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Post by disarray on Jul 26, 2009 22:29:34 GMT -5
I've often watched different documentaries and shows on hoarding, and the psychologists usually tell the hoarders to throw out or donate. I never hear them say "Sell it."
In a show I recently watched the psychologist said she "allowed" her patient to have a garage sale since her patient was in so much debt. After the garage sale the psychologist made the woman donate all the leftovers. I understand donating at the end of a garage sale because you don't want it sitting around your house again after the sale or in storage waiting for the next garage sale.
But I don't understand why so many psychologists seem reluctant to let hoarders have garage sales in the first place. Am I missing something here? What's wrong with having a garage sale? Why give it away when you might be able to make a buck off of it?
Is there something unhealthy about selling items, or am I just reading too much into these shows?
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Post by fluffychild on Jul 26, 2009 22:45:57 GMT -5
I have had a couple of rummage sales and I did not hardly make the ad money, plus I was sitting there all day. For me, it has been easier to just donate the items.
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Post by woolybooger on Jul 26, 2009 23:04:12 GMT -5
I think the reasoning comes from the fact that garage sales are time consuming,you have to plan,clean the items if need be,organize etc etc.I think it reading depends on the person and their level of squalor or hoarding issue.Sometimes it is really just 'too much' for some people.I have had some in the past when I could handle it.Now I must trash or donate.
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Post by Peach on Jul 26, 2009 23:23:31 GMT -5
Putting together a garage sale is a lot of work. You have to go through your stuff to decide what to sell. This could take months, which means storing these items somewhere for an indeterminate amount of time (during which the items are at risk of migrating back into your living areas). Go to WalMart and purchase little stickies for pricing. Assess each item individually for what you want to sell it for. Write the amount on the stickie and attach that to the item. Set a date. Obtain permit from township, if required. Arrange for a newspaper ad. Put up signs around the neighborhood (if allowed). Go to the bank and get about $20 in coins for making change. Find your fanny pack (for keeping the $$ handy and on your person). Move car(s) out of driveway. Set up tables to display items. Some can go on ground but things sell better if people don't have to bend down. This means you either haul tables from inside your house out to the driveway, borrow from a neighbor, or buy cheap folding tables (as my DH did  ). Cuts into your profit margin. Comes the big day. Please don't let it rain. You get up at sunrise to get everything outside. Once DH did this the night before. It looked beautiful in the moonlight. The next morning there was a dew on everything. Almost all the stickies fell off....  People start coming by (hopefully). They will expect you to drop your prices - but, of course, you have anticipated this and set the prices a little higher than you will accept. This will go on all day. You will spend about 8+ hours sitting on your driveway trying to make a few dollars and being nice to strangers who are trying to find a bargain. At the end of the day, you either cut prices drastically or give away what's still there or pray that the few straglers just take it away. What's left goes to the curb so anyone driving by can take it away. What's left at the curb, you either haul to a donation site right then, or bring back inside the garage so you can pull it out again for trash day. Count up your money. Subtract expenses. Factor in the total time you invested. It's hard to make a real profit this way. |
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Post by Meme on Jul 27, 2009 1:04:36 GMT -5
I think it it a great idea and helps to let go-- the only thing that might be hard is that if the person suddenly decides to have the sales turn into a business and then starts collecting more for later garage sales- I think that if you think of making a profit in turns of getting your money back then it might now be good emotionally- but you have to do most of the other work even in giving away . Also you can - some times you may do quite well- my sister in law made a lot of money -- like 5 thousand dollars as her hubby had collected a lot of things other men wanted-------- I will do the same with davids tools and things - but not ready until next spring-----I will not make a lot of money but enough to have a day outing or something  |
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Post by Meme on Jul 27, 2009 1:14:57 GMT -5
I did google this and found several things re garage sales- it really depends on the mental health of the person as each hoarder has a unique issue- I did find this link which does explain that there is difference between hoarding and being a keeper of all things --------------- www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23510145/ns/health-mental_health/gs or a clutterbug- |
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kiz
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Joined: June 2009
Posts: 86 
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Post by kiz on Jul 27, 2009 4:42:00 GMT -5
I've had garage sales a few times and they have worked fine. Made enough money to be worth it, got rid of some things. They can definitely be financially worth it, depending on the stuff you have and your energy levels to actually flog the stuff to the customers. This last chuckout, however, I just chucked. I was moving and didn't have the time or energy to do something like this, or even donate. I just couldn't do it. The simple act of moving was tough enough, if I'd factored in a sale I don't think I could have done it.
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Post by messymimi on Jul 27, 2009 11:14:03 GMT -5
For some of us, "saving it for a garage sale" is what puts us over the brink from a somewhat cluttery house to a disaster.
Also, it really is hit or miss whether you make any money.
Then there is the guilt over what you spent for it compared to what it is worth now, and did you get your money's worth out of it?
This thread poses a good question.
messymimi
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Post by theroyaldump on Jul 27, 2009 11:29:17 GMT -5
Maybe they don't want us to see or gain rewards through squalor other than a clean home.
If we hold a garage sale and earn several hundred dollars from the very stuff that has caused us so many problems we may use that as a way to validate what we have done and in our minds be able to say that our relatives and friends were wrong to see our squalor as just squalor.
What would we have really learned from that? Would that have help free us of our hoarding?
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Jul 27, 2009 14:02:57 GMT -5
I suspect that if there is resistance from the psychiatric professional community, it would be inspired by hoarders' tendency to overvalue their possessions, and express ambivalence about disposing of it.
When I had a garage sale last year, I had to move my possessions around several times, assign a value to them, try to persuade others to be interested in them, and finally dispose of them when they didn't sell. If I were more of a hoarder, the unsold items would still be in my house. As it is, I donated the last box a couple of weeks ago, so they still cluttered up my garage for 9 months.
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toni
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Joined: August 2008
Posts: 73
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Post by toni on Jul 27, 2009 19:57:41 GMT -5
Maybe it's because tossing or donating gets rid of the thing alot sooner than havnig a garage sale usually does?
Toni, who is having a HUGE garage sale in August.
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