If you’re anything like my wife and I, you probably have a lot of “stuff” laying around taking up space that you hardly ever use. Most people do. Often, its hard to part ways with that stuff, because “part ways” usually means “throw away”, even if there’s nothing wrong with the stuff. There are better ways.
Our favorite is Amazon.com Marketplace. Its nothing new, but that doesn’t change the fact that its a great way to rid ourselves of perfectly good junk without the guilt, especially because we come out with some cash in the end. We recently ditched several DVDs, video games, an espresso machine, and a coffee grinder this way. Did we make a profit? Nope. Did we get some of our money back and reclaim space around the entertainment center and kitchen counter? Yup.
Our second favorite is Freecycle. The concept is simple – give stuff away for free to people who want it. Of course, we can be on the receiving end of other people’s stuff that we want, too. Its a great way to get rid of stuff we don’t use that either can’t be sold online, or can’t be sold online without consuming a lot of our precious time. Sometimes, Amazon.com Marketplace and eBay just aren’t worth the time. With Freecycle, we just shoot off a quick e-mail to the mailing list, wait for a response, and put the stuff we’re giving away out in front of our apartment. No more than 48 hours later, its gone. We don’t have any money in the bank as a result, but we don’t have the stuff lying around looking ugly and hopefully its new owner is getting more use out of it than we did. A little more work than throwing it in the dumpster, but it’s worth it to us.
