So it’s a new year and for some, this means a time of change, a time to make resolutions and think about a different future. Some people will decide to stop smoking, drink less alcohol or eat less junk food, and others make the decision that this is the year to change their entire lives and sell everything!
But why on earth would someone decide to sell absolutely everything they owned? Jewellery, furniture, presents with sentimental value, cars, clothes, even a home – have they been possessed? Do they need a straitjacket? Why would someone want to do this?? Why did we choose to do this?
To travel the world … forever! That’s why!
But why on earth would someone decide to sell absolutely everything they owned? Jewellery, furniture, presents with sentimental value, cars, clothes, even a home – have they been possessed? Do they need a straitjacket? Why would someone want to do this?? Why did we choose to do this?
To travel the world … forever! That’s why!
We are a classic case for the science behind “the wanderlust gene” which basically means we were always going on holidays, travelling as much as we could and never become fed up of it but to fund our lifestyle, we both had careers and most importantly, we had a beloved cat named Ella whom we adored, she was our world and we couldn’t leave her.
But suddenly, all that changed ….
But suddenly, all that changed ….
Our fur-baby, Ella, she was our world
Sadly, we lost our beloved furball at 16 years old and after losing Ella, we realised that actually, the 9-5 “rat-race” we were existing in meant nothing without her... life as we knew it just didn’t seem comfortable anymore. Our jobs weren’t fulfilling, so what was stopping us doing what we loved the most?
Nothing.
Nothing… well, apart from a small matter of having a house full of stuff. Who needs “stuff” when you have the whole world to explore?
But where you do you start when you have a house, loft, garage and shed FULL of “stuff”?
You start with one cupboard or one drawer at a time.
Open one up – any one, it doesn’t matter where in the house just do it and take a proper look at what is in there! When was the last time you used that kitchen gadget you bought five years ago as a special offer on a TV selling channel? Goodness, it was ages ago that you last had the time to play Guitar Hero on the Wii/X-Box/Playstation. So how long ago was it that you wore that special dress you bought to match those amazing shoes you couldn’t resist and haven’t worn since?
It’s as easy as that!
When you have a goal in mind, something that you want or a plan of action that is bigger than the three different types of iPods you have lying around for any occasion – that is when you can look at these items as CASH! Oh yes, all of a sudden, all of these goodies can be turned into your future, they can literally make your dreams come true! EBay advertises that every household has £4,000 worth of “stuff” lying around – and when you start looking and digging, you will surprise yourself at how accurate this estimate is.
So, make that move today, open that cupboard and assess what you want, what you need and what you actually can do without out!
This is how we sold everything!
Nothing.
Nothing… well, apart from a small matter of having a house full of stuff. Who needs “stuff” when you have the whole world to explore?
But where you do you start when you have a house, loft, garage and shed FULL of “stuff”?
You start with one cupboard or one drawer at a time.
Open one up – any one, it doesn’t matter where in the house just do it and take a proper look at what is in there! When was the last time you used that kitchen gadget you bought five years ago as a special offer on a TV selling channel? Goodness, it was ages ago that you last had the time to play Guitar Hero on the Wii/X-Box/Playstation. So how long ago was it that you wore that special dress you bought to match those amazing shoes you couldn’t resist and haven’t worn since?
It’s as easy as that!
When you have a goal in mind, something that you want or a plan of action that is bigger than the three different types of iPods you have lying around for any occasion – that is when you can look at these items as CASH! Oh yes, all of a sudden, all of these goodies can be turned into your future, they can literally make your dreams come true! EBay advertises that every household has £4,000 worth of “stuff” lying around – and when you start looking and digging, you will surprise yourself at how accurate this estimate is.
So, make that move today, open that cupboard and assess what you want, what you need and what you actually can do without out!
This is how we sold everything!
 | Pawnbrokers I had a bunch of jewellery that I just didn’t wear gathering dust in our safe and as the price for gold wasn’t too bad, I sold it all! No point in wearing a ruby bracelet on a beach in Borneo. My preferred shop was Bowdens as the gentleman was always very helpful and honest. |
| eBay The majority of our stuff we sold via eBay so week after week, month after month we would continue to list items and trek to the Post Office every Monday to send our parcels. We would time things according to seasons, for example summer was great for fancy dress outfits worn on hen/stag parties and Christmas time was perfect for gadgets. Tip: Look at ads from other sellers who have same/similar products and are getting credible bids, then replicate that ad and make it your own! |  |
 | Gumtree With no insertion or selling fees, Gumtree can be a great selling resource. Sy had a lot of vintage toys like Transformers, Lego Technic and Commodore 64 that had been stored in his parent’s loft and hadn’t been used for 15 years and weren't likely to again so we listed it as a job-lot, specialist item. We also found this website good for larger items that were too heavy/expensive to post like a gazebo, wooden display cabinets and roof racks. If you need tips, have a read of this article. |
| Facebook Groups We signed up for around six different groups selling items in our local area and found this was a good way of selling cheaper items. If you need tips, this article may help. Car boot sales To sell a lot of items in one hit, we did a series of six car boot sales. We started off haggling but towards the end, we just accepted any offers that could be considered too cheap, but we were surprised at how much money we actually made this way! |  |
Online recycling companies We sold our CD’s, DVD’s to Music Magpie and Ziffit but in truth, you do not get a lot of money for them and at times, when you are sitting there for hours inputting codes into the websites to see how much you can get, it can become soul destroying. Sy continually told me it wasn’t worth my time and in truth – it wasn’t, but I was a woman on a mission and didn’t want to be defeated lol.
 Moving in to our first house together ... we have now sold this house! | Estate Agents Now came the big one – selling our house! We used an online agent called Visum and even though we only had two viewings from this, you only need one person to make a good offer and your house is sold … and that is happened to us! Our agent fee for selling was only £109 including VAT!  Our house before we sold all our furniture! |
How we lived for our final week (thankfully Sy's Uncle bought the TV so it was ours until the last minute!)
| Donations What we were unable to sell at car boot sales went to various charity shops but the main one was Help for Heroes. Household items like cups, plates were donated to a soup kitchen, old shoes and tatty clothes went to clothing banks, bedding, duvets and old towels were taken to our nearest animal hospital – we know they will be used for good there! |  |
Support networks
Now this may seem a little crazy, but sometimes you just need reassurance that you are doing the right thing! I joined a private Facebook Group called Sell all Your Stuff which is full of people worldwide who have done exactly that… sold everything! I used this group from time to time to share my thoughts and everyone was really encouraging and supportive. Shelly and Al McCullough who run the group also have a website with ebooks etc so check it out.
So, what are you waiting for … make that first step today!
Have you sold everything you own are you thinking about it? Do you have any tips or do you think we are just crazy? Share your thoughts with us!
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The #FeetDoTravel blog link-up!
We are proud to host the #FollowMeFriday blog Linkup. If you have a blog post you would like to share, feel free to click on the picture below which will take you through to our Facebook Community and drop your link there. The link up is open NOW and closes 8pm UK time on Sunday. We are a fun and loyal group who are more than happy to comment, share and reciprocate! Happy Travelling Feet Fans!
We are proud to host the #FollowMeFriday blog Linkup. If you have a blog post you would like to share, feel free to click on the picture below which will take you through to our Facebook Community and drop your link there. The link up is open NOW and closes 8pm UK time on Sunday. We are a fun and loyal group who are more than happy to comment, share and reciprocate! Happy Travelling Feet Fans!
