After a few months of settling in, we’ve entered what I like to call the “What We Really Need (And Don’t)” phase. Like most people after a move, we tried to donate, sell, or give away the obvious items we wouldn’t use again — anything we didn’t want to haul to the new house only to have it sit in storage. But we still moved many things we loved and used in our last home, even when we weren’t sure where they would live here.
After living in the new space for a few months and rearranging things — often more than a few times — it becomes obvious which pieces work and which don’t. What looked perfect before can feel out of place now because of a different layout, more (or less) storage, or simply a change in how we use the space. In short: moving hindsight is 20/20.
I first learned this while living in NYC, when I moved just two blocks and carried everything by hand from one apartment to the next. Every book and kitchen tool mattered. Despite my efforts to pare down, I still ended up with a big donate pile and a few extra bruises from all that lifting. These days I’m less annoyed by it and more accepting — it’s part of the process.
We’ve been selling items that don’t fit the style or layout of this house, which is oddly satisfying. Clearing out feels good, and a little extra cash is always welcome. Since a few readers asked for a rundown of what we’ve sold, here’s a clear list of what’s gone and why.
1. Our four slatted bar stools. A reader alerted me that the same vintage set was listed for $825 elsewhere and offered $800 for ours. After talking it over, John and I realized we’re almost certain we’ll use an eat-in kitchen table rather than a bar area, so the stools didn’t make sense for this house. The offer felt high, so we countered and sold them for $400 — a great deal for the buyer and a tidy profit for us compared to what we paid last year. They’re happily living in their new kitchen now.
2. The egg chair and an Ikea slipcovered chair. Both pieces worked in our previous sunroom when it was enclosed, but with the sunroom now opened up to the outdoors, they wouldn’t hold up to the weather. With no suitable corner to tuck them into, we listed both on Craigslist for $30 total. The egg chair went to a design fan and the Ikea chair to a college-bound buyer.
3. The yellow deck chairs from our last house. I loved these bright chairs, but here we only have one outdoor area and they clashed with our red Adirondack chairs. The more traditional-looking Adirondacks suited this home better, so the yellow chairs were sold for $90.
4. The rocking bench from the front porch. We don’t have a wide front porch here, and placing the bench near the woods felt like it would lead to leaves and ticks collecting on it. We decided it didn’t make sense for this yard and sold it quickly for $20.
5. A woven nursery chair from Clara’s old room. It was a great fit in a mid-century ranch, but with this house’s classic moldings and paneled doors it felt out of place. We listed it for $20 and negotiated down to $10 as part of a bundle deal with the yellow deck chairs.
6. The dresser from Clara’s big girl room. Although we loved how it looked against a blank wall in the old house, Clara’s furniture here worked better with a different dresser. Rather than store it, we sold it for the same $55 we originally paid. The buyer happens to be a furniture rehab professional and sent us a photo of the dresser after she refreshed it, which was great to see.
7. Slate from the backyard. While not something we moved, we did uncover around 120 pieces of slate in the yard while clearing space for a lawn. We debated using them for a patio, but with other outdoor living options already in place, we sold the slate for $100 — it went quickly.
Altogether we’ve made $705 so far from Craigslist sales. We decided to reinvest that money into something we’d been wanting for the bedroom: a wood inlay dresser that was on sale. The price came out almost exactly to what we’d earned, so we treated ourselves. At 31, this is the first “real” grown-up dresser we’ve purchased — everything else we’ve used were thrifted or hand-me-downs. The white-glove delivery and having it carried up the stairs fully assembled felt unexpectedly luxurious.
I can’t wait to show it in our room once I stop admiring it as a sculptural piece and actually put clothes in the drawers. Coincidentally, iron and wood are traditional sixth-anniversary materials, and since this dresser has iron legs and wood inlay, we’re calling it a belated anniversary gift — a small, practical celebration for married life.
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As a Friday bonus, here are four active projects, conversations, and questions happening in the forums. We also announced this week’s giveaway winners, so check the giveaway post if you entered.
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| by DelightfullyNoted | by candice | by ViewAlongTheWay | by K8e9 |