The "Bag A Week" Club

We were lucky to get some of those spontaneous giveaways also. A plumber took our wet-dry vac when he was doing a repair for us. My husband’s haircutter took our garden equipment.

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I’ve probably posted this before, but I’m all for spontaneous giveaways too. Once I advertised a bike trailer for kids “for sale.” A couple came to check it out with their one year old. She asked how much it was. I said “It’s free, if you will take a bunch of other stuff too.” She got some great stuff, and I got it out of the house. I’m sure I could have sold the trailer for $100 or more, but I was just happy to have it going to someone who would use it.

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When we went to buy our current car, we were driving an 18-year-old Windstar. The salesman gently said, “I’m sorry, but I think $500 is the most we can do on a trade-in.” I said, “$500!!! If the car is worth $500, we probably don’t need a new car yet.” Neither DH nor the salesman were amused, but I wouldn’t do the trade-in. Instead, our handyman knocked $500 off a job he was doing for us in exchange for the van. He had bought a brand new truck but wanted the Windstar for hauling stuff he didn’t want to dirty the new truck with. Win-win.

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My good deed for the day. People in my neighborhood are having garage sales. I was selling books for 10 cents. The fed ex man wanted the other 99, but had no money. I gave all for free.

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Are you asking if you should keep the coats because they’ll be back in style or wondering if anyone will want them if donate?

I think long, warm coats are very much wanted. Some people like to be warm from head to toe.

The fashion decision is yours but I figure I can always buy another coat if the style comes back. I’m giving away a wool coat I love and will always be in style, but it is too big and I hope never to be that size again.

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Weekly update: more items out on Buy Nothing and there is interest in all of them.

SIL is coming over on Friday and he will help me get my Christmas decoration boxes down from the overhead garage shelves. I figure this is the time to go through that and see what I need to put on BN, donate , etc.

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2 more bags out for donation. Losing weight is a great way to get rid of things. The trick not to replace them all!

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I just put two wifi extenders in my mailbox so someone from FB Marketplace can pick them up. I posted them as Free – maybe I should have charged?? They’re practically new. Oh well. Too late now.

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I am a buy nothing failure. First I got the bed frame that I was just about to buy and was happy with that. But now I’ve asked for 3 things, and did ‘win’ one. The first was a ticket to the Junior League craft show. I didn’t win, but I know I can donate a toy and get in for free. Second was plastic storage boxes that I would have used to store more of my stuff or at least store it until I can donate it. No luck.

But I did ‘win’ a new set of queen sized sheets. I couldn’t read the tag on the posted picture and when I went to get them they are 100% polyester. I’ll give them to my daughter as I’m too picky about sheets.

Oh, and I just missed out on an assortment of dog food and treats. Darn.

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I put a bunch of stuff I don’t use on Buy Nothing this morning. As I was posting, someone posted wanting colored Christmas lights. Yes- I have some to give!

I am planning to put a bunch of additional Christmas stuff on BN later this week.

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Every time I reach into the “kitchen tools less frequently used” drawer to pull something, I evaluate the rest for things I don’t need. Today it was 2 spatulas and some fancy wine bottle stoppers. I need to do a thorough evaluation of the rest of the cabinets! We lived in this house not that long, only 7 and a change years, but stuff has a tendency to pile up!

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We’ve been in our home 35+ years. I’m doomed!

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I’m cleaned out my husband’s closet this weekend. Since he has a pair of mow the lawn shoes, I threw away the other 4 pairs of mowing shoes.

I did not throw anything away yet but he doesn’t need 8 pairs of fleece lined pants. 30 tshirts and 10 work out shorts because every time we went on vacation, he would forget workout clothes so we bought more.

Now he can find his painting clothes so he doesn’t have to wear his good clothes to paint or garden in.

Getting him to actually do that is not guaranteed though :rofl:

I did order a pair of khaki lulu pants because I couldn’t find his other ones. They were wadded up in a drawer. I’m sure that’s where I put them :thinking: I can return them but he likes them and they are in his bigger size so I’m sure they will get worn

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You’re a better wife than I am, @deb922. If I were to curate DH’s side of the closet, everything with an “M” or "Michigan” on it would disappear. Of course, he’d be naked then.

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Your husband doesn’t need 30 t shirts? I am sure my husband has twice that! Once years ago I counted 30 pairs of work-appropriate pants (business casual) and I did think that was excessive…but I’m not sure I convinced him to let go of any! I have too much in my own closet as well, but not nearly as much in the closets in other rooms. We will have a harder time getting rid of non-clothing items though. I think my husband’s plan is just to let the kids sort it all out when we are dead, but I think we need to pare things down soon to remodel the house or move sooner than that!

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I was making a trip to good will yesterday with two bags (fabric scraps but those actually do resell) and a bag of misc things. Thought I should take a swipe at my mother’s closet and found a bunch of stuff in a garment bag, most wrapped in dry cleaner bags. They were my mother’s dresses and pant suits. One dry cleaner bag was from a dry cleaning place in the town we left in 1975. I thought about offering them to my sister but then thought nope, she can buy her own black dress and red wool dress. I really don’t think my mother knew these were in a closet for the last 50 years.

I’m getting pretty good at throwing away other people’s stuff.

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Omg those sound like vintage pieces! Someone may really covet those!!!

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I doubt my kids would bother to sort. It will be all garbage immediately.

This is the reason I like inviting my sister to help declutter and discard. We both save our own stuff but have no problem dumping other people’s stuff.

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I for one plan to make it as easy as possible for my kids. I consider it a gift to them.

My Buy Nothing purge continues. It’s a less successful week- I put up 6 items and there was only interest in 3 of them. I also have a bunch of Christmas decorations I no longer use ( wreaths, lights, a tree stand, a large pre lit tree, etc). I am taking some of the items to a workout class tomorrow for friends who want them. I am planning to put the other things on the curb on Saturday morning for folks to just come by and take. I’ll post in my BN group as well as the neighborhood group.

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One of my favorite Instagram accounts is a woman in a wealthy suburban Chicago neighborhood who rescues curb side finds from the trash. She takes them home and then gives most of them away for free. Her goal is saving things from the landfill. (Which I also think you are doing when you post in Buy Nothing!)

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