• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Death Cleaning - Does It Bring You Joy?

Cornell

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
3,622
Reaction score
5,828
Points
448
Location
Chicago
Really? I might need this when my stepmother dies. I have no interest in sorting through her stuff, including enough canned and frozen goods to fill a small grocery store. A few years ago, my sister finally talked her into selling a LOT of collectible stuff she bought from a so-called friend's antique store--tens of thousands of worthless goods sold by some auction company that specializes in this stuff (mostly ebay sellers who bought it for almost nothing) and cleared $200 on. Might as well have had "sucker" pasted on her forehead.
Oh Lord.

Yes, there are companies who do cash "as is" purchases of homes.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
I never have understood why people take pictures of anything without people in the foreground. Please tell me what's up with that?
The difference between extroverts and introverts. Introverts take pictures without them in the pictures. My husband and I take pictures of interests but we are not present in the pictures. Extroverts love seeing themselves in the pictures. :)
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,898
Reaction score
9,001
Points
1,049
Location
The Centennial State
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
The difference between extroverts and introverts. Introverts take pictures without them in the pictures. My husband and I take pictures of interests but we are not present in the pictures. Extroverts love seeing themselves in the pictures. :)
You can buy postcards with landscapes that are great quality. These are faded pictures and of trees and various roads and wildflowers.

My mother-in-law took pictures of their cruise ships at dock, but not of the ship, just of the dock from the ship. And her camera was not a great one. How I would have loved to see more pics of her and Rick's dad in those albums. Lots of mountain pictures that mean nothing to us, which we see all of the time because we are an hour from the mountains of CO.
 

Ralph Sir Edward

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
2,873
Reaction score
3,501
Points
448
Location
Plano, Texas
A friend of a friend has a estate sale company and sells/ donates everything in the house. We used that service when Rick's stepmom died in July of 2020. She was a packrat, but she was 92 and unable to do anything with it. All total, her "treasures" brought in about $16,000, we got half of that. It was better than we could have done. There are companies that will do that for you. They empty the house completely. I took a few cleaners and photo albums out. Most of the photos are of Rick's dad and stepmom on cruises and on vacations. They had a timeshare in Breck that they loved. I still have not gotten rid of those albums, but no one wants them, so they will likely go to the garbage dumpster. Most don't have them in the pictures. I never have understood why people take pictures of anything without people in the foreground. Please tell me what's up with that?

My guilty pleasure is my china, which belonged to my grandma on my dad's side of the family. The china was easily matched on ebay, so I made sure I had enough of that pattern to add about 12 more place settings. We are now 16 people, so it was not a bad plan; however, it's a huge bunch of dishes, unnecessary pieces I should not have purchased (how many cups/ saucers do you really need). I could easily sit 24 at dinner. My thinking in the 1990's was that our family would grow and that some would get broken. I have yet to break a single dish. I also have Princess House crystal to go with it, and not just glasses, but an entire array of various pieces that I still love, but those things are not used much at all, nor is the china. I will keep them for now.

My mom has one of the Royal Doulton patterns with a huge number of place settings. She died almost 20 years ago. I do not want her china. My stepdad has it labeled for me. Nope. My great grandfather had a cabinet made in the 1800's for my great grandmother that my mom has. None of grandma's kids wants that, and it's beautiful. My mom has it. It's solid oak, has old mirror in the top of it, but it's not valuable to anyone. Grandma had four kids and dozens of grandkids and great-grandkids. Not one of them wants that cabinet.
I never have understood why people take pictures of anything without people in the foreground. Please tell me what's up with that?

Simple. People take pictures of places they went to so they can remember the place, years later. I have scenic pictures of various places in Hawaii. I even have video footage of Winter waves crashing at the tide pool near the old National Research area. Spectacular, with matching audio. I can put it on when I miss Hawaii. . .

They are not for the next generation. And now with digital photography, they don't fade.
 
