Now there are a number of threads dealing with clutterers and hoarders, which is trebly inspiring me to get rid of some stuff that is cluttering up my world. This is the thread for giving and getting suggestions for what to do with some of the stuff.
I need to do something with a couple of kitchen gadgets like a rice steamer and a coffee mill. Suggestions?
How about music cds? Computer things?
My suggestions:
Bedclothes: Contact your local animal shelter to see if they can use old blankets, pillowcases, towels, etc.
Books: Give them to the library, to nursing homes, or join a site like BookCrossing.
Check out freecycle.org, or post Free on Craigslist. Those are my favourite places to get rid of things. I’ve given away a couple of things on Freecycle today.
Check your local reclcyling centers to see if they’ll take broken appliances–ours does. Anything that works can go to Goodwill or similar. Books can also turn into used bookstore credit.
If you haven’t used it in two years, you’re probably not going to!
I’ve given stuff to my local women’s and children’s shelter - they always need all kinds of things to help the residents set up housekeeping again. I’m about to do a closet purge and I hope to find some useful goodies to pass on.
But, because I’m a fellow Doper, I’ll gladly relieve you of any and all chocolate stuff that’s cluttering your life.
St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the Ark all accept donations. Most of my unwanted but good stuff goes to SVdP because they’re the easiest place to donate to (clean, well-maintained drop-off site that’s open when I’m not at work).
For toys, games and books your kids have grown out of,
Toy libraries. - They’ll need to be fairly robust toys and in fairly good condition.
Clinics - no soft toys, as they’re hard to keep clean. But something for young kids to play with or have read to them. Doctors I know say that their toy baskets can be emptied within a week and donations are always welcome. Also a good place for your fairly recent magazines.
Secondhand bookshops (my daughter is trading in all her early books for Dr Who and Lemony Snickett) will often give store credit at twice the cash rate. At any rate, you’ll only get a few books for tading a lot.
Our local schools have various fundraising events - books (all age groups, any condition) go to the college up the road. Toys, clothes and bric-a-brac go to the junior school on the hill.
Cleaned soft toys can be saved for Xmas toy runs - where they’ll be given to a single child (no risk of cross infection as there would be in shared toy situations).
Last summer my neighbors put stuff on the parking strip with a FREE sign on it. Flower pots, a shoe rack, laundry baskets, dishes, etc. – stuff that wouldn’t be damaged if it rained. I don’t know if they found homes for all of it, but the pile was smaller every time I drove by.
It’s not exactly giving it away, but I’m a huge fan of book swap sites, particularly in my area where the libraries and charities won’t even take books any longer. Send out your books to people who want them, get new (used) books back for free!
Are there any free clinics in your area? Or support groups for mothers in need. The pump is something that could be hired or borrowed by families that couldn’t afford to buy one.
We give used clothing, books and linens to Easter Seals. If they are in your area you can schedule a pick up online and they will pick them up right from your front door. You do not need to be home.
I could not find a link directly from their website but by entering “schedule easter seals pick up Cleveland” got me to the site.
If you google for charities in your area you can usually find plenty that need gently used items.
Large appliances that no longer work are usually excepted by recycle places.
I think for some selling an item is closure, for others donating the item is closure and still for others deciding to just throw the item in the trash is closure. It also can depend on the item.
If it is your grandmothers china cabinet but you were not particularly close and you really just want to get rid of it then giving the item to a new couple just starting out may be the way.
If it is your grandmothers left over cracked mismatched coffee cups then throw them out. You are not required to keep such items just because they were grandmas.
If that china cabinet is something that is not your lifestyle but it is a quality item then sell the item and buy something for yourself that does fit.
In the end I think sometimes you really have to ask yourself if the items or items should just be thrown away. Just because you have had it for ten years does not mean you should keep it for another ten.
If you hoarded up a pile & want to get rid of it, IMHO the best place to take it is the easiest. That way you’ll actually do it as opposed to just wishing you’d do it.
All this effort to find the optimal home for each category of unwanted item seems silly to me.
Item Broken? Recycling center or garbage.
Item not broken? Closest Goodwill or equivalent charity.
2a) They won’t take particular item? See rule 1.
Garage sale, baby! Might as well make a few bucks off your old stuff!
I had a question about women’s shelters…how do you donate to them? I was under the impression that the locations were kept secret that in order to keep the women safe from their abusive partners. How do you find them to donate to them?
I did a quick google and found this site in Naples - that is close to Orlando, right?
We have a place a few miles south of Houston that we donate to sometimes. They have a small building that they resell the stuff to. Keep looking, you can find them!
