In 1998 I moved to Minneapolis with what fit in my mom’s backseat and trunk. It wasn’t a whole lot of stuff, but it was enough for me to live off of. Fast forward to 2010 and I have a home, a wife, baby girl and two cats. Not to mention a house full of stuff.
You see, I have a tendency to keep stuff. I’m not saying I’m hoarding a bunch of useless junk, but I do know that I could stand to get rid of a bunch of items.
My main problem is I don’t like throwing things in the trash. It seems like such a waste when it’s just going to sit in a landfill somewhere for the next 200 years.
Now recycling I love. I love the idea that paper, glass or plastic, can be broken down and re-used to create other products. That’s why I try to recycle everything.
I also try to think about reusable products. Like reusable grocery bags or bringing my own bottle for water. I think that creating less waste is a good thing and isn’t necessarily that hard.
So when it comes to cleaning out the house, I had to come up with something that worked for me. It turns out that Craigslist and Goodwill are a good match.
I’m good with donating my stuff because it isn’t junk. Clothes that I’ve grown out of, shoes I don’t wear, things I don’t use anymore doesn’t mean they should be trashed. Rather they should go to someone who will find value in them and enjoy them.
Over the weekend we took a whole trunk full of clothes and household goods to Goodwill and it felt good to get them out of the house. Plus we are giving them to an organization which would give them new life.
Last week we also put our 4-in-one game table up on Craigslist for free and it was gone in a matter of hours. I’ve been using it as a desk for the past few years and it never got played. It just sat there, taking up room, so we found it a new home with a family that is having much more fun with it.
Goodwill and Craigslist aren’t the only two donation options. Salvation Army, Courage Center, veterans, garage sales or even just putting your stuff in the front yard with a free sign are all easy ways to keep your unneeded items out of the landfills.
Even more importantly, donating your stuff is a great way to make someone else’s day as the things you no longer want could be the best thing ever to someone else.
Now I’m not going to go all green on you and say that everyone should be like me, but I do encourage people to think twice before just trashing something. Can it be recycled? Can it be donated? Can you get rid of it another way?