What a fabulously comprehensive list of what we can do with our clutter! With your links to related sites, you enable your readers to take action! Great article!

For any used books, you can easily check their value on BookScouter.com and see if any companies are willing to pay you for them. Most of the sites provide pre-paid shipping labels, so you don't even need to pay for shipping to get rid of them.

Books, tapes and movies can also be donated to your local library.

It's a tax deduction for you and VERY helpful to them in these days of reduced budgets.

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This will also probably make people throw thousands of rotten tomatoes at me - but -

…there are people (like ME!) , who when you add another few steps to getting rid of something, become overwhelmed and and stop organizing or decluttering.

Just do your best, and don't beat yourself if it's not done "perfectly" - we're only human and sometimes you have to save yourself before you can move on and do everything "the right way".

I'll be very honest here. When I first began getting stuff out of my house, it was all I could do to either take things to the thrift/donation store or toss things in the dumpster. Even those two steps were extremely difficult for me.

As time moved on, I was more and more conscientious about how I got things out of the home, but at the beginning, adding even a single additional step could/would have stopped me in my tracks.

Tink, (who had to learn to simplify, be organized and uncluttered)

BTW, I'm NOT saying to ignore the suggestions here, as they are excellent.

I am saying, don't let additional steps keep you from getting on the right track - take care of yourself the best way you can, the rest will follow in time.

The organization and peace in my life now is worth MUCH more than what I may have earned had I sold those items back in the beginning of my quest.

No rotton tomatoes here - I UNDERSTAND!

Bev, thanks so much for the kind words.

Brandon and Tink, you both raise good points about used books. For more ideas about finding new homes specifically for used books, you might want to look at my list: http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2007/07/10-ways-to-find-new-homes-for-your.html

Tink, I'm actually in total agreement with your point. Trying to find the absolutely best new home for your things can slow anyone down too much.

And when it comes to selling things, it's easy to underestimate the effort and overestimate the probable proceeds.

Jeri Dansky's last blog post..Ethical Question: Donate the Baby Bottles?

Jerri,

Great ideas there for the books.

Thanks!

crud - spelled your name wrong - sorry:)