Last edited:

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,630
Reaction score
4,765
Points
649
Several years ago I realized that there would come a point that I would be unable to come up to the Wisconsin home because of my husband’s health. I decided the house had to be ready to sell without me coming back.
Every year I got rid of more and more. The house is so decluttered it looks staged
Everything in closets or cabinets that has value, either sentimental or monetary, is labeled.
It has been at least thirteen years that I bought anything for the house and longer than that for clothing
We have a flight of stairs and it was a job carrying heavy books, but I donated over 200 of my husbands books. I gave up buying books for myself twenty years ago.
In each house my husband has six sets of golf clubs and 20 or so putters. He caught me giving away an old set, and he was so upset.
Then there are the golf trophies, well over a hundred of those in Wisconsin. Had to keep all the club and city championship ones, but they are labeled to discard
I got rid of so many clothes that I have basically nothing to wear here. I am not exaggerating when I say that most of the clothes in this house that are left are from the nineties. Problem is I no longer have winter boots or a warm coat
When I came back to hold a memorial last summer, I had only the walking shoes I wore on the plane to wear. There was a family picture taken at the memorial at the exact moment that a picture of the family at my father’s funeral was showing on the slide show behind us. There I was wearing the same shoes and my father died 20 years ago. I think anyone who meets me in Wisconsin must think I am poor.
At least in Florida it is common to sell a house turnkey so it will be easier for my kids.
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,898
Reaction score
9,001
Points
1,049
Location
The Centennial State
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
I never have understood why people take pictures of anything without people in the foreground. Please tell me what's up with that?

Simple. People take pictures of places they went to so they can remember the place, years later. I have scenic pictures of various places in Hawaii. I even have video footage f Winter waves crashing at the tide pool new the old National Research area. Spectacular, with matching audio. I can put it on when I miss Hawaii. . .

They are not for the next generation. And now with digital photography, they don't fade.
I understand that. I just felt terrible throwing a lot of those pictures away because they didn't have people in them. Rick is going to scan the pictures of Helen and Monty and share them with family. This is what we kept. But I have albums left to go through.

I used to take pictures of landscapes and got rid of them because we didn't have a good camera until digital came out.

We are doing 10 weeks in Hawaii this year, two weeks on the Big Island in July, two additional weeks on Maui in August. Six weeks already enjoyed on Maui earlier this year. I just cannot resist the exchanges.
 

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,630
Reaction score
4,765
Points
649
The difference between extroverts and introverts. Introverts take pictures without them in the pictures. My husband and I take pictures of interests but we are not present in the pictures. Extroverts love seeing themselves in the pictures. :)
My mother in law took pictures of large buildings with someone standing in front of it. Then she walked back as far as needed to get building in the frame. Have no idea who was posing, they are too tiny.
in 2020 my summer project was to go through her slides and 8mm film to see what was worth keeping. I was able to transfer slides to my computer and had some 8 mm made into a cd. I was able to discard many boxes of slides I had stored.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
You can buy postcards with landscapes that are great quality. These are faded pictures and of trees and various roads and wildflowers.

My mother-in-law took pictures of their cruise ships at dock, but not of the ship, just of the dock from the ship. And her camera was not a great one. How I would have loved to see more pics of her and Rick's dad in those albums. Lots of mountain pictures that mean nothing to us, which we see all of the time because we are an hour from the mountains of CO.
Anyone can buy postcards. We take pictures where we see beauty of the setting, it is personal. They are for us, not for others. Extroverts will never be able to understand introverts. :)
 

Ralph Sir Edward

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
2,873
Reaction score
3,501
Points
448
Location
Plano, Texas
I understand that. I just felt terrible throwing a lot of those pictures away because they didn't have people in them. Rick is going to scan the pictures of Helen and Monty and share them with family. This is what we kept. But I have albums left to go through.

I used to take pictures of landscapes and got rid of them because we didn't have a good camera until digital came out.
I "inherited" all the old family photos, dating back to the 1920s. Mostly unlabeled, and I have no clue who the people are. I have scanned some, but I have no idea what to do with the rest. A problem for another day.

There is a big discontinuity between generations today. Those of us, like myself, were raised in an era of scarcity. We hung on to things, because they were "hard (expensive) to come by". The generations raised in the era of digital abundance, don't bother. There's always a lot more coming out every minute.

