Do you still have CD’s and DVD’s?

I remember a fair few years (decades) ago now sitting in my room on a Sunday night recording the top 40. Finger hovering over the stop button just as the radio host started talking. The closest we ever got to a playlist. Lord help my parents if they dared call me downstairs for any reason during the 4 hour task!

Or how about taping our favourite films that were finally on TV and the handwritten labels lining our shelves. Doesn’t it feel like a completely different world?

Then came CD’s and DVD’s and it felt like we had hit the future. Nothing could improve the humble CD or DVD, surely. Compact, could skip to the right song, chapter, bonus hidden tracks and multi disc HI-FI systems to listen to multiple artists all at the same time. It seemed like it couldn’t get better.

But it did.

Now for many of us those CD’s are up in the loft, the DVD’s are collecting dust and don’t even ask where the VHS tapes have disappeared to!

However, from a space saving point of view it is incredible (plus of course all the other benefits) – being able to access any song at the click of a button and the choice of films we now have access to is almost overwhelming.

You may already have a whole stash of CD’s and DVD’s at home and not feel ready to let go of them yet. However, you have to ask yourself why that is. If you haven’t listened or watched any in at least a year, then are you really going to again? If they have been opened and used, they are not increasing in value at all and not likely to be a collectors item. If you are keeping for nostalgia purposes and to perhaps show the great great grandchildren one day, why do you need 302 DVD’s to show them. Why not just save 2 or 3 of your absolute favourites with a note to perhaps the memories attached to that particular disc and pop them in a keepsake box.

Let’s face it, the world is only going to get more digital, we aren’t going back to physical discs anytime soon.

So, what do we do with our stash that has been made redundant? I have listed a few of my top tips below.

Keep a selection

That’s right, you read that right, I said keep some. There are three reasons I would keep some DVD’s if you have access to other streaming services.

• You can’t access them on any of your streaming services (you have to check) and you watch them regularly (at least once a year)
• They are sealed and original and you believe they could be worth money one day (again you have to check) so you are keeping as a collectors item. This means it has to be stored appropriately for this purpose.
• For children. I have kept a lot of my Disney films and also opt to buy a few children’s DVDs a year. I like that they can exert a certain level of independence choosing a film and learn how to pop it in the DVD player and hit play. They don’t have to get through passwords (my TV is locked down big time since my son figured out how to purchase videos from amazon!), they don’t get distracted and they have a finite amount of screen time without skipping to the next film/ TV programme and getting hooked again. A DVD will just end.

One rule – the ones you keep must fit neatly in one area of your home whether that is a shelf or cupboard. If that designated space fills up, you cannot add more to it without decluttering another.

Donate to charity

Charity shops do still sell CD’s and DVD’s and they are still widely used by those that may not be so technologically minded or have the ability to subscribe to any streaming services. It raises money for a worthy cause and means you can dispose of your own collection without too much effort on your part.

Sell them

There are lots of ways to sell your CD’s and DVD’s.

Facebook marketplace, games exchanges, gumtree, eBay etc are all great places to sell your collections but it can be time consuming especially if you are listing each CD/ DVD separately and not selling as a bundle.

You can also sell them through websites like Music Magpie, Ziffit or Momox (not affiliated in any way, these are just the names I know) which make it as easy as possible to sell your whole collection to, with a guaranteed purchase and money in your back pocket. This is a great option if you would like to raise money from your decluttering efforts but short on time.

I hope this has given some food for thought if you still have CD’s and DVD’s in your home and have either long forgotten about them or struggling to let them go.

As with any declutter project, it is addictive. The more you declutter, the more confidence you will have letting go. CD’s and DVD’s can be an emotive area of your home to declutter as they often come attached to very specific memories. If this feels overwhelming for you right now, pick something with less emotion attached e.g. the kitchen cupboards and re-visit once your confidence in your decision making has grown.

If you would like my full guide to declutter success for any project, big or small, you can download it here.