mysharona
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Joined: November 2009
Posts: 26
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Post by mysharona on Dec 26, 2009 5:12:40 GMT -5
I'm trying to tackle things one by one, and get past the part where I have to find a home for the flippin' thing no matter what. But this one has been hard.
I'm a school teacher, and I have four classroom sets of really beaten up paperback books. These were bought for students to use when I was teaching at a private elementary school several years ago. It was a bad, exploitative, situation, and by the end of the year I was fired, and I still had these classroom book sets. Which I bought. With money my parents loaned me, and a check my grandmother sent me at Christmas. Because I thought I had to. Because that was just how it was at this school. And the kids used them to shreds in one year--I was going to say loved them to shreds, but they didn't love them all that much. You know?
And now I've got all these paper bags of books, and I haven't been able to throw them out, because they're BOOKS, and I don't think most of them will be interesting to a used book store--too many copies of the same thing, and worn to pieces--and I kept thinking that maybe, someday, I will teach middle school again, and then I'll want these ragged, awful books--so anyway.
Decluttering is like chess. You have to think three steps ahead of the clutter. I've moved the books next to the door, and Sunday morning I'm going to take at least two bags to the town book exchange. It's a walk, but that's fine. I don't have a car, but I can't let that stop me. I'm going to unload this crap into the exchange bins, and perhaps pick up a few nice mystery novels if they have anything I haven't read. ANd I'm going to unload this stuff out of my life. I have no need for it, I have no room for it, and I have no want for it.
Wish me luck!
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Dec 26, 2009 5:52:26 GMT -5
good for you.....it is hard when we teachers collect stuff for the kids...then the kids destroy it and we are stuck with junk when we paid our good money for them to be used....but kids never use stuff gently....I used to have all the decorations that any teacher would use to signify the months and events of the year on walls of my classroom...it was all junk...I think my mom still has some of this in her basement as I moved my stuff in there when I moved overseas to Guam.....and that stuff has never been needed again...I no longer teach in that type of settings....I guess it is time to clear it out of my mom's basement but I will freecycle it at the beginning of a school year so some teacher will get usable junk I collected.....hugs and good for you to move on....
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Post by shopgirl on Dec 26, 2009 6:37:10 GMT -5
It sounds like you hate those ragged books and they remind you of a job that was negative. You have our permission to toss or donate the whole rotten lot of them! Your Public Library will gladly take them.
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Dec 26, 2009 11:09:27 GMT -5
Give them to homeless to burn for fuel? That's exactly what I am planning for a similar ex-teacher collection. There aren't any more alternative resources, I've used them up. The piles are ruining MY life; warming people who have to live/cook outside is a noble way for those books to go.
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spiritwalk
New Member
Joined: December 2009
Posts: 58
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Post by spiritwalk on Dec 26, 2009 12:19:09 GMT -5
I love books! It is so hard for me to let go of them, but I have been slowly doing just that. Some books I donate to my local library's used book store. The money made from the sale of the books benefits the library so that makes it easier.
Other books, like out outdated textbooks and such, I have taken to a yearly book, magazine, and textiles drive that happens in my community once a year. I usually run though the house like crazy the day before the event gathering stuff up.
This year, I plan on keeping a box in the basement and put the books in there that I will take to the event in the spring. I also want another box for old textiles of all sorts. I understand from the folks that run the event that they go through everything and if they can find a use for the books or textiles they do that, otherwise they are recycled or trashed.
I feel a bit better about doing that than simply sending the books or worn out textiles to the landfills. But I also know that not all communities have such events. I found this one posted at the post office of all places. At the event, they passed out information on other events, such as one for safely disposing of toxic household items. I've found these events motivate me to gather the items up and get them out of the house!
Good luck to you!
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Post by success19 on Dec 26, 2009 13:15:46 GMT -5
Me too - here is what you think about 1. they have lots of bad memories attached. 2. think about the germs in them! 3. holding on to them can prevent you from moving on to something new and better. I understand because I have tossed a gazillion thing in my attempts to get to the land of far away - books too - which I love - but if they are all germy and torn up - then just toss them in the trash.
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Post by Rennie Ellen on Dec 26, 2009 13:28:23 GMT -5
Mysharona,
I, too, have a hard time getting rid of books....especially the ones that are "well-read". 
If the books are in decent enough shape and not falling apart, I would suggest donating them to a local hospital. Most hospitals have volunteers push a cart of books to the wards and patients can choose what they want to read, so all your duplicate books would be appreciated. If they're in really bad shape and falling apart, then it would be best to toss them out. But if not, as a patient who's also a bookworm, I think a donation to the hospital is the way to go.
