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.
You are lucky to live in a big city, where you have a decent Freecycle. Ours was SO disheartening! I was the only person on it, offering items (there were lots of ISO’s though), and everybody expected me to drive all over the place and deliver the items to them! Ugh.
Today, we dropped off two bicycles at the food co-op, with “free” signs on them. We’ve also had a lot of success putting items by the road, with “free” signs. And it works both ways–that’s how we got our first range.
Hi Kandice,
I “tuned in” at this blog late during Kerry’s term, so I’m happy to have been here for the start of yours–now I can watch the progress of your journey! I wholeheartedly endorse the concept of putting a “free” sign on stuff you don’t want instead of putting it out with the trash, and in fact wrote my own post about it here: http://www.joyfullygreen.com/2013/02/if-you-dont-want-it-set-it-free.html. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when people just dump things without expending any effort at all to find them a new home–especially when a “free” sign at the curb is an almost sure bet! So thank you, in your simplifying efforts, for not just sending your unwanted stuff to the landfill. Every little bit helps!
Freecycle is a great way to pass things on as you found out. I have only twice tried to get something from our local freecycle, but was too late each time.
I posted sod from my yard when we used a sod-cutter to create a garden – I had over 20 people in an hour interested in picking it up. It is generally amazing what people will take!
I’ve had mixed success with Freecyclers. My local area seems a little pickier than some!
Wow! Thanks for the tip. There is one in Houston. We have crap to give away;) I mean good, useful, working items that we no longer want;)
Here in Canada we also have a site called “kijiji” where you can list items, services, etc. for sale or wanted. I have had a lot more success listing items on that – both for sale and for free – than Freecycle but it probably depends on where you live. We also have free local sites that attract more visits than Freecycle. I’m not saying that Freecycle isn’t good, it’s just worth looking into some other options if goods aren’t going on Freecycle. List them as many places as possible. I think kijiji has a US listing and I think eBay also has a free section.
I probably could have decorated 20 apartments in the last 20 years based on all the awesome stuff I got from the garbage. Most of the time I load the good stuff into my car and drop off at a thrift store since I had no more room in my apartment and no need for anything new.
Sadly, Canada is a rich country and unfortunately we are a bit arrogant and frankly lazy with our discarded stuff. It drives me nuts when people put good stuff on their lawn with a FREE sign even though there are 2 days of monsoon like rain forecast. Or I see an SUV in the driveway and surely they could drive a few km. to donate their excess stuff.
I cringe to think what our ancestors think of such waste. Okay rant is done. For now.
Now if I could just find a way to build a house out of old entertainment stands, I’d be a zillionaire.
I put this wire snowman outside for FREE when my neighors had a sale last weekend and no body took him. I put out a birdhouse and someone took that in a heart beat. Last night hubby set out the trash and I had a old mop (mother in law gave me a steam mop love it!!) and he was leaving going to a meeting and he said someone took the old mop and he thought they snowman was gone to. So I took some trash from the basement and the snowman was finally gone! YEAH!! I just thought it was funny someone took the mop out of the trash (he put it in the handle of the trash can). But hey it is gone and that is all that matters.
Awesome! Setting stuff out on the curb for people to take is my favorite way to get rid of stuff. It’s amazing how quickly things will “disappear” that way. : )
I am excited to see you taking full hold of your responsibility in getting rid of the items now in your hands. I was one of the previous commentors (though my comment was not directed at you but another commentor) who was deeply disappointed by the idea that the way to deal with excess stuff is simple to discard it to achieve a goal. I liken it too lap band surgery… either an extreme measure based on life and death or reaching for a solution without the understanding and work to reach it on your own.
I am SO supportive of the idea of doing better in how you release your stuff to the world and I also wanted to put out that perfection, even for those of us farther along this path then you, is out of reach. Yesterday I donated a large bag of clothes to goodwill… then discovered an extra shirt I forgot to put in the bag. I considered it for several minutes, weighing things in my mind, and then tossed it in the trash. 😉
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