In keeping with the unintended theme this week of how to get rid of stuff in ways that don’t doom it to the landfill:

Free!

Almost 12 years ago, we bought this really beautiful set of leather sofas. They are super comfy. Unfortunately, a foster dog (scratch marks), two toddlers (pen, pencil, highlighter, crayon, marker, more scratch marks, food, probably other stuff I’d prefer not to think about) and Eddie (ripped out the stuffing in two cushions) got to them. We adopted Eddie from the streets. He thanked us by eating our sofa, thus the non-matching cushion covers.

I tried to donate the sofa to a charitable organization, but they wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. I dare say the dude picking up the donations looked down his nose at me. When the donation route was a fail, I tried to give it away on Freecycle, honestly proclaiming its used and abused status, with pictures. No one brave enough stepped forward. We put it out on the curb on a Friday. I looked out the window every few hours for days, hoping someone would have picked it up. Nothing. The following Monday one of the guys working on the house put it in the back of his pick-up. Yay! I have no idea where it is now, but it’s not on my curb, in my house, or in the garbage dumpster.

We also used Freecycle to find homes for a box of hole punchers, staplers, tape dispenser and assorted office supplies. I didn’t even bother dusting them. They were claimed within minutes. Another box of blank CDs, CD Jewel Cases and CD labels were listed and claimed even faster. This box had been sitting in the corner of my office for TWO YEARS. I’m done asking myself Why? of every single item. Instead, I just eliminate and move on.

I’m so glad you all suggested Freecycle, because it’s becoming one of my new best friends.