I have become hardened to this, it's just the way of the world nowadays.

I use technology to bridge the gap. I keep lots of stuff (scarcity), but I keep in a digital format(s). Small amount of physical clutter, but still the enjoyment of "lots" of stuff".
 
Last edited:

AnnaS

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Messages
2,166
Reaction score
1,218
Points
523
Location
NY
Before donating, selling anything as is, I would go through every draw, cabinet, pocket, etc. I know my mom did this - they hide/put aside jewelry or money in places they should not be in.
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
I hired a company to do an estate sale when I sold my home in 2021. I was not happy with the results. Very little sold, and I accomplished nothing. I suppose I just hired the wrong company.

As I recall, when @slip Jeff and his wife moved from Wisconsin to Hawaii, they hired a company to clear their house. It went well, I think. Anyone interested in this should ask him about it.

Dave
 

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,630
Reaction score
4,765
Points
649
Anyone can buy postcards. We take pictures where we see beauty of the setting, it is personal. They are for us, not for others. Extroverts will never be able to understand introverts. :)
I can look at a landscape photo taken way way back and remember details of that trip. But it is nice to see what we looked like.
 

Ralph Sir Edward

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
2,873
Reaction score
3,501
Points
448
Location
Plano, Texas
What is the best way to sell 24K, 22K gold and other expensive jewelry?
I'm not certain what you mean by expensive jewelry. If you are just trying to get gold value out of high carat gold, try a gold refinery. Here's a link to a sample.


As usable jewelry, I don't have a clue.
 

slip

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
11,138
Reaction score
14,567
Points
999
Location
U'alapue/Kaunakakai, Hawaii
Resorts Owned
Pono Kai, 20 wks; Maui Schooner, 1.5 wks; 1 week Ke Nani Kai; WaveCrest Condo, Molokai, HI
As I recall, when @slip Jeff and his wife moved from Wisconsin to Hawaii, they hired a company to clear their house. It went well, I think. Anyone interested in this should ask him about it.

Dave
Yes, it was a lady who went through and listed everything on an online auction. We just removed what we wanted. It wasn't much since we only took 2 suitcases each to Hawaii and then she did the rest. She took 30% and did all the work. We got just under $15,000 for a what I would call a normal household.

The value for us was it was all handled quickly so we could leave and our house could be listed. shaka
 

ScoopKona

Guest
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
5,722
Reaction score
3,309
Points
598
Location
Monkey King Coffee - Captain Cook, Hawaii
As usable jewelry, I don't have a clue.

Most jewelry has timeshare-levels of mark-up. And a great deal of it is kept at artificially-high prices by manipulating supply -- diamonds being the worst offender.

There is a triangular trade of paying pennies on the dollar for unwanted jewelry; reforming it into something more contemporary; and then reselling it -- lather, rinse, repeat once per generation.
 

joestein

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
Messages
2,373
Reaction score
2,125
Points
574
Location
Marlboro, New Jersey
A friend of a friend has a estate sale company and sells/ donates everything in the house. We used that service when Rick's stepmom died in July of 2020. She was a packrat, but she was 92 and unable to do anything with it. All total, her "treasures" brought in about $16,000, we got half of that. It was better than we could have done. There are companies that will do that for you. They empty the house completely. I took a few cleaners and photo albums out. Most of the photos are of Rick's dad and stepmom on cruises and on vacations. They had a timeshare in Breck that they loved. I still have not gotten rid of those albums, but no one wants them, so they will likely go to the garbage dumpster. Most don't have them in the pictures. I never have understood why people take pictures of anything without people in the foreground. Please tell me what's up with that?

My guilty pleasure is my china, which belonged to my grandma on my dad's side of the family. The china was easily matched on ebay, so I made sure I had enough of that pattern to add about 12 more place settings. We are now 16 people, so it was not a bad plan; however, it's a huge bunch of dishes, unnecessary pieces I should not have purchased (how many cups/ saucers do you really need). I could easily sit 24 at dinner. My thinking in the 1990's was that our family would grow and that some would get broken. I have yet to break a single dish. I also have Princess House crystal to go with it, and not just glasses, but an entire array of various pieces that I still love, but those things are not used much at all, nor is the china. I will keep them for now.

