Two destinations delivered one Redditor a couple of small victories. A consignment shop got some clothing, and a community Little Free Library received a full array of children's books.
Here's what to know
In a post on Reddit's r/declutter community, titled "Another estate clearing win," the original poster described their progress clearing out a family estate.
The poster was finding new homes for more than 50 years of belongings while clearing out a parent's house and celebrated the moment.
A sizable bag of clothes was dropped off at a consignment shop for potential resale. For the children's books, the poster chose a neighborhood book-sharing box, making them available for neighbors to take for free. The photo shows the fully stocked Little Free Library, and a commenter picked out their favorite detail.
"'Danyell' is the best spelling I've ever seen, 10/10, no notes," one commenter wrote.
The replies were filled with practical advice for rehoming other belongings during moves or cleanouts, along with congratulations to the poster.
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More background
The original poster noted they had way more books where this fill-up came from.
"I could probably fill it 300 more times before I run out of books," they admitted.
That prompted some ideas from a fellow commenter. They proposed a donation to local libraries. Unfortunately, that option wasn't necessarily workable, according to the poster's reply.
"Almost all the books have seen decades of action, I wish that more of them were in better condition," the original poster wrote.
That made Little Libraries the more suitable destination, with the commenter saying it was "probably a better bet."
Another poster suggested the original poster was selling themselves short.
"I'd count this as three wins—the books, the clothes, and getting on the same page with your brother!" they wrote. "Clearing a home with more than 50 years of belongings is a huge undertaking."
What can be done?
Craigslist or Facebook pickup alerts could help find takers for belongings left on the curb, one commenter suggested.
"I just moved and literally everything I put out was taken except for a suitcase," the commenter wrote. "I don't use socials, so my bf posted on FB and I posted on Craigslist and between the 2 of us we got everything picked up."
Another Redditor suggested helping neighbors find the little library.
"Congrats! Make sure to add yourself to the little library mapping sites."
Where can I learn more?
Clearing out a parent's home means deciding what to keep and finding places for the rest.
• In Sydney, emptying a mother's home meant sorting junk from memory amid overwhelming decisions.
• Watching YouTubers clear storage units prompted one parent to reconsider leaving belongings for children to sort.
• The 30-day maybe box strategy gives uncertain belongings a trial period before a final decluttering decision.
• A parent questioned discarding perfectly good clothes as thrift stores struggled with overwhelming donations.
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