get rid of everything else.
It's the only way some people have to keep from becoming hoarders.
What do I keep?
Some baby clothes (not too many), my wedding dress, one special pair of jeans (I'll never fit into them again but a chipmonk ran up my pants once while I was wearing them), love letters from my then boyfriend (now husband) - it all fits nicely in my closet without taking over more than one small place in it.

Nothing. Getting rid of stuff is like losing weight, it feels good!!!

I love getting rid of things. Just like some people feel anxiety or sadness getting rid of things, I feel suffocated and burdened with too much stuff.

That being said, I do have a bin for clothes and other keepsakes for both my kids - the especially pretty Christmas dress, a favorite lovey, a favorite outfit, a t-shirt souvenir from a vacation etc. I also have one bin for school work, report cards etc for each school year.

So to answer your question - I have never regretted getting rid of anything, but I'm careful to keep only those things that are most important, and I'm usually passing things to other family members with kids.

Good luck!

Nothing... and I give a lot of stuff away.

One day last year, my nephew asked if I had any tapes- he bought a cassette tape player and wanted to play some. Of course, I have tons of awesome mixed tapes from the 90's! I went looking for them in the garage, where I was sure they were. Could not find them. I couldn't believe that I actually threw them out, I looked for a a few days and felt kinda sad for a week, but I trusted that I must have used whatever wisdom I needed at the time to get rid of them. Basically I had to forgive and come to terms with "past" self who must have tossed them. I pictured that person as a wiser and braver version of myself who knew it was just "stuff" weighing me down.

My hubs cleaned the garage this week, extremely thoroughly, and guess what he unearthed? The tapes! They were there in all their glory, a wonderful walk down memory lane. I knew I never could have turned my back on those little nuggets of nostalgia. I happen to have a tape player in my new (well new since my nephew originally asked about the tapes) car. I have been listening to them all week :) I did thin them out by about 1/2 though.

My point is, I would have lived if I never found the tapes. But since they are still here I am enjoying them.

Have a "pending" pile. Of which you put it in a box/bin or whatever. And label that bin "pending."
Then revisit it later. Not much later, but maybe within the year or a few weeks later.
Don't feel "rushed" to get rid of things you are not sure about.
Just put it in a "pending" pile or box or bin.
No worries.
There is no pressure.
Sure you are having a yard sale, but don't get pressured about it.
You can always revisit your "pending" pile later, and then IF you want to toss it, donate it or sell it on Craig's list etc.

I recently got rid of 20 garbage bags full of things I tossed.
No regrets.
BUT, I have a small "pending" pile. Just a few things.

I have a hard time parting with things that are sentimental. It's something I've been working on. I still have all my daughter's baby's clothes. She's 12. I've donated older clothes and her brother's clothes, but those I've kept. Slowly, we're getting rid of things. Actually, a lot. But it's that sentimentality that keeps me a tragedy away from becoming a true hoarder. So I watch those hoarder shows from time to time for inspiration to get rid of things. And when we moved in October, it all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to sort and clear, so everything went in a box. We moved it all. I'm still digging out!

I gave my "little sister" my ENTIRE collection of New Kids On The Block stuff. Just to give you an idea of the scope-I turned 12 right at the height of their popularity and asked for and received nothing but NKOTB stuff for my birthday, including concert tickets.

Gone forever now are my framed posters, concert posters, tee shirts, hats, jewelry, fanny pack, shoelaces, buttons and pins, books, and tapes.

I console myself with the knowledge that, if I had kept them, they probably would have been sitting in my mom's basement when she had a huge flood a few years ago and would have been lost forever anyway. Still, they're the only thing I've ever regretted giving away.

If you are unsure, hold onto them for 3 months. I once thought I was giving away one dress and gave away a similar one. I'm very upset that it's gone, as it was a perfect size/fit (and the one I kept is not) and had some sentimental value.

Nothing!

I don't get attached to many physical items and the ones I do have attachment to, I would never consider selling or giving away.

Go with your gut.

The only items I struggle with are antiques from my parents. The items were very important to them but I'm a minimalist so there are too many and they are too ornate for me. I am at a point where I have sold most but am holding on to one or two favorites. Seems like a happy medium. No regrets!

Oh, and thank you so much for taking so much time to give me the scoop on a Michigan/Wisconsin vacation! You are a sweetheart!!!

Not for long. I've lost so much weight this year due to health issues that I had a few moments of regret for giving my "skinny clothes" away. But that is mostly because I can't afford to replace them and am swimming in my "fat clothes". However, I love that we have more room in our small home without boxes of stuff around.

My old LP player :( super sad that is gone as I kept a few old vinyl albums that are NOT on iTunes. And what now, go buy a cheaper one? Ugh....what to do.

