To Give or Not to Give?

Full steam ahead. The plan is to list our cottage at the end of the month. As we part with larger things, we keep asking ourselves, do we give this away or try to sell it? We’ve sold some through Facebook. It’s easy to post there and things go fairly quickly. On the other hand, it’s like a part time job responding to the messages. Meanwhile, you never know who will actually show up. Many ask for crazy favors, like paying later or delivering the item far away. It’s like a box of chocolates…

So far we’ve given away a few big things to family, including one lightly used treadmill. Yes, we stubbornly kept that treadmill in our tiny house, touching our king size bed, in our 7’x12’ bedroom. It did double duty as a bed rail and nightstand. I am not kidding. Minimal living does not come naturally to me. It’s more of an intellectual exercise.

We’ve given away a throwing wheel, a crystal chandelier, a 1948 enamal kitchen-sink basin/cabinet, and some very large pieces of artwork that never found a place on these tiny walls. The next phase is parting with three bureaus, a small refrigerator, an armchair, bookshelves and a stupidly large kiln. Do we call Habitat for Humanity or try to make a few dollars? A friend and minimalist once told me it made her angry to sell things for pennies on the dollar compared with what she paid, and she felt magnanimous giving them away. Food for thought.