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Post by seekingpeace on Dec 26, 2009 14:19:23 GMT -5
more than just books, they sound like bad memoires, Toss them and start the new year feeling free!
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Post by sparkle on Dec 26, 2009 14:29:51 GMT -5
guess I'd say go through them and trash anything moldy or really dirty or something you wouldn't buy in a thrift shop and then donate the rest to a thrift shop where they might get a little bit for them. Used book stores don't want them and it would be awful to haul them in and then have them sneer and have to haul them all out. As others have said, get rid of the bad memories of the school that done you wrong. Or, just toss them all and enjoy the space created. Amnesty for tossing them. It's okay.
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mysharona
New Member
Joined: November 2009
Posts: 26
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Post by mysharona on Dec 27, 2009 15:20:05 GMT -5
Thank you all! I haven't done it today yet, because I slept late and have an appointment soon, but tomorrow they're GOING!
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Post by zen on Dec 27, 2009 16:50:39 GMT -5
musty? bad memories? not in good enough shape to donate? heh I would put them all in the recycling bin - or get some lighter fluid and light those paperbacks on fire and kiss them goodbye for good |
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Post by sporadic on Dec 27, 2009 19:12:00 GMT -5
musty? bad memories? not in good enough shape to donate? heh I would put them all in the recycling bin - or get some lighter fluid and light those paperbacks on fire and kiss them goodbye for good I second this! |
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Post by Bizzy on Dec 27, 2009 19:47:24 GMT -5
Well I may be really off base here- but having home schooled for a while and not having the money to buy all the books I needed- I opted for used ones and got some in good shape and some in lousy shape and used them all.
We had a center that gave them away or sold them cheap.
If you have such a place in your area- and really feel strongly about them being used- toss the ones you think are embarrasingly horrid and donate the ones you think some Moms that are trying to homeschool might use. If they are still in the current curriculum.
Many people chosing to homeschool have given up jobs and are on shoestring budgets and willing to compromise on quality of things = if they can get what they need.
Just something to think about.
You would likely contact a homeschooling association in your area- many are through local churches- some affiliated with the school district. You can also opt to simply recycle them if they are recycleable. My daughter worked at a reclying center that took books donated apart- getting rid of the colored pics and covers- and the proceeds went to helping the center that she went to ( she is Demvelplentally disabled).
They collected books and pulbications from businesses in the area- and it was also a program that the people were paid to work in.
YOu didn't have to tear the material apart - they took the whole shebang.
YOu would contact the local depatrment of develpemntal services Or department of mental health-and ask about any centers that did recycling. If you have a lot of stuff - they wil come out and get it- otherwise - you can drop it off.
It really just depends on how strongly you feel about this. In eitehr of my suggestions- it would psoilby give you a different feeling about the materials and your experience with them-
Or - you could just claim amnesty and dump them.
Bizzy
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Post by Bizzy on Dec 27, 2009 20:00:16 GMT -5
One thing to think about- before you make a decision about donating them for acutal use- old books can harbor cockroaches and their eggs as well as bedbugs and eggs- so if you have had any problems with either of these or been in a place that had either of these- dump them in the garbage.
Bizzy
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Post by Bizzy on Dec 27, 2009 20:11:16 GMT -5
And to be redundant- - for lack of a better word-- your "Chi" or energy or feelings about something in your life are very important. I had a beautiful hand painted picture that a clinet of mine gave me when we had a great relationship. It was a watercolor that she had done especially for me and was so " me"
After many years- she became abusive and I had to let her go. I loved this painting and carried it around with me for years- but every time i looked at it - there was a bad feeling attached to it.
But I really didnt have anything as nice as this that relfected my taste and even though I tried to rember all the wonderful years we had together before the *** hit the fan - when looking at it- I was always torn-- my stomach would flip.
There was no way I could separate the beatiful painting from my experience and feelings. It had bad " chi" ( I am not new age per se- but this sure describes something that brings negative stuff into my life and I don't have a better word)
When I finally donated it- - a birden was taken off my shoulders.
I am trying to do this with a lot of my possesions. They may be nice , fuctional and I even may use them a lot-but just as we often have good memories attached to something- even something useful=- we have bad memories attached to things- and I have found it is just not worth keeping them.
This is a hard thing for me to do- but every time I do it- I feel better.
Perhaps beating a dead horse here- but - oh well.
Best-- Bizzy
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