Gumtree Nibble!

I got a nibble on an advert on Gumtree! Recently, I scored myself a phone-seat from Browns Plains Life Line Supa Store and replaced the tiny little set of drawers that was overloaded with crap from my life there. Not only did it start my house looking like the era I wanted it to look, but it also meant I had to get rid of the set of drawers. 

So, as soon as I cleaned up the phone-seat and made it at home in its new place, I set to work and cleaned the set of drawers completely. It was a bigger job than I expected, but once I got it done, I took photos and put it up on Gumtree for $15.00. Within 48 hours, I received an email from a lady who asked me if anyone had shown any interest in it... then the next thing I knew I had paused the advert.

Now, my other adverts for my lounge, coffee table and the 80's hat stand haven't moved. Nobody has shown any interest in any of them. So, I'm thinking that the prices for these things are too high. After the 4 weeks is up on the Gumtree adverts for these things, I'll put them back up again, with shorter descriptions and lower prices. 

If I still can't move them after two weeks, I'll get Life Line to collect them... I'm not holding onto these things for any longer than that. I have no use for them and would rather somebody take them away. However, I'd would much rather make some money from them instead. 

In the meantime, I've moved the coffee table and cleaned it up so I can get in and use the nice side table I scored from the Salvo's at Logan Central. Then, today, I'm going to get in and do a good clean out of the living room, so when the time does come to get the lounge out, not much has to be done to move the furniture around to get it out. 

But I am looking forward to finding a second living room chair for my place... once I've sold the lounge, I'll do just that! And it's going to be from a charity store; I'm finding the ones on Gumtree are too expensive. 

My Living Room - Part Two

Okay, I know I said that Gumtree is supposed to be our friend... a great place to sell things - and also buy things - but it's also a very slow process as well.

I'm only 2 weeks into the selling process and the main items I want to get rid of are sticking around like glue and the things I'm not fussed about hanging around are zooming out the door at rock bottom prices.

Oh well, can't win 'em all!

I am decluttering as things show up in my house though; and that's a good thing. I've begun preparing the coffee table for transportation; and started using the side table I bought - and cleaned up - today. The little white table by the door will be refurbished and sold on Gumtree for more than what I bought it for. Then, after three weeks, I'll reduce the prices of the other furnishings and see if I get a nibble... or redo the adverts altogether at a lower price and see what happens. 

During this time, I'll be decluttering the living room in the big way, so it all can be moved out. I also will be looking at making cushion covers out of old t-shirts. I've seen this on the 'I Love to Op-Shop' Facebook page. It's not a hard thing to do, and all you need to do is make small pillow slip - and I can do that. I just need to buy a second-hand t-shirt from a Life Line or a Vinnies and fit it onto my cushions... yep, it ought to be fun!

Well, I'm still looking for a hall table - without any luck - and once I have sold everything else, I'll be able to find what I'm looking for at other Life Line Supa Stores further afield. Otherwise, I hope to work out more around my house and see where I can get another chair - as I only have one - once the sofa-bed goes. 

Yes, I've been busily working away in my house and looking at other furnishings; like the phone-seat I scored at Browns Plains for $40, replacing the set of drawers I'm selling for $15 on Gumtree (hopefully) on Friday. I've paused the advert until that day to see if it all works out. Let's hope it does! So, how is your decluttering going? Slow and steady, or quickly? Leave a comment and let us all know.

Decluttering and Cluttering Simultaneously

Right now, I feel as though I'm living in a storage room, and not a town house. I'm storing a lounge, a coffee table, a set of drawers and an old 80's hat stand for hopeful buyers on Gumtree... then I've got other furniture sitting around waiting to be used for when all that furniture's gone.

Yes, I've been op-shopping so when the sales go through, and I've banked the money, I'll have something to use in my place.

But it's the inbetween times that is always the toughest, the most stressful, and hardest. It's that time when you're waiting for the bites with your adverts online - thinking that nobody's looking at your items - and yet not knowing if anyone will like them.

However, when I bought this lovely phone-seat today at the Life Line SuperStore at Browns Plains, I knew I'd be getting rid of the old set of drawers immediately. It's just something I find I'm doing more and more as I'm getting into living in the way of Peter Walsh. 
I'm throwing out envelopes as soon as I open them. Junk mail doesn't make it onto the kitchen table - it goes straight into the bin - and I'm making sure the Sunday Mail is thrown out before the next Sunday paper is bought; so I don't clutter up the area next to the television. 

