Stuff reduction campaign: Go!

[thistlechaser]

You know what, Salvation Army, I didn't want to give you my stuff anyway. You could have made good money off a newish working flat panel TV (along with DVD, Tivo, and a new-ish glass table thingie I was using as a TV stand), but it's a two month wait for you to send a donation truck out to get it? Clearly you don't need my stuff. And like I said, I didn't really want to give it to you so much as I just wanted to be rid of it in the easiest way possible.

I dabbled in Freecycle tonight. I was pulling out a bookshelf to give away, and found I had a bunch of old gaming systems (PS2, GameCube, N64). I decided to list them and see if anyone wanted them, and someone responded. While it was more of a pain than I would have liked (I had to be dressed and ready to meet him in the parking lot for a half-hour window), I'm glad someone took it. Will he sell them? Maybe. But either way, hopefully they'll end up in the hands of someone who wants them.

I ended up putting the bookcase out with the trash instead of Freecycling it. Maybe someone will pick it up on their own or not, but it was too big for me to have to deal with dragging out to meet someone (even if it's only out to the parking lot).

The tricky part of this is that I don't want Freecycle/Craigslist people to come in my apartment -- I'd rather them not even know which apartment is mine. So I have to lug things out to the parking lot to meet them. It's not far, but for something big, or something that could break, it's a pain.

It'd be nice if my apartment complex had a board for posting stuff. I bet there's someone here who could use a TV. I spent some time looking for a shelter that would take a used TV, but it seems like they only want new or money. Maybe loading it into my car and taking it to SA myself might be the easiest...

Comments

[bacchuslives.livejournal.com]

Getting rid of stuff can be a pain... At our current residence, I just put stuff out at the end of my driveway and it invariably disappears by the end of the day. There are county offices on my road, including public assistance. Methinks this might be a contributing factor to my de-bulking success :) I have a picture of an older couple picking up an enormous doghouse with a tractor. It always makes me smile for some reason.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

I drop stuff in the breakroom at work, and it disappears. Ask former co-workers if they need anything? Easier to trust them than total strangers.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I ended up carting most everything off to Goodwill. The only thing I have left is the big glass table, which was too big for me to take. I have someone asking about it, so hopefully they'll come take it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

[bacchuslives.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. You clearly trust your co-corkers more than I trust mine :D

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I wish I could do that as well, but I live in the middle of a big apartment complex. Wouldn't work so well here! (The bookshelves I put out ended up in a dumpster, sadly.)

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Ugh I wouldn't give the time of day to the Salvation Army - homophobic and bigoted bunch of scumbags that they are!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I took it to Goodwill instead, not that they're much better...

[bacchuslives.livejournal.com]

Are they? I had no idea... Good that I usually favor the SPCA instead...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Sadly, yes. They won't offer their services to anyone who's not of their religion and straight.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Yes to what thistle_chaser said. Or they will grudgingly offer their services to a gay person in need, but only if the gay person "renounces" their sexuality and commits to a life of absolute celibacy. They also support anti-LGBT causes all over the world. They came under fire for that in 2012 and have since launched a huge advertising campaign denying it and trying to make it look as though they're not discriminatory bigots, but they still are as a fundamentalist evangelical church.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I have a bag of clothes ready to donate to AmVets and it has been sitting in the dining room for 6 months LOL. And I can do all that stuff online!

I should look into Freecycle...I wonder if anyone would want our broken TV. The internet said there was a way to fix it but we've decided to upgrade and found an intermediary TV to use until then, so this stupid thing needs to go to the dump...but maybe someone would just take it LOL.

So many ways to get rid of stuff these days!!!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I went with Freecycle for lots of things, and that really worked out! Except one person who backed out at the last moment, but the guy who took it instead of her was so happy! He was gushing at me, he had been looking to buy the same exact model table I was giving away.

I have one last thing to post with them, probably tomorrow. I hope someone wants a new-in-box Soda Stream machine. :P (I suspect so, someone will snatch it to sell it, I bet.)

[tedwords.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a pretty cool service. If we ever get rid of anything ever, might want to use it! :)

[hamsterwoman]

We've done the "put stuff out at the curb and post about it on Craigslist" (or maybe Freecycle? I forget) thing, where it's just sitting out there waiting first come first serve. That way there's no waiting for someone to show up, but of course you still have to drag it out there yourself. Usually it's gone very quickly, though.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I just posted two more things a moment ago, I think I'll do that once I get someone interested in them. Easier than meeting them.