Nothing, ever. If I haven't used it in recent memory, I get rid of it. Otherwise, it's clutter. To someone else, it may be a treasure. Let it go. It's just stuff.

Nothing so far. I have trouble parting with letter and cards. Spike Milligan kept every piece of correspondence he ever received and that information has somehow influenced me. Also, when I was younger I had friends who were prodigious letter writers. I also like to look at my father's distinctive handwriting. He died a couple of years ago, and it's a great connection to him.

Everything else I happily throw in order to keep the clutter down.

When I was twelve I gave my entire barbie collection to my cousin (younger) who was visiting from out of state. I regretted it as soon as the plane hit the air! I started a (looking back) barbie obsession and collected them well into my twenties. I just recently sold the entire collection for $500. A steal for the lady (an eBay seller). I have no regrets. I have three girls, but they have their own barbies-they didn't need to rip open new in the box '80s and '90s dolls.
Perhaps due to my weird obsession about letting go of my barbies I am the opposite now. I would gladly give away something that I use if someone else needed it and often come across things that I wonder why I'm holding on to.

Nothing. I'm usually just so relieved to have it out of my house and have more room that I forget what it was. Also, my MIL recently sold her house and is in the process of going through 40 years of boxes. She is so overwhelmed. I never want "stuff" to become that important to me.

I have never really sold anything that had sentimental value to me, but a couple years ago after separation and downsizing from a house to an apartment, I sold my bedroom set. It was a good idea at the time, and I thought I would just replace everything with cheaper items from like Target or something. Well, there was no way I could replace the whole set for less than I sold the set for. I should have kept at least the bedframe.
The only other thing I've given away that I kind of regret, is a gorgeous black velvet dress I had in high school. I wish I had kept it for my daughter, but I gave it to a friend.

heh. i'm a keeper, and my dh is not. but having dealt with trying to go through my little mumsie's things, i'm really working on trying to come over to his side of the fence. no way do i want my kids to have to go through the roomsful of stuff that my brother and i did.
and when i do muster up the cojones to purge, it's marvelous. very occasionally i've wished i had a sweater or book that i sent off to goodwill, but never desperately. i do wish i had the books and stuffed animals and childhood knickknackes i left behind when i fled a Bad Boyfriend, but even that sacrifice was worth it.
the only things that are irreplaceable are family heirlooms. and even those can usually be dealt with another way. one of my brothers just came across a paper he'd written in college to glowing reviews from his professor. he took a picture of it, and then tossed it.
i say let go of everything that's yard-sale-able.
khairete
S.

There have been some things I've sold/donated and a long while later thought "that would have been handy now" but that is a fleeting thing and I don't remember the specifics of the items today. There is no general item so important that not having it created lasting consequences or regret.

The one thing I regret letting go of is the class ring of my high school sweetheart. It isn't because I don't have it, but because it didn't end up where it was supposed to go. When old-bf and I broke up he refused to take his ring back. He and I are not in contact and haven't been for many years, but we have a mutual friend. A long time ago after I'd heard that his first child was born, I gave the ring to our mutual friend who said he was going to be visiting and asked him to return it for me. I thought old-bf would like to be able to show or give it to his kid one day. The friend took the ring but forgot to give it back during the visit, and then he misplaced it. I should have just kept it.

We gave away a massive amount of stuff a couple years ago while moving and I have regretted giving away many things. I gave away many of the kids toys when they were younger - Thomas the Tank Engine trains, Lincoln Logs, Little People, etc. I have bought a couple of the items again when I realized it was nice to have a few of their childhood toys around. I had a VCR tape that I made from children's educational programming while I was in Japan - totally neat programs. And there's no way I can replace it. I gave it away because we no longer had a VCR. I should have kept it and transferred it because it would have been fun for my daughters' to watch. I gave away a ton of serving dishes that we got when we married - I do not regret giving those away - I was tired of them. I too gave away my Barbies when I was 14 and regretted it. I now have lots of space so I keep as much as I can. Sometimes I put the idea in my head about giving something away and if it still seems like a good idea in a couple months I go through with it. I am very careful though with stuff I associate with my kids and stuff that can not be replaced. I do try to be very careful about what I buy because I don't want to be swimming in "stuff".

None. Having said that, if you aren't ready to part with a thing, don't.

Put it in a box, mark it with the date of the yard sale. Commit to getting rid of it if it doesn't see repeated use over the next 6 months to a year.

Best,
F. B.

Nope, not really. If I wasn't using it? It wasn't doing anything but collecting dust in my house... if someone else is loving it... so be it..

I do regret taking my Black Hills Gold ring off in my car back in the mid 80's and not being able to get it out.... we tried many things... you could sit in the drivers seat and see the ring, in the windshield but couldn't reach it...