How To Get Rid of Decks (Aka Downsize Collection)

[gregory]

2 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

I’m on my own downsizing journey and has let go of approximately 70% of my belongings in the past 1,5 year. My goal is not to own as little as possible but to make my life easier and to place focus and time on what matters most to me. So while I have decluttered lots of stuff belonging to my old hobbies, I haven’t purged very many decks. Simply because my decks add a lot of value and pleasure to my life. I did get rid of some decks and books though, but only because they didn’t resonate with me or because I never used them. I don’t have a set number of decks that I aim for but I do have a somewhat limited space for storage so I tend to get rid of old decks now and then in order to have room for new ones that I like better. I have decluttered and gone over all the other areas of my home multiple times too. I can personally never do it in just one round, I have to take it in steps and revisit every category 2 or more times.

 

While I’m not done with my decluttering or my process of simplifying my life, I have already seen so much improvement in my over all stress levels and in how manageable things feel now (especially when it comes to cleaning). And it’s been a real joy to purge old hobbies so I can have more and better room for the things that I am passionate about now (or that I never stopped being passionate about - like tarot). So it’s like I have promoted those important things (such as tarot, art and beadwork) and given them a premium space in my life. And I don’t regret a thing!

This resonates for me. ALL my decks bring me pleasure in some way - they stay. I mislaid one last year. The stress was unbelievable (not least because it was irreplaceable). While doing a complete stocktake to try and find it (and I succeeded) I spent so many happy hours looking at them all.... Books - I purge some at times - we only have about 10k.... but it isn't all down to me. (Once we had a purge of books and a few weeks later he was suddenly heartbroken about one he had TOLD me to add to the bundle. Never again !) But I HAVE recently got rid of a vast amount of other stuff. Especially the "it might come in useful" kind.

 

1 hour ago, ilweran said:

@Flaxen if you're ever in the South Wales area you are welcome to pop in and have a look at my books. There'll be tea and cake as well!

 

Can I come ? I am house trained - Flaxen can tell you...

[Raggydoll]

13 minutes ago, gregory said:

This resonates for me. ALL my decks bring me pleasure in some way - they stay. I mislaid one last year. The stress was unbelievable (not least because it was irreplaceable). While doing a complete stocktake to try and find it (and I succeeded) I spent so many happy hours looking at them all.... Books - I purge some at times - we only have about 10k.... but it isn't all down to me. (Once we had a purge of books and a few weeks later he was suddenly heartbroken about one he had TOLD me to add to the bundle. Never again !) But I HAVE recently got rid of a vast amount of other stuff. Especially the "it might come in useful" kind.

One of my best decisions was to clear out all my old “fancy/advanced” baking supplies, which gave me the perfect space to store all my arts & crafts stuff. And I cleared out most of my old cds and dvds which gave me an entire sideboard to have for tarot, oracles, crystals etc. SO worth it! I transferred all my favorite cds to the pc first (and kept some sentimental ones). 

 

I’ll give you a peek, just for fun. Then you can see what space I now have to work with. I bought two extra shelves to make it more optimized (yay for IKEA 😁). I have double rows of decks but I don’t want it to be crowded and I have it arranged in a certain way. It feels really luxurious to have a place that’s all mine (I have two young children and im sure most parents will understand the incredible pleasure of having a space that is off limits to everyone but you 😊)

 

 

 

 

[ilweran]

@gregory don't see why not! If everyone can just give me enough notice to hide some of the clutter away upstairs that would be much appreciated 😊

[gregory]

58 minutes ago, Raggydoll said:

One of my best decisions was to clear out all my old “fancy/advanced” baking supplies, which gave me the perfect space to store all my arts & crafts stuff. And I cleared out most of my old cds and dvds which gave me an entire sideboard to have for tarot, oracles, crystals etc. SO worth it! I transferred all my favorite cds to the pc first (and kept some sentimental ones). 

 

 

So NEAT and TIDY. What I got rid of first was a VAST quantity of bedding. Someone comes to visit, brings own duvet, leaves it behind and then says they don't want it back. Two sets of parents selling their homes - well, good bedding might always be useful. And so on. You know those huge bins

 

 

I filled one of the BIG ones (no NOT clothes; that was the only pic I could find, buy mine was a Sally Ann one for bedding and other textiles)  with that stuff.

40 minutes ago, ilweran said:

@gregory don't see why not! If everyone can just give me enough notice to hide some of the clutter away upstairs that would be much appreciated 😊

OK.. Are you anywhere near the Gower ? I LOVE the Gower... We honeymooned there. In December.

[ilweran]

About an hour and a half away I'd guess? Not been down that way for 5 years I've just realised! Barry Island is so much closer and easier with a small child. He's six now and not quite so small now and I feel a day trip coming on. Though what he actually wants is a visit to the British Museum (he also has six tarot decks and an oracle deck of his own. He reads for me by finding out my favourite cards and then making sure I get them.)

