I have to do it

jnbythesea · **I have to do it**

Ok-- I HAVE to purge toys, cars and dolls in a radical way. I have to. When the kids drag everything out I can hardly way through all the stuff. It is stressing me out and making me sick looking at it all.

I did just sell a bunch of stuff at a consignment sale, but I should have purged more.

The truth is the kids would not even miss half the stuff- they probably won't even know it's gone. *I'm* the problem. I have such a hard time letting go of their toys. Everything is so cute, and they do play with it all- but there is simply too much of it all every which way.

I believe I have to change my strategy- I need to pack it up and get it out of the house immediately. Packing it up for a future sale only means that I'll have another chance later to drag it all back out and change my mind. It's the cars and dolls and stuffed animals that are hitting me the hardest. Every time dh takes a trip he comes home with more stuffed animals for the kids. I have to tell him that under penalty of death (mine), he cannot bring anymore into the house.

I'm just feeling snowed under today- still unpacking from my move and seeing it all out everywhere makes me want to run out of the house and go live in some hut in the woods.

brensmom · 10-09-2007, 04:06 PM

i did this i finally made my boys make some tuff choices(they have grandparents that overbuy and all the time even after we have told them to stop) they were allowed to keep 1 favorite type of toy each and one type they both agreed upon. and 5 stuffed animals each. it went better than i thought. oldest ds picked transformers youngest picked hotwheels and together they decided to keep their wooden gun and swords they get from a festival we go to every year and each chose 5 stuffed animals. they have not even missed one thing that we had i took tons to goodwill and we are selling a couple other items on craigs list and we are gonna get new bed sheets ect with the money... go for it they will never miss the stuff.

mommytosa · 10-09-2007, 04:07 PM

I am right there with you!! I also have a hard time letting the kids' toys go! We're having a yard sale in a few weeks & I hope I can get up the nerve to get rid of alot of stuff!!

SAHMto3boys · 10-09-2007, 09:18 PM

Why are we so attached to those darn toys?? It's not like WE play with them, WE just have to pick them up? So why are WE so reluctant to get rid of them???

OK, by WE, I mean ME!!! I purge and purge and purge some more and we STILL have a TON!!! It drives me crazy! I swear I'm gonna throw them all out, sit down to get rid of some and can't! So-and-so gave us that, or the kids still play with this, or maybe the baby will like that toy in 4 years!

HELP! I swear I'm not a packrat when it comes to anything else... but those darn TOYS!!!

Popique · 10-09-2007, 10:29 PM

I keep all the 'good' toys in those plastic boxes you buy at walmart... stacked and stored in the basement. My 3 yr old and 2 yr old are having a blast playing with my 9 yr olds old toys, books and puzzles. It saves TONS of money to not have to rebuy toys for younger kids. I do get rid of or donate a lot of the stuffed animals and misc toys (happy meal collectables, etc.) but all the good stuff... legos, books, puzzles, action figures... are packed. I've even got some Fisher Price little people from my childhood... and LOTS of hotwheels from my husband. The plastic boxes store them nicely and out of the way... and the kids are just as happy to get a 'new' toy from the box instead of the store.

TommysMommy · 10-09-2007, 10:29 PM

I have had to do this. I took about 8 big trash bags out to the trash a couple of months ago. They don't miss any of them. I got them down to one medium size plastic tote. They can actually find their toys to play with now!

hope2 · 10-14-2007, 09:22 AM

Calling all successfull purgers...

Dinner at my house after you get all the stuff out of here..

If it's pink or purple, has flowers or princesses on it.. I'm sure we have it somewhere around here.. If I can only find it...

We are talking about moving in 2-3 yrs, hopfully they will be out of this stage by then..

Cookie2 · 10-14-2007, 01:08 PM

I have to admit ...

1) DD is growing up and isn't playing with some of her younger toys anymore.

2) Some of her toys were cheap to begin with (dollar store, etc) so they're junk now.

3) DD is as overwhelmed with the volume of toys as I am and she isn't playing with most of them because she can't find what she wants.

4) Other kids will benefit from the plethora of stuff in our toy area.

and lastly ...

5) I have to make room for the mountai of toys that DD will ultimately get for Christmas whether I want those things or not.

araefinn · 10-14-2007, 01:50 PM

I did the same thing this summer. I was fed up with stepping on toys and no one picking them up. The boys have their own play room where everything is suppose to stay, yeah right! I must have told them for two days to pick everything up. Finally when they didnt I grabbed a few yard size garbage bags and went in there and cleaned everything out. I dunped everything on the floor and just started throwing stuff in the bags. If it was damaged in any way it went in the bag or if it was missing pieces to it away it went. I filled up three bags! It was all junk, TONS of mcdonalds toys.

Now all their stuff fits in the toy boxes. They still have way too much and I am planning to go thru everything again before Christmas. I am specifically demanding that no one buys them any toys for Christmas. I want to get them new beds and may hint around that everyone could just chip in on those. If they get any toys, DH and I will get them.