My idea for getting rid of a pile of old winter coats is to start snowbirding.
Which hopefully we can pull off after one more winter - because then both kids will be in college. We’ll still need to be here for breaks/vacays, and I can’t stand Florida most of the year anyway, but my goal is to get outta dodge the week after Christmas and not come back until mid-March.
And then we can dump most of our coats.
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Why not? I have a boy and a girl and they played with whatever toys were around. I played with my brother’s building sets/ chemistry set etc, when I was growing up.
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I probably should have said most of his remaining toys at my house would not be joining. I have sent a number of wooden cars, his Brio train and a pretty substantial stash of Duplos to his house already. Most of what is left is Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Ghostbusters. Somewhat dated and not likely to appeal to his preschooler and toddler at this point and neither of us wants to find space for most of that stuff in his current home or my future downsized home.
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OK, I get letting it go if it would have to be stored for a long period of time.
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Once Covid came, I stopped carrying a purse every day. It seemed easier to just grab a wristlet. I just decided to go through my closet and reassess my handbag situation. I bagged up just over 1/3 (out dated, only go with one outfit, too dressy, etc). I’m happy with what’s left here and the rest are in the car for Goodwill.
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Over the weekend, I got DH to agree to go through the large storage area in the lower level of our house. I was hoping that I caught him in the right mood to get rid of things. While we did get rid of some things, there were a number of bins that will take some time to go through and cull. And the bins were all my stuff! I have made some progress on them already; but I have a lot more work to do. The joke was on me!
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One of my D22’s good girlfriends has been a huge Star Wars freak ever since we first met her in pre-school/kindy. She still loves Star Wars, too, and her car is decorated with Star Wars stickers, so you never know!
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I took a very small box of items and dropped them off at Goodwill yesterday.
One of my challenges is that I drive a Miata, so it isn’t like I can take big hauls of stuff to be dropped off unless dh and I switch cars (he has an SUV), and I just don’t really think about that during the week. It’s supposed to rain all day on Saturday, so I am hoping to go through a lot and get some things together to be taken and dropped off on Sunday.
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Opposite in our house. DH has the mid-life crisis red convertible Miata. I have the Highlander.
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Added a huge box of board games and puzzles to the stack for Goodwill tomorrow.
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Two steps forward one step back:
Brought home 100 tubes of toothpaste and restocked our cold/flu/other meds, while tossing expired stuff, which had been on my list for a while.
The toothpaste goes to the food pantry next week. But I am certainly getting the side-eye this week.
Packed up a bunch of games, kids lava lamps, and some other stuff to donate. I realized one of the hard things for me to get rid of is stuff my my, now deceased, got my kids. I keep thinking I will have some kind of yard sale or “free sale” with suggested place to donate if you take something, but if I’m well over 50 and have never had a yard sale, I’m realizing I’m not likely to start.
I have done my fair share of yard/garage sales. When the kids were young they loved getting involved and it was sort of a summer ritual. We let everyone benefit from the sales. But as they got older I grew to really hate the process! I vowed one year it would be my last - and it was.
@Gatormama I think you are the one who coupons but seriously 100 tubes of toothpaste?! How does that process work??!
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^^^^ This just gave me an idea.
DH’s and my Medicare Advantage plan this year began offering an over-the-counter benefit. We get to pick things from their list – it’s a finite list of items – and can “spend” $60 per quarter, for each of us – in other words, $480 per year. I just placed our first order yesterday and have been wondering how we’re going to spend the remainder. Really, how much Tylenol or off-brand toothpaste does one elderly couple need? But now I know that if I’ve already received everything we want but we still have $$$ to spend, I can order stuff and donate it to a shelter. Great idea!
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Stacking store & manufacturer coupons during a sale - essentially it’s enough to cover other items in the transaction, so I’m “buying” the toothpaste not because I want it but because I’m getting the other stuff for free - things that aren’t cheap and aren’t on sale.
Like I said, I don’t keep the toothpaste; it leaves the house quickly.
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How do you find where to donate it? Do you just drop if off, or do you arrange a time first?
Sorry for the hijack – now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
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Toys and kids games go very quickly on Buy Nothing.
Speaking of BN - this week we “gifted” a carpet shampoo machine, a small hand held vacuum (we had 2), a sleeping bag, a yoga mat and a turkey fryer.
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It is a lot of work. I have done it, but with a friend. If you do want to have one I suggest doing it with a friend or neighbor. Multi-family yard sales usually get more traffic, but people will want to haggle about the price. I had to keep reminding myself that if it didn’t sell I was just going to take it to the Thrift Store so it was fine to knock some off the price if it got it gone.
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Three more big black trash bags of toy type stuff - one closet completely cleaned out!
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It’s the main food pantry in my area - I just emailed them out of the blue about two years ago and set up a time. Now I just email as “the coupon lady” and they’re, like, “come by any time!”
I also have donated toiletries to the county children & youth agency. They are happy to take kid & teen-friendly items like body wash and shampoo and feminine products and razors; they often are pulling kids out of a home in the middle of the night, who leave with nothing but the clothes on their back.
In that case, I visited first to establish a relationship rather than email into the black hole of bureaucracy.
A while ago, when there was a time I was getting free diabetes meters, I donated them to the diabetes nonprofit in my county. And senior centers are happy to take the adult diapers I sometimes get paid to take out of the store.
There’s always a place!
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