marika
New Member
Joined: February 2010
Posts: 75
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Post by marika on Feb 10, 2010 22:36:01 GMT -5
Freecycle is awesome, and usually your stuff is going to new homes that will take care of it. Does that help?
If its just a matter of feeling guilty for chucking stuff in the trash, don't stress over it. If you haven't used it in a year, you probably don't need it, and you can replace it with a newer model if you ever DO need it again.
If it doesn't have big puppy eyes or a cute little voice that calls you Mommy, you shouldn't let it guilt trip you into letting it stay!
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Post by gini on Feb 11, 2010 10:29:00 GMT -5
lostagain
I was amazed the first time I tried just putting something out on the curb on garbage day instead of dragging it to the Salvation Army shop myself.
It was an old white birdcage, and I had cleaned it up very thoroughly.
In half an hour a woman was knocking on my door.
She told me she doesn't usually bother the homeowner when she picks stuff up, but she wanted to thank me for putting it out in such "pristine condition"!
Ha! If only she could have seen the rest of my place!
gini
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Post by Rory on Feb 11, 2010 15:24:06 GMT -5
I like this idea and I'm claiming amnesty too. I've printed out the Fairy Godmother post and took it to some of my stuff which was some painting materials which I was saving for the next time I painted and as that is likely to be in five years time if I am still living here. Out they went.
Rory
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Post by lizziejeen on Feb 11, 2010 16:34:03 GMT -5
I'm lucky that there is a Goodwill truck where I grocery shop. I will admit though, I have dropped off things at 5 in the morning so i don't have to deal with the guy who works there. i don't know why I do that but it works for me. At least I get rid of stuff!
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Post by Rory on Feb 12, 2010 4:03:24 GMT -5
It is Friday morning and the stuff put out last night is gone.
Good!
Rory
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Feb 12, 2010 12:07:13 GMT -5
This is the the SOS Fairy Godmother, waving her Magic Wand of Amnesty over Lost:
(It may look like a feather duster, but what else would the SOS Wand of Amnesty look like?)
As the Magic (and non-dirtying) Amnesty Dust falls gently and absolvingly over our un-lost Lost, the SOS Fairy Godmother invokes these words:
"Unto Thee is Amnesty granted, to throw any object, "perfectly good" or otherwise, into the garbage.
If, and only if, thou wisheth it; thou mayest place said object at the curb, with or without an attached sign bearing the magic word "Free," whereupon it may magically disappear.
Be thou wary of the Evil Minons of Clutter, who may whisper to thee and seek to induce thee to take said object back into thy home; but know that amnesty is increased each time an object is returned to the Discard Pile.
Go now ye forth, my dear un-lost Lost, to declutter and cleanse, with all Blessings of Amnesty upon thee."
Thus has it been said, and thus is it now written.  LOVE this. - |
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Post by woolybooger on Feb 13, 2010 17:44:09 GMT -5
I just donated a trash bag of Monkey Butts too small clothes to charity.I just want to say how much I love those drive through charity boxes that look like mail boxes.You don't even have to get out of your car and can do it 24/7.yay!
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Post by lostagain on Feb 13, 2010 19:34:37 GMT -5
Weather has finally cleared...boxed it up...put a "free" sign on it...took it out.
Cry-cry-cry - it was HARD but I did it!!
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Feb 13, 2010 22:40:15 GMT -5
Wonderful! I'm proud of you for sticking with it!
You're going to make someone's day.
I'll be curious as to how long it takes to disappear.
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Post by yearning4order on Feb 14, 2010 0:04:02 GMT -5
You are not saving the world from having more stuff in the landfill by turning your own home into an extension of the dump.
You are not helping people by piling your donations up for someday.
Throw it out, or put it by the curb and let people help themselves. If you have a Freecycle in your area, find out if they let you send out "I saw such-and-such by the side of the road on XYZ street" messages. If they do, put one up for your stuff, without telling anyone that it is your stuff, and let people drive over and take it away.
You have amnesty to do whatever it takes to make your personal environment livable, and then you can worry about recycling or donating to the perfect place, etc.
messymimi This. That idea that I'm not helping the world by turning my home into a garbage dump while I wait for the "right person" to give my stuff to contributed to us choking in our home. I had to (and may have to again) give myself amnesty from both recycling as well as saving things to give away, versus just throwing it all in the trash. If I'm feeling even keel I can recycle, if not, it's gotta go in the trash. Same thing with the give away stuff. |
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Post by yearning4order on Feb 14, 2010 0:04:43 GMT -5
Weather has finally cleared...boxed it up...put a "free" sign on it...took it out. Cry-cry-cry - it was HARD but I did it!! Good job! You're doing great! |
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Post by Bizzy on Feb 14, 2010 20:10:00 GMT -5
I live in a nice Mobile home park- we do not have neighborhood cleanup- cannot have garage sales. We have lots of big dumpsters and people often set usable items next to them or at the mailbox area and they are gone in no time- but during the rainy and winter seasons- can be a problem cause things get wet and damaged. Freecycle is a problem with me- so is putting things free on craigslist- in terms of just putting stuff out on the curb - because = just like garage sales- they don't want a bunch of people coming in here and a mess. However- I have never ever had the Purple Heart, Starvation Army or any other agency - not be willing to come out for even a couple of bags or boxes. I worked for a short time for Aid For Retarded Citizens- scheduling pickups- and they arrange pickups so that they are already in the neighborhood. Ours was a small org so you might have had to wait two weeks for a pick up. But the larger charities- usually only a few days- They are already gonna be out there and are grateful for whatever you have. What I like is that I CAN just put the stuff outside = on my porch or carport- in bags or boxes with a note on them saying what they are ( not everyone asks for this) and a note saying- For the Starvation Army- and you don't even have to be home or talk to them. This would be for things that I just cannot bear to trash. Other things- I claim amnesty and do trash. One thing I wanted to mention is that the Starvation Army gladly takes rags and tattered and stained clothing. I don't know what they do with them- recycle them? But if you are into green and don't want to mess up the landfill- that is an option. I go through different stages. I have a car and I keep a garbage bag in my trunk that I immediately put donations into as soon as I decide that is what I am going to do with them. And then drop them off. But lately gas is a big issue and so I have been - putting stuff at the dumpsters that I know can survive a bit a rain-- calling the charities regularly whether I have anything or not-( and putting the bag in the car trunk out for them along with other stuff)---- what I am finding--- is I always seem to come up with a few boxes and bags by the time that they are coming! If I didn't call them till I had enough stuff to justify it - in my mind-- I might not call. Then I toss anything else. For now. Good weather comes- I will start leaving good stuff out by the dumpsters again( like lamps and vaccums and weedeaters and small furn) but I really find that - boxes and bags of small items- I will get positively STUCK if I dont earmark them NOW for donation and get them the heck out of the house. So = amnesty in anyway that works for you- in any form- at any time- - well you just go ahead and do it. Don't drive yourself nuts- just start tossing however it makes sense to you and however it works. If you need to just throw away- do it. Bizzy  |
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Post by Rory on Feb 17, 2010 13:19:26 GMT -5
Today, Wednesday, I've put out a pack of hanging files suitable for use in a filing cabinet with the free notice, on the front wall. Darkness has come and they have not gone and I am tempted to rescue them.
But I know better.... I think.
Rory
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Post by Rory on Feb 17, 2010 14:38:05 GMT -5
It's very dark out there but not dark enough and I can see them.
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Post by lostagain on Feb 17, 2010 15:40:24 GMT -5
Don't do it Rory!!
(see, I can easily grant amnesty to others, but have a hard time accepting it myself. People are strange creatures)
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