Declutter Your Life: The Art of Letting Go and Finding Joy

In our school days, a friend of mine had a tradition of hosting “Gifting Days.” She would ceremoniously present our group with various trinkets—a cow-print fur vest, a photo frame, a plasticine giraffe, a green wooden figurine with gold detailing—each a touching token of her affection. This was her way of making room for new treasures in her life. It’s a shame that our country hasn’t adopted a practical tradition for parting with unnecessary items, like the American garage sale. In Russia, it’s common to hold onto everything, just in case hard times come, even though no one knows when that might be.

The Philosophy of Letting Go

These days, people are embracing the philosophy of decluttering. After all, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a cup of tea on their balcony instead of using it as a storage space for unnecessary items? You probably have things that you can’t bring yourself to throw away, don’t make sense to sell, but you don’t plan on using either. Let me tell you how to get rid of these items using a simple service called SwopShop. I’ll also share how you can find and get almost anything for free, from vintage bags to accordions.

What is SwopShop?

SwopShop is not just a website where you can give away unwanted items; it’s a platform for exchanging goods. You can give something away for free and still gain something in return.

How to Give Away Items

Exchanging items on SwopShop is a three-step process. Let’s say you’ve decided that rollerblading isn’t for you after one too many scraped knees (I had a similar experience with a bicycle). You take a photo of your well-used skates and post it on the site, setting a symbolic price, say, 300 swops. Swops are the site’s internal currency, designed for convenience and cannot be exchanged for real money.

Your listing will be seen by thousands of users, and chances are, someone will be interested in your rollerblades. When someone takes your item, you receive the bonus points you set. You can then use these swops to get something new or something you need. Meanwhile, someone else gets the joy of potentially scraping their knees on your old rollerblades.

The Purpose of Swops

Earning items through swops is a clever concept. Traditional bartering is complex—you need to find someone who wants your item and has something you need. This coincidence is rare. To simplify this, SwopShop introduced swops, which help determine an item’s value without being a real currency. Essentially, you’re still giving and receiving items for free. The more valuable the items you give, the more valuable the items you can receive.

You don’t even need to wait for someone to take your item to earn your first swops. They are credited for listing an item for the first time. I love the idea that to receive something, you first need to give something. It’s a chance to change your attitude towards possessions, to stop hoarding useless items, and to not be afraid of trying new things. After all, if an item doesn’t suit you or you no longer need it, you can always give it away.

What Can You Give Away?

The list of items you can exchange is limited only by your imagination and Russian legislation. For easy navigation, the site’s catalog is divided into six sections: “Personal Items,” “Electronics,” “Hobbies and Entertainment,” “Home and Garden,” “Automotive,” and “Animals.” The “Automotive” section includes not just cars but also related items like parts and accessories. In the “Animals” section, I found many cats, dogs, and even a goat from Kirov.

The more detailed your description of the item, the easier it will be to find a new owner for it. This is especially true for clothing or electronics.

Why Do You Need Swops?

This is where it gets interesting. On SwopShop, you can find almost anything, even things you wouldn’t think to look for. There’s a lot of pulp fiction and useful household items. There are many books, from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to “Telekinesis According to the Laws of Physics.” Diving into this world of items is a special pleasure, a whole encyclopedia of Russian life.

While browsing, I found a “Red October” piano, naturally from St. Petersburg. I get the feeling that this is an integral part of the interior of all Petersburg apartments. There are vinyl records of the opera “Faust,” Soviet postcards, vintage cameras, and a fitness VHS tape with Cindy Crawford—pieces of history that your children will only know from books.

Now you can get rid of unnecessary items without losing anything. It’s much nicer to part with something when you know it will be useful to someone else rather than rot in a landfill. Instead of running to the store for a new purchase or throwing away an unwanted item, pay attention to fairs and charity sales in your city. Look for opportunities to benefit people, even just by sorting through the boxes and bags cluttering your apartment. SwopShop is one such opportunity.