One of my goals this year is to simplify and one of the ways I plan to do that is to sell or donate at least 1,000 ordinary items that are crowding our closets and drawers by the end of July. My ultimate goal is to find a home for every item by repurposing, selling, donating, or finding a way to recycle our unwanted stuff without incurring any costs.
This week while I was going through our DVD collection something occurred to me, now that the kids are older, I don’t actually watch any of these. With Amazon Prime and instant video, I usually rent the newest movies, or stream older classics. I mean, how many times do you actually watch a movie more than once {unless you have kids}?
My favorite movies of all time: The English Patient and Hoosiers. I almost went to college in Indiana because of this movie. Okay, and well the fact that John Mellencamp lived in Indiana was a big draw too. Still, I haven’t popped these in the DVD player in years. In fact, while I am sure sometime down the road, I might want to watch them again, I am even more sure that I will just stream them, rather than let them take up room in my house for a “what if” occasion.
So, I took the plunge. I piled up all 61 DVD’s, and I stuck them in the garage sale pile. Some lucky family might get good use out of them, but as for me and the HH, I guess our days of sticking a DVD in and hunkering down on the couch with the kids are over. And I am oddly okay with that.
Year to Date Totals
Donated: 2 items
Kept: 43 items
Recycled: 24 items
Tossed in the Garbage: 59 items
Yard Sale Pile: 249 items
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Lisa of Hopewell says
If you want to get rid of clutter, but don’t yet have Amazon Prime (or even wi-fi) then buying one of these will rid you of clutter. Toss the cases, keep the dvds and label the pockets in the binder.
By the way, I loved the ISU/horrible WY apt story.
Jane says
We have transitioned to zero dvds over the past couple of years too. It’s nice. Ok, I take that back. We still have the Punky Brewster collection and I refuse to let go. We use Amazon Prime, Netflix, and VUDU. I like VUDU a lot because some of our favorite movies weren’t free on Netflix or Prime, so we paid I think $2 per movie to do disc to digital on VUDU and transfer them over. We got some special promotions where if you did a large amount at one time, it was half off. It was a good investment for some of our faves (Harry Potter Series and things like that).
I’ve also found it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to give up most of my books. I use my Kindle and kept maybe 5 of my favorite books when we moved last year. Minimizing = Freeing
Freesia says
Have you heard of swapadvd.com and paperbackbookswap.com? You post the DVD’s or books and people request them, you send them out (media mail postage), and get a credit when received. The DVD credits can be swapped for book credits so you can downsize the DVD’s and get books you’ve been wanting… there’s a small membership fee, but I’ve really found it an economical way to get the books I’ve been wanting and downsizing what I don’t watch or read.
Dawn says
I have been asking around and even visited our local library looking for the movie, The English Patient. I had ever heard of it (as have none of the people I asked) until one day while at work one of the older Doctors was taking to a few of us younger nurses and his NP and ended up giving each of “Homework”. My homework was to watch The English Patient, and well my homework is still overdue! I had forgotten about it until this post. Off to see if I can find a copy of this movie!
…. P.S. I sold all of our movie a few years ago on a Garage Sale!
Felicia says
I recently googled “sell dvds” and was happily surprised to see how easy some were! While I’ll keep my kids dvd’s (still 7 and under) my husband’s and mine are going! Can’t remember last time we watched any of them!
Diana says
I donated all of our DVD’s to the library a few years back. Haven’t missed them at all and love the space it freed up.
erin says
Good idea if you want to watch one again you can just go check it out
Mavis says
I love that you did this. Great way to give back!
Brooke says
I’m curious how you plan to downsize significantly while still cutting out trash service? I only ask because having volunteered at both the local food bank as well as essentials bank for kids (clothes, shoes, toys, etc), I’ve seen how so many folks donate things that are so clearly not useable or useful that end up being a burden on the non-profit they’ve donated to – to sort, and then to ultimately trash. Heavily stained clothing, games with half the pieces missing, shoes that have holes, expired (by years!) canned food – I’ve seen it all. Some of that can be disposed of by composting, recycling, and sometimes Buy Nothing groups, but not all of it. Just curious what your plan is 🙂
Laura Z says
This is awful that people do that. I used to work in an emergency foster care group home, and people would donate disgusting, unusable things — used toiletries, dirty underpants, even! I wish people knew to never donate something that isn’t decent enough to wear/use themselves. Thanks for reminding us all not to tax the non-profits we are aiming to help.
Debbie N says
I love finding dvd’s at garage sales. If I see a movie we haven’t seen I will buy it then when we are done I will sell it at our own garage sale.
sclindah says
You may want to digitize them first and keep on a server. One day you will have grandchildren for the kiddie movies. My son did that with plex that we can all access as well as our pictures and music. Our library has a vast array of DVDs so every summer we checkout hits from the past year to watch.
MEM says
Not sure if you are suggesting copying the movies and then getting rid of the DVDs? If you get rid of the original source, the DVD, you no longer have the rights to the movie. Perhaps I misunderstood?
Mel says
Sometimes you can trade them into Amazon, they give you a prepaid shipping label and give you credit on your Amazon account when they receive them. They do this for books too. You have to have the right edition though.
Mavis says
I’m familiar with this program but have never used it. I just might have to give it a try. Thanks for the reminder!
Laura Z says
Do you know about the site http://www.paperbackswap.com and its sister sites swapacd.com and swapadvd.com? You list all your used stuff on there, and when someone requests it, you mail it (and pay postage). Then, you receive a credit which you can use on a book, cd, or dvd that you want. When you order what you want, you don’t have to pay for shipping. I’ve gotten rid of books that were little paperbacks, and swapped them for good hardback gardening books and cookbooks, etc. The good thing about these sites is that you can build a large wish list, so that even if there’s something you want that is not posted by another member at the moment, you’ll get it eventually. It’s the ultimate no-waste site. Usually, the shipping you pay for whatever you send (if you use media mail) is less than or equal to what you’d pay to have a used item shipped from amazon. Oh, and you transfer your credits between clubs, so those kids DVDs (which will go fast) can be turned into a novel you’d like to read or a CD you want to upload to your ipod! 🙂
Cass says
I am starting to get inspired. I don’t own 61 DVD’s….they hadn’t invented them when my children were young…HOWEVER I still have all the Disney VCR tapes they owned at children. Really, VCR TAPES! Now what am I saving THOSE for? I don’t even have a VCR any more. LOL Am thinking I could start purging…might not make it to 1000 things this year, but even 500 would be a good start.
Katrina Jeffreys says
I have all the 1960-1970 Disney VCR tapes too!! But can’t bring myself to donate as I grew up with them as its like giving up part of my childhood. I am in my 50s, so will probably hold on to them til I die. LOL
Courtney t says
I made over 500 a few years ago selling DVDs, video games, Books and music CDs through Amazon. If you opt to sell that way list them as for sale with no case and ship in cd envelopes or sleeves. You will make the portion of profit back that Amazon keeps for listing them that way.
tracie says
Mavis! 2 nonprofit organizations need g and pg.dvds. send them to Texas or find some near you if you are wanting to give away. 🙂
Jenny says
You can donate any g/pg/pg-13 movies to your local children’s hospital! We LOVE donated movies