Musings on freecycle
In our endless battle against clutter, we’ve been freecycling a bunch of stuff lately. For those who don’t know, Freecycle is a loosely linked set of email lists, divided based on geography, where people post things that they’re giving away and other people email them to say that they want them. I’ve given away things as big as our old washer/dryer and as small as baby food jars. It’s one of the wonders of the internet age that for almost anything you can imagine giving away, not only is there someone who is thrilled to have it, but the odds are pretty good that you can find them.
Somewhat to my amusement, I’m more willing to get rid of things that we never use when I know they’re going to someone who wants them than when I know they’re going to the landfill. If the only choice is to toss them, I feel compelled to hold on to them in case someday we want them. But if they’ll make someone else happy, I remind myself that I can always beg, borrow or buy new ones if I suddenly need them.
I don’t freecycle everything we’re getting rid of. A few things have enough value that I’ve ebayed them. Other things aren’t worth the effort of listing individually. I throw outgrown kid clothes into a bag in the closet, and when it gets full I bring it to work to give to a colleague whose wife works for NoVAM. And whenever Value Village calls to say they’re picking up donations in my neighborhood, I wind up with a bag or two for them.
I still haven’t figured out what to do with things like handmade baby blankets. It hurts to get rid of something that was given with so much love, but it seems silly to put them all in my parents’ attic to collect dust until my kids have children of their own. Does anyone know of a place that collects blankets for kids in foster care or something like that?
August 1st, 2005 at 12:50 am
I was thrilled to get a postcard in the mail last week that a kidney charity here is coming to my neighborhood to pick up donations. I’m always up for a mini-decluttering.
What about the humane society for those extra blankets? I know ours wants towels… don’t know if baby blankets would be useful also.
August 1st, 2005 at 7:45 am
Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org)should be willing to take them. They give them to kids in hospitals.
You could also try donating them to the hospital directly, or sometimes the police make use of homemade blankets to comfort accident victims.
Also, sometimes they’re easier to let go of if you take a picture of them first. Then you still get to “keep” them, they just don’t take up quite as much space.
August 1st, 2005 at 10:47 am
We’ve also had great success in just putting things at the end of our driveway with a “free” sign on them.
August 1st, 2005 at 11:12 am
I usually give kid stuff to the local battered women’s shelter. Sad but true, they often receive women with small children who have fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I’ve given them old car seats, blankets, clothes, disposable diapers … and they’re always warmly received and used immediately.
August 1st, 2005 at 2:31 pm
Not sure about foster kids, but most animal shelters have blankets on their most-wanted list. I don’t know if you’d want to do that with something as personal as homemade baby blankets, but having a blanket that goes with them from place to place including to a new adoptive home can mean a lot to a homeless animal. You could call them and ask about how they use them before you donate, just to be sure that it would be treated lovingly. Your kids might enjoy seeing the animals and knowing where their old blankets are going, too.