<p>Big bag of of purses ready for goodwill! I’m on board!</p>
<p>garland, a friend of mine made a wall display of little cube-like shelves with random colorful china cups - it was very charming. Just cups, no saucers or any other pieces, many of them came from old family sets.</p>
<p>As we discussed in the china mavens thread, there are folks who desperately scout eBay end Replacements for pieces. Maybe you can check ebay to see what is on sale and auction/sell those pieces/sets away when the time comes? ;)</p>
<p>Feeling productive! 2 giant bags of garbage, 2 giant bags of clothing, another bag of shredding done. It’s always a great feeling to free up space and know you don’t have to touch the stuff again.</p>
<p>Just took 2 bags to Goodwill. I like the idea of a bag a week, otherwise I think I should save it for a big load and I never get there.</p>
<p>Two closets and a dresser done. Two bags ready for donation. I consider this this first week an incredible success. My H was leaving for a basketball game as I was working and asked if we could do his tomorrow - most certainly!!!</p>
<p>A stack of books to the library today</p>
<p>Yesterday I didn’t actually dispose of anything, but a coworker told me to bring in the odds and ends of the ILs dishes that I have upstairs and put them in the office kitchen area. Great idea and done for Monday.</p>
<p>I had mentioned saving furniture for my kids. They are so unpicky and cost-conscious that they will be happy to take what’s here. When they have $$ they can upgrade to things they like. In the meantime, they’ll take what they can get. That was certainly how we did it – and we still have some of that used furniture, 30 years later…</p>
<p>My secret hope is that S2 will take our living room furniture (purchased 1985) so <em>we</em> can get something updated.</p>
<p>I’m going to count a bag as a recycling basket full of papers, so I’ve got one down.</p>
<p>I’ve been sending photos to my kids of anything they might be able to use before I take it to Goodwill. Some of the things are cast- offs from my parents. I do have a couch in the garage that my kids politely declined; I need to make a call about that, too.</p>
<p>Thanks for that idea, Bunsen. As you can probably guess from my post, I have never been on the china thread!</p>
<p>zeebamom, your post reminded me about books. What is everyone’s position on keeping books? I am not someone who rereads the same book twice, so other than a few paperbacks that are special to me, along with quite a few more in hardcover, this is an area I could really purge. But it just seems wrong somehow. I need to know it’s ok!</p>
<p>Took four boxes of junk to goodwill and set aside three boxes of books to try to sell/trade at my local indie bookstore.</p>
<p>sally305, it’s OK.</p>
<p>I have billions of books. I reread and trade. I decided to make a “to be read” (TBR) pile for those that I have picked up but haven’t gotten to that must be read or lost forever (gasp). And those I got rid of are those I keep picking up and not finishing or setting aside.</p>
<p>We donate any unneeded books to our local library. They sell them and buy new ones that are not in the budget otherwise. By all means, donate books to shelters, indie bookstores, libraries, school libraries, or whomever is willing to take them. We only keep ones that are re-read or for some reason H or someone can’t bear to part with or we’d be terribly overrun with books.</p>
<p>Have loaded two boxes of stuff to donate already! Yippee!</p>
<p>sally, saving books is really difficult territory for me. I’m a teacher who often encounters kids who haven’t read all sorts of “classic” books, like all those delightful Newbery Honor Award books. I can take them to the Goodwill or our thrift shop, but I’ve used them so often that I have an emotional attachment to them. I’ve also tutored a bit and always grateful I’ve had a full range of books. But, what to do with them? I really think I have too many. Last summer, I did a good job of trimming down, but I still have so many. How much is too much?</p>
<p>Harder to trim, because I paid for them, will be all my teacher-books. Those gems that have worksheets in them, or talk about kids and learning and teaching. Those I’d read over and over, but again, I have just too many. Any teacher/parent want them? They’re too good to toss. Anyone have any experience listing on Amazon or Ebay?</p>
<p>I just learned that a charity thrift shop, located on my way to the grocery store, has made a few changes to their parking lot in order to provide drive-thru donation drop-off. It has a big awning and is staffed whenever the shop is open. That’s a huge improvement, since previously I often had to hunt down someone in their back warehouse area to take our donations and provide a receipt. This is going to make sticking to the bag a week plan much easier. I feel a little silly for how very happy it made me.</p>
<p>As far as books are concerned, the only ones I want to own are cookbooks (just a few of the classics – if I need a quick recipe, I can go online) and art or photography books. Everything else I get from the library, and I’m very happy to return them.</p>
<p>Sadly, DH disagrees.</p>
<p>limabeans-- </p>
<p>My friend’s son buys all the type of stuff you have on Craigslist. He doesn’t pay very much, but he has been able to buy enough to set-up a second grade classroom (new teacher). </p>
<p>I know how hard it can be to get rid of books that hold many memories. Would you consider making a list of the books and then taking photos of the covers before giving them away. I have been able to give away many things this way. That being said, I haven’t sorted through all of my children’s childhood books and I imagine it will be difficult when I do. Having a list of the titles will make it easier for me though. This way I can buy them if I am lucky enough to have grandchildren one day.</p>
<p>Since we still live in the neighborhood I raised my children in, I will most likely offer the books to the elementary school or to new neighbors with young kids or friends who have grandchildren or great nieces and nephews.</p>
<p>I filled one bag today with old linens and books that I no longer read or need. I will drop it off on Monday at Goodwill. Week one done!</p>
<p>If you donate used books to your local library, they often have book sales to help fund purchase of new titles. </p>
<p>New elementary teachers usually need to build thur classroom libraries, too. </p>
<p>Please, though, if you do send these books in, make sure they do not have water damage or mildew. There would little orangish spots on top of book or inside cover. People often donate these kinds of books and they become a health hazard to the next person who owns it, especially if they asthma and allergies. You would be surprised how many damaged books come in as donations and they will be discarded!</p>