Are you wondering hor to work on decluttering collections? Have you experienced the impulsive nature we have to complete our collections? This behavior has been a bane for our family and the accumulation of things and only by being more mindful have we been able to avoid growing them further.
Collections can include things like:
- Sets of decorations that go together
- A piece of clothes in all the colors it was sold in
- Kitchen pots and pans
- Dinnerware
- Matchboxes, thimbles, etc
- Programs from concerts
- Bedroom linens that all go together (like even decorative pillows, etc)
Compulsion to Complete the Collection
I’ll admit a somewhat embarrassing compulsion I had once that demonstrated the need for this desire to complete a set. It was the Toy Story 3 components in the McDonalds Happy Meal, of all things! I just wanted to get them all to see what the van would look like put together. I even resorted to asking the staff to swap out when I got a duplicate (yes I was that person) and buying from someone on Mercari for the last piece!
Lack of Appreciation for Entire Collection
Did I really enjoy it? Not really, it was kind of kludgy and didn’t go together well. And what did we do with it? We got rid of it shortly after. I bagged the complete set and donated it. I’m not even sure, after my lack of being impressed by it if anyone else would really want it.
But oh where to start?
Decluttering Your Collection
First off, if you don’t really love the items or theme anymore, consider selling the entire set. That is if its something collectible and desirable and would likely sell. I don’t usually recommend taking the time to make sales but collections can be a different story because they can really get some interest sometimes. Especially complete sets. When you’re on eBay, just look to see what the completed or sold listings sold for by choosing that option. Assess from there whether or not this would be worth it.
If you still enjoy that type of item but still want to pare down, then try to select the items you enjoy the most from the set. Then just donate the rest.
Choosing What to Keep
If you’re not sure what to keep, see if you would be happy keeping one third or half of them asking yourself which items you would try to save if you had a fire.