[queenofwans]

8 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

One of my best decisions was to clear out all my old “fancy/advanced” baking supplies, which gave me the perfect space to store all my arts & crafts stuff. And I cleared out most of my old cds and dvds which gave me an entire sideboard to have for tarot, oracles, crystals etc. SO worth it! I transferred all my favorite cds to the pc first (and kept some sentimental ones). 

 

I’ll give you a peek, just for fun. Then you can see what space I now have to work with. I bought two extra shelves to make it more optimized (yay for IKEA 😁). I have double rows of decks but I don’t want it to be crowded and I have it arranged in a certain way. It feels really luxurious to have a place that’s all mine (I have two young children and im sure most parents will understand the incredible pleasure of having a space that is off limits to everyone but you 😊)

 

 

 

 

@Raggydoll This is so organized, calming, and beautiful! It sparks joy in me to look at it 😄

[Raggydoll]

2 minutes ago, queenofwans said:

@Raggydoll This is so organized, calming, and beautiful! It sparks joy in me to look at it 😄

Thank you! I’m glad you got some joy out of seeing it 😁

[Page of Ghosts]

@Raggydoll I really like your cosy little shelves! I think I spot a sibling of my Sasuraibito tarot 🙂 What you wrote earlier makes sense to me. I don't have any ambitions to live as minimal as humanly possible, but I am curious to test my personal limits and see how I fare, since emotional shopping and holding on to useless things has been an issue. But no getting rid of things just for the sake of getting rid of them, it has to make sense and I need to be ready for it 😉 I recently lived for about 2 months without a couch because my plan to toss the old one and buy a new one in the same day backfired and I had to wait for my extra June money to afford the new one. So I had to sit on the floor or on folding chairs and I quickly discovered this was not the life for me, I need somewhere comfy to place my butt! Luckily I went north for 3 weeks to visit family so I got a break from it. 

Edited July 7, 2019 by Page of Ghosts

[Raggydoll]

@Page of Ghosts I think it’s absolutely fine to test ones limits. It can be very rewarding and insightful no matter the outcome. There is definitely a spiritual aspect for me in this decluttering process. I have read several books on the topic of minimalism and downsizing but not many of them address this spiritual aspect. This one does however do just that:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Room-Open-Heart-Decluttering/dp/1582704570

 

I like the philosophy and there are some YouTube videos to go with it as well. 

[Page of Ghosts]

4 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

@Page of Ghosts I think it’s absolutely fine to test ones limits. It can be very rewarding and insightful no matter the outcome. There is definitely a spiritual aspect for me in this decluttering process. I have read several books on the topic of minimalism and downsizing but not many of them address this spiritual aspect. This one does however do just that:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Room-Open-Heart-Decluttering/dp/1582704570

 

I like the philosophy and there are some YouTube videos to go with it as well. 

I haven't heard about this book before, but it sounds very interesting! The description mentions some things I also discovered for myself, so I think it will be very relatable!

 

Been tackling some art supplies these past days. Because I feel more focused and I know better how I like to work it was time to go of some supplies that were kept last year but haven't really been used much. So don't feel bad if it takes time and several rounds to make progress in a decluttering project. Sometimes you need to sit with the idea of letting go for a while before you're ready. Earlier in the thread someone mentioned that they had separated the decks they were getting rid of from the rest of the collection, but somehow they found their way back into it... Well, that's what happened to me too last time with many of the decks! 😅 This week I'll give it another try and hope it goes better. 

[Page of Ghosts]

It seems like I've managed to downsize my collection! taking some books and other stuff to the recycling plant where they have a 2nd hand shop on Wednesday 😊 8 decks or so are coming with me so far. the decks have been separated from the rest of my collection and I've not been tempted to look at them or pull them out, probably because they're all decks I've been thinking about letting go of for the last year. looks like this is the kind of project where I do a little at a time to be sure I'm letting go of the right things for the right reasons. 

 

how is anyone else's downsizing project going? 

[queenofwans]

@Page of Ghosts nice work! I wasn't really intending to downsize per se, but I've definitely downsized in the last few months. I seem to also let a few go at a time, especially the ones I just don't use much anymore and start thinking of letting go. I've never had a ginormous collection, probably the height of it was 24 or so decks, but I'm down to 10 now (with one incoming)!

[chongjasmine]

I am not having any advise to offer, except to say that you are not alone in not knowing what to throw away and what to keep.

[MysticMonkey]

I'm also doing the KonMari thing at the moment and have had a quick pass through my decks and got rid of two.  One I wasn't loving and the other a duplicate.  I have less than 20 decks so I don't feel an urgent need to downsize but some I did buy purely for the art and I'm a little uncomfortable keeping something that I only look at once in a blue moon no matter how nice I think it is.  At the same time I think it's nice having a small collection compared to owning say two decks.  I like that feeling of potential and the opportunity to switch things up a bit and they look nice sitting together on the shelf.  It brings me joy.  If I bought any more decks I think I'd start to feel overwhelmed but for now it's the right amount for me.  Maybe I've reached that click point that Marie talks about? 

