How can we get rid of a lot of hoarded items on a budget?

Hello everyoneI'm looking for the cheapest and most efficient way to remove junk. My wife’s father passed away last week and I'm trying to help get everything in order and was a bit of a hoarder and there are lots to get rid of. There isn’t a huge amount of money to cover costs so I'm trying to do this as cost-effective as possible.


  27 answers
  • Annie Annie on Feb 29, 2020

    Do you have any interest in holding a garage or estate sale? Here's a link that can give you some tips

    https://moredollarsathome.com/how-to-effectively-run-a-yard-sale/


    You could also sort through it all then box it up and give to the local thrift shop. Sometimes they will even come pick up right from the house.

  • Annie Annie on Feb 29, 2020

    Just a side note that I thought of....check every pocket, leaf quickly through every book. Sometimes people tuck money or important papers in books etc.

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Feb 29, 2020

    College Hunks company are all over ..They have great prices

  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Feb 29, 2020

    Contact Habitat for furnishings, there should be several local agencies that take donations for the needy. In out town we have Catholic charities, American refugees, the DAV. Of course you can call Goodwill. Have a yard sale. At the end get a dumpster and hire teenagers to clean out. Good Luck.

  • Lindsay Aratari Lindsay Aratari on Feb 29, 2020

    You could look into Goodwill or Salvation Army--sometimes they pick up items for free

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Feb 29, 2020

    We are downsizing and have made use of 1-800-GOT-JUNK , bulk garbage stickers from the municipality and both dropping off donations and scheduling a truck pickup for large items. We have literally moved tons of stuff out of the old house. We've still got our attic to do, which I intend to keep only a couple of things from. From dealing with extended family in the past, I suggest you let close friends and family take what they want, first. That way you aren't the bad guy who threw away, donated or gave away something they were "promised". Those same people might be willing to help run a yard sale to help cover the expenses of taking care of the rest. I emptied a room at a time and found things of value, money in pockets, jewelry, etc. that had been misplaced. Good luck!

  • Lucie - Oh my sander Lucie - Oh my sander on Feb 29, 2020

    Salvation Army or even your local Restore might pick up!

  • So sorry for your loss.


    Well for furnishings call your local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I gave them all my parents furniture that I wasn't keeping.


    1 800 GOT JUNK, in my area is VERY EXPENSIVE so I never considered using them. Flip through your yellow pages and look for your local junk collectors, they will come haul away for free, but you must have it sorted and placed in one area.


    Let family members take what they want first. In my case, there were not any, I had the pleasure of sifting through 5 relatives "stuff" - took me 2 years working every minute I wasn't at work.


    Old people stuff valuables in odd places. Go through every pocket, canister, container, etc. I found over $1,000 stuffed in between book pages and odd little trinket boxes.


    Have an estate sale or hire a company to come in and do all the work for you. They typically get a percentage of the sales as their fee.


    It is a lot of work, get family members to help. If on Facebook, many people get rid of stuff that way too. There are many on line options if you are interested. If you are not sure of the worth of possibly antique items, set aside and get an appraiser to come in - you just might have a few gems that are worth some cash. My girlfriend picked up a painting at an estate sale cheap. Antiques road show came to town. Painting was worth in the range of $25K. So don't be too quick to toss or give away items. I know it can be a bit tedious, but you may actually may end up making a few bucks in the process.


    Again, so sorry for your loss, be gentle with your wife, it can be quite an emotional process. 🤗



  • Cheryl A Cheryl A on Feb 29, 2020

    I am sorry to hear of your father in law's passing. I would call Salvation Army or one of the local charities in your area and get them to come pick up stuff you want to get rid of. They may want it moved to a garage or to one room. Do you have any family who could spend a day helping you get some of this done?

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Feb 29, 2020

    You would be surprised at one person‘s junk is not another person’s junk. Try making it appealing to people on craigslist, and Facebook marketplace, and other places and you say “free U-Haul”.

    then after you’ve done that look at what you can have the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts take for projects things like old lumber old would they love to make projects out of or burn out their bonfires metal is good for people who are scrappers… It’s all about how you convince people to come take it for free.