Okay, I've had a few drawbacks - who doesn't? - but I'm going well with my house. After the living room gets the retro-fitting it deserves, I'm going to hit the wardrobe and sort out the clothes I no longer want or fit into and donate them. Yep, It's a matter of making sure I keep it as neat as I can without thinking I have too much crap. 

A Little Mess - For Now

Isn't it amazing how messing things become when you want to sell something in your house? Sure it does. You want to sell the lounge, but first, you need to pull it out from the wall, clean it up, vacuum all the dirt from between the cushions, wipe it over with a dust rag, polish it (if it's leather) and wash the cover (if it's old and has a nice cover over the old upholstery).

Photographing it isn't easy either. You have to make sure you don't get in the things in your house you're not selling... just the lounge... and that's harder than it sounds. First thing's first though, you have to vacuum, dust, put away everything behind the lounge and set up a stage for it to be photographed. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to be outside, it just means you have to make the lounge the centre of attention - not easy when it's probably the one thing that's taking over the entire room and you're going to get everything but that lounge in the shot.

Today, I uploaded two things onto Gumtree to sell. One was my large coffee table and the other was a hat stand I've had since I was a teenager. I'm getting rid of these items for a good reason. The hat stand by the front door it going upstairs, replacing the other one, and the coffee table it too big for the plans I have for the living room. The lounge will be next; as it's not included in my plans for my living either.

Yes, I've reorganised my cupboards completely - and they get a clean out every 6 months and I'm going okay with most of the rooms - but the living room needs a complete fix-up. The only way I'm going to be able to live in it is to make it exactly the way I want it. 

The funny thing is: I've found other things around the house I no longer want as well. So, Gumtree will be getting a little more attention over the next few months. If I can't sell the coffee table or hat stand, I'll donate those things to a charity of my choice.

So, how's your place going in the way of decluttering? All good? I hope so. Please do share your stories on your progress.

The Living Room - Part One

This is what I've been doing for the past few weeks; and it's not a good thing.

This afternoon, I got in and worked on my clutter. As you can see from the post below, I am going to transform my living room into a more lovely destination to be - seeing I spend a lot of time there at night. However, this will take time.

Anyway, today, I did the first of many clean-outs. The big plastic box has been removed and is now in my wardrobe upstairs. I've removed all the reusable bag from it and put my 'World's Greatest Shave' gear in it for next year (this includes my posters I haven't used this year and the collection boxes and hats). Fortunately for me, I've still got a lot of room in the top of my wardrobe, because I put some smaller handbags in the box as well. 

The next thing I did was put those reusable bags next to the garage door for tomorrow. I'll be taking them to my parents' house for Mum. She likes to use them for donation bags. I don't want them bag as I don't use them anymore. They've been sitting around my house for 2 years and I would usually toss them in the bin... so it's best if somebody else uses them.

So, part one of getting my living room sorted out has been done. I'm so happy about this! While I did this, I also put away the rest of the Halloween and Christmas Decorations... yay for me! But still, I must make sure the laundry is put away next... yeah, I'm still leaving the basket on the floor, all of it folded but not put away. It's a glitch, but I'll work on it. What's your glitch in your housework you're still working on? 

It's Been A While...

I've been working on my living room.

Seriously, it's just too small - not in size, but in what I have in it. There's a 3-seater lounge and a large coffee table; and they seem to take up everything! So, I'm going to sell them both and buy 2 single retro chairs and a nest of tables. Yep, I'm downsizing to make my lounge room look smaller.

I hope this works out.

So far, I've been to a few Life Line Super-Stores and found my first chair; buying it for $20. Now, to get in and sell the lounge so I can get in and use the chair. And once I've sold the lounge, I'll get in and sell the coffee table.

However, there's going to be a lot of cleaning up first... I still have to clean out the coffee table and put away a lot of things from the lounge (the latter won't take long). And the one thing that will keep me on my toes is that I can't just dump things on the chairs; I have to put them away. 

So, how is your cleaning out going? Mine is big - but I'm still taking it one day at a time.