 

[PathWalker]

I confess I am haunting this thread in case you're all about to stat tarot sales threads! I make what I want to keep fit in the space I have, and have no pans to move again  🙂

Blessings

)0(

[ilweran]

I will be once I eventually get round to sorting out the decks I want to sell, deciding how much to put them up for etc. I really should have done it last week when I was on leave but my child was back in school.

[bookshop]

I confess that one of the decks I'm the least drawn to and most perpetually close to giving away is the very first tarot deck I ever bought, and I'm always holding back because I feel like giving away your first deck is probably some very great cosmic no-no, haha.

 

Most of the others I'm not drawn to I keep because the people i do readings for seem to like them. But I'm also in luck because so far I still have plenty of room on the wrought-ron garden... thing that I've hung in my room and turned into my tarot shelf, haha. It's sturdy and perfect for the job, I love it. ❤️

[MysticMonkey]

On 9/15/2019 at 8:58 PM, bookshop said:

I confess that one of the decks I'm the least drawn to and most perpetually close to giving away is the very first tarot deck I ever bought, and I'm always holding back because I feel like giving away your first deck is probably some very great cosmic no-no, haha.

You could think of it as it being the deck that opened the door, got you started on the path but that was its only purpose for you and now that purpose is served let it go forward to help someone else. 

[Grizabella]

I live in an RV now and am making room for my youngest daughter to stay with me  while I go through some surgery and physical testing and changes so Tarot and my books are cowering in my cupboard. I've been going through them with firm resolve--but the resolve dissolves and I move on to de-cluttering somewhere else for awhile till I can see if I can manage not weeding out books and decks at all by making more room somewhere else. 

 

Actually, in my favor, I did trade away a Baba Fairytale though!  But----I traded for decks in tins so.......one gone, several arrived. Maybe that can be my reason for not getting rid of any decks----that if I do, multiples will take their place?  I give up!

 

In all seriousness, at this point in my reading career, there are two criteria for me in deciding what decks to keep and what ones to let go. The first consideration is that I can't shuffle larger decks well because of arthritis in small hands. So if I can replace one of my large ones I want to use more with something in a tin or a mini, then the larger version can go. There are exceptions though---the Bonefire is one and the Everyday by Poppy Palin is another. I hope someday those can reprint in smaller versions. I use them but it would be so nice to have small ones.

 

If it's a deck I just never read with, sometimes that one may go, depending on what it is. I have some Lo Scarabeo's I haven't ever  used, but I love Lo Scarabeo decks so those are hard to part with. They're a great breath of fresh air when I pull one out and start using it if I feel the need of a little change.  I've always said I'm not a collector, which is true, but now I've started collecting decks in tins and Lo Scarabeo's so I can't say that anymore. I don't buy them so much as barter for them with things I make and my readings.

 

Being my age can be so frustrating----now I've forgotten what my second criteria was! I guess the "never read with" must have been it but I don't think so. (Muttering and wandering off to make some decaf.)
 

 

 

 

[Carla]

I downsized my collection from around 200+ (I didn't count them) to now under 20 over the course of about 2 years by doing this: 

 

Cull decks and do the following about every 3 months. (Each cull you will get rid of more -- it's really hard to cull them all in the first attempt):

 

Sell on ebay

Offer for sale on tarot forums of your choice

Offer to tarot reader friends for a greatly reduced price or just the cost of postage

Give away decks to tarot friends

Donate decks to organisations such as TABI for their deck library 

Give to charity shops 

 

I still have plenty of decks here I no longer require and that are looking for a home. For the last few years, I've really only used TdM, which my two favourites are Jean Noblet and Jean Dodal.  

 

I also Konmari'd my whole house in January of this year and it has made a phenomenal change to my life. I genuinely have not had an untidy house since then. I got rid of every piece of clothing I never wore -- the only things currently in my wardrobe are the clothes I actually wear, and there is as you can imagine plenty of space. I konmari'd my kitchen and now it is as pleasant and clutter free to work in as those lovely self-catering cottage kitchens where there's nothing but what you need. I used the Konmari method from top to bottom of the house, as described in her books. Even when I was skeptical about things, I did them anyway, mostly to prove her wrong, and it was those things I was most resistant to that have given me the greatest freedom. (Such as folding socks to stand up in rows instead of balling them together and throwing them in a drawer. I scoffed. I tried it. Nearly a year on, my socks are all standing in rows. Game changer!)

 

I started culling my decks before Konmari, but for similar reasons. I just realised I had no need to store a lot of stuff that I don't use. I decided the freedom of having and treasuring a few things outweighed any pleasure I got out of owning things just to own them. I even sold my Greenwood Tarot. I never used it. It was just a conquest to find and buy it. I sold it for a bargain to someone I know loves it. 

 

I am not a minimalist, I still have collections of things. People should do what they want because it's the right thing to do and the right time for them. I admire people with huge collections and I admire people who own one deck. If they're happy, I'm happy! 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Carla