My mom has one of the Royal Doulton patterns with a huge number of place settings. She died almost 20 years ago. I do not want her china. My stepdad has it labeled for me. Nope. My great grandfather had a cabinet made in the 1800's for my great grandmother that my mom has. None of grandma's kids wants that, and it's beautiful. My mom has it. It's solid oak, has old mirror in the top of it, but it's not valuable to anyone. Grandma had four kids and dozens of grandkids and great-grandkids. Not one of them wants that cabinet.
No one really uses china anymore. We have a service for 12, but can't remember when the last time we used it. We usually buy the upscale plastic plates for Holidays, just toss them out to clean up.
 

joestein

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
Messages
2,373
Reaction score
2,125
Points
574
Location
Marlboro, New Jersey
Most jewelry has timeshare-levels of mark-up. And a great deal of it is kept at artificially-high prices by manipulating supply -- diamonds being the worst offender.

There is a triangular trade of paying pennies on the dollar for unwanted jewelry; reforming it into something more contemporary; and then reselling it -- lather, rinse, repeat once per generation.

You are not kidding. My mom had a eternity wedding band made for $5K back in the 80s. About (20) 25 pt stones. After she passed I was offered $300. I would swallow it before selling it for $300.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
I'm not certain what you mean by expensive jewelry. If you are just trying to get gold value out of high carat gold, try a gold refinery. Here's a link to a sample.


As usable jewelry, I don't have a clue.
I have pure gold type jewelry, bought at gold market rate. I also have the high mark-up jewelry.
 

jorcus

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2022
Messages
182
Reaction score
187
Points
103
Location
Buffalo NY
I am not in full downsizing mode just yet but have disposed of a few things recently by taking them to a consignment auction. During covid a lot of the local auction houses went to online bidding and have continued the the practice since. Most of the time the auctions have a theme like sporting goods, collectibles, or farm and tool. So far it's worked out. I just take stuff over, the auction happens and a month later I get a check in the mail. They will take almost anything and it seems like people will buy almost anything.
 

bizaro86

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
3,664
Reaction score
2,489
Points
598
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
I have pure gold type jewelry, bought at gold market rate.

How/where does one do this? I know its common practice in India, but I'm not going there, and I doubt I'd be able to get a good deal there anyway due to lack of local knowledge.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
How/where does one do this? I know its common practice in India, but I'm not going there, and I doubt I'd be able to get a good deal there anyway due to lack of local knowledge.
My point is I have a pure gold jewelry, sold at prevailing price of gold. My question is where do you go to sell them back as gold. I see advertisements of companies buying back gold but I have never checked them out. Pure gold jewelry is sold all over Asia.
 

Ralph Sir Edward

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
2,873
Reaction score
3,501
Points
448
Location
Plano, Texas
My point is I have a pure gold jewelry, sold at prevailing price of gold. My question is where do you go to sell them back as gold. I see advertisements of companies buying back gold but I have never checked them out. Pure gold jewelry is sold all over Asia.
I don't know of any place to sell them as intact jewelry. They can be sold as scrap gold to a gold refiner, although I never have. Years ago, it was bought at 92% of spot, at least for gold bullion coins.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
I don't know of any place to sell them as intact jewelry. They can be sold as scrap gold to a gold refiner, although I never have. Years ago, it was bought at 92% of spot, at least for gold bullion coins.
Yes, I am looking to selling back as scrap gold. But they are pure.
 

WinniWoman

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
10,762
Reaction score
7,057
Points
749
Location
The Weirs, New Hampshire
Resorts Owned
Innseason Pollard Brook
I hired a company to do an estate sale when I sold my home in 2021. I was not happy with the results. Very little sold, and I accomplished nothing. I suppose I just hired the wrong company.
Happened to us as well with my parents home. They held the auction during the morning before Hurricane Irene hit in NY. Ended up with having to pay THEM to bring in a tractor trailer and dumpster to haul everything away.
 
Top