Too Much Stuff? Give It Away!

One of the most frustrating things that happens when you try to get rid of all the excess stuff in your home is that you try to make a profit off of it.  Of course donating is easy but you still have to take bags of stuff somewhere to donate and often times people get frustrated with the markup that thrift stores put on them.  Because of this, we often try to sell some of our possessions to make a little extra cash while finding them a new home.  That's not really a problem but it can be time consuming and what happens when it's taking a really long time to find a buyer? So the easy solution is to simply give it away!
There are several benefits to simply giving things away...

A Good Home

We often get attached to things even if they don't have a ton of sentimental value.  Some of us feel guilty getting rid of things that were gifted to us.  And then we worry about where it will end up.  By giving things away for free it makes it easier to find someone else that needs it and can use it.  There's no cost involved either.  Here's an example - my grandmother gave me a fish shaped plate before.  I am not sure what she always used it for but she was trying to reduce the things she owned so she gave it to me.  It was big and bulky and it sat in my cupboard for years. It took up space and was frustrating because it made it hard to get other things out of that cupboard.  So I listed it for free in a Buy Nothing group.  A woman was excited and wanted it.  After she picked it up, I got a message from her weeks later and it was a photo of her using the fish plate to serve a very large fish for a family gathering she had.  She said it was so perfect and fit the theme and it's something her family does regularly.  In that moment I felt so satisfied because instead of letting that plate sit in my home unused, it was now being used by someone who really valued it.  

Helping Others

Sometimes people are in hard places and going through hard times and they need things we have excess of.  The bedsheets you have that haven't been used in years because they didn't go with your decor and now no longer fit any beds in your home could easily go to someone who is in dire need of the basics because they finally got their own apartment.  

Old blankets and towels can be given to homeless shelters or animal shelters.  They go to good use there.  Someone took a whole bunch of torn old towels from me because they fixed cars for a living and wanted to cut the towels up to use as shop rags. 

Creating Less Waste

Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed by our excess stuff we want to toss it out.  That means it goes to a landfill.  I have had artists take broken dinnerware from me so they can break it up and use the pieces of it to make mosaic art projects that they sell to make a living.  That cracked flower pot you have doesn't have to go to a landfill, it can be recycled into a piece of art or even a new mosaic flower pot. Some people will take the clothes you have with holes in them that can't be repaired and use it for art projects where they need fabric scraps.  Always consider offering stuff like this for free for people that can find a use for it. 

 

So how do you go about giving things away? There are plenty of options. 

 

Buy Nothing Groups

You can read about the Buy Nothing Project here but the easiest way to utilize it is to search on Facebook for Buy Nothing groups specific to your area.  They are usually broken down pretty specific so the people that can join a group because they live in that area are all close to each other which means it's must less of a hassle to drive to grab the free offerings.  You simply post what you have in the group and people can claim it.  Most people that use this method offer porch pickup.  That's what I do actually because I don't have time to meet up with people.  When someone's interested in something I put it in a bag with their name on it and leave it on my front step.  I message them with the address and they let me know when they are coming to get it.  

 

Other Free Groups

Searching for other free groups in your area on Facebook is helpful too since not everyone knows what "Buy Nothing" is.  I am part of one of these groups too and that means I have 2 places to post my offerings.  You would also be surprised at the things you may see that you could use.  Actually, I happened to glance in the one group near me and saw someone getting rid of beauty products they don't use. One of them was Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume, which is something I've wanted for years! The bottle was almost completely full!  I am goofy and have been tearing those perfume samples out of my magazines for years and using them but I finally was able to get an actual bottle of this perfume and it was completely free! The person lived a mile from me so it was super easy to go there and pick it up. 

 

Free Swap Events

A lot of these free groups have information on free local swap events. These events consist of people in the community coming with anything free they want to get rid of and putting it all out on a table.  They can make their way around and check out other offerings too.  Usually, whatever isn't taken gets gathered up by the coordinators afterwards and they either donate it or save it for other swap events. 

 

Friends and Family

A very easy way to get rid of things for free is to simply gift them or just hand them right over to friends and family.  If you don't want to deal with strangers, post on your Facebook so your friends and family can see what you're trying to get rid of.  If you have a relative that got their first apartment, maybe you have some of those basic supplies everyone needs but has to accrue overtime. 

 

Curbside Offerings

Another thing to do especially with larger items is to set them out by the curb.  Someone always sees it!  You can also post a photo in local Facebook groups as a curb alert so people know there's stuff out there. 

 

By simply giving things away we reduce the amount of clutter we have in our homes, avoid sending things to landfills, and help other people by letting them have things they need without having to spend money.

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