  • Chloe Crabtree Chloe Crabtree on Mar 01, 2020

    Contact the local trash removal and ask what they can do to help out with a bulk pick up.

  • Deb K Deb K on Mar 01, 2020

    Hi Harry, how about an estate sale, mark prices you would like to get for items, but accept what is offered! Donate to charities, lots of times they will pick up large items

  • Peggy L Burnette Peggy L Burnette on Mar 02, 2020

    Hi Harry, sorry for your loss. You can often call Amvets or salvation army and they will pick up things you want to donate. They don't take junk, but this would be free. Good luck

  • Put an ad on Craigslist or a local site for free stuff, you pick, and people will come out in droves.

  • Morgan McBride Morgan McBride on Mar 05, 2020

    Yes i'd do an estate sale/free come get it first. then you will have to trash the rest. maybe a neighborhood teen would bag trash for small money?

    • Never trash if you don't have to. Give away, donate to various organizations. Bet they had some great stuff to DIY with. No need to unnecessarily drag to a landfill if the items are usable. Teenagers that would do such a chore are few and far between. A hungry college student would be a better choice. At least where I live. We live in a very "disposable" society. Lead by example and leave the earth better than when you entered it. Not meaning to be so preachy, but where does everyone think their trash goes?

  • I believe some charities will come and pick stuff up, including GoodWill if you have a large load.

  • Philipp Philipp on Mar 19, 2020

    A garage sale would be a good idea for stuff that are still in good condition. Some you can even upcycle, just requires a bit of imagination. Google ZeroWaste and you might find ideas. So sorry for the loss, OP. Good luck on the task!

  • Deb K Deb K on Apr 08, 2020

    Hi Harry, how about a yard/estate sale, sell as much as you can, price it to sell fast, sort what is left over after your sale for donation, and for garbage, hopefully this helps you out some.


    You can also donate it to Goodwill, Value Village or the diabetes Association.

  • Vimarhonor Vimarhonor on Dec 04, 2020

    Have you considered Craigslist or facebook marketplace? We liquidated many times in the last 15 years downsizing twice and reducing two homes into one.


    Sometimes in our community we place things in the roadside with a free sign. Normally taken in a few hours. Hope this helps good luck!

  • Sydney Dawson Sydney Dawson on Jan 25, 2021

    If you’re not looking to make any money, post items for free on Facebook marketplace! I managed to get rid of a non-working deep freezer in under an hour. A super nice guy came and loaded it right from my front door into his truck, he needed somewhere to store his fishing bait.


    Check out my post “How to Get Rid of Stuff” here!

  • Libbie B Libbie B on Jan 30, 2021

    I'd try calling Good Will or the Salvation Army. They do pickups in my area.

  • Homeroad Homeroad on Aug 15, 2021

    You can hire someone to come in and hold an estate sale, they will take some of the profit from the sale as their fee.

  • Homeroad Homeroad on Jan 11, 2022

    We called the Breast Cancer Pick up in our area and they took everything right from the front stoop.

  • Homeroad Homeroad on Jun 07, 2022

    You can make boxes for donation and have them come to your house to pick it up. We use the breast cancer pick up and they pick up everything!

  • Timothe Timothe on Sep 19, 2023

    Hey there, Harry! I'm really sorry to hear about your wife's father passing away. My advice would be to start by sorting through everything together, identifying what's truly valuable or sentimental and what can be donated or sold. You'd be surprised at what people might be interested in buying. Also, you can order a cleaning service (like https://palmercleaners.com/end-of-tenancy/tw5-heston/) to get the rooms clean. Best of luck to you and your wife!

  • Janice Janice on Sep 19, 2023

    There may be a company in your area that will come in and access the items and offer to hold an estate sale for a certain percent of the amount earned. Also check consignment shops in the area....they may have some ideas for you. Often towns will make bulk trash pickup by appointment for a minimal charge.