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out damned stuff part deux
By heather | July 2, 2008
On Thursday, we have a second charity coming to haul away MORE CRAP, including a futon that got rejected by the first charity, a working television WITH REMOTE, and various home decor objects.
The first charity rejected the futon and left it in our driveway because it had cat hair on it. Not blood or pee stains or rips…cat hair. Of course, now it’s covered with much worse from sitting in the garage for 2 months.
What happened to ‘beggars can’t be choosers’? This is a local charity that routinely preempts my TV with telethons begging me for money! I’m trying to help the kids! Take my hairy futon!
Right?
Or am I the beggar in this case, pleading with them to take away some of my materialistic guilt over having too much stuff?
What I should have done was have a garage sale. Except that I am too chicken or lazy to have a garage sale. When I look over the inventory we’ve given away in the last three months, I could have made some serious coin if only I were willing to sit in my yard for an entire Saturday and haggle while watching strangers paw my stuff.
Garage selling veterans have warned me that garage sale shoppers will show up at your house hours before the sale starts and pester you while you’re setting up, ask to use your bathroom, and generally act like people in Sam’s Club which I totally couldn’t handle.
So alas - furniture, clothing, luggage, home decor - you name it and we’ve given it away.
My main shopping vices are home stuff, clothes, baby stuff, and organizational stuff. You see the correlation right?
Therefore, my new shopping policy is this - before purchasing something it has to fit one of the following criteria:
- Home decor must have a home in my house before it leaves the store. There will be no renting of space on the kitchen counter or in the guest bedroom until I decide where it should live.
- Clothing and shoes must be able to pair with something I already own and/or replace another item. That means if I can’t think of at least 3 outfits to wear it with, then something else in my closet must go to make room for the new guy. Also I must really, really want it and be totally 100% (ref: reverse shopping).
- Baby stuff must have a reason, AND be on sale. Good reasons do not include, “But look how cute it is!”
- Organizational type crates and boxes and drawer sorters must have a pre-determined location and a pile of stuff that is waiting to go in it. There will be no purchases made with a vague notion that if I just get those toys or papers sorted then all of a sudden the house is clean and the baby is smiling and all is right with the world.
It will be hard, but as I said before, I am strong. And overwhelmed by clutter.
Topics: home improvement, lists!, this is why |
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
They wouldn’t take a perfectly good futon because of CAT HAIR????!!!!
That’s so stupid I can barely stand it.
Crabby McSlacker’s last blog post..Dripping and Cursing
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
You’re reading my mind! I threw out 6 trashbags full of stuff from Reagan’s room alone. I am literally sick at how much crap we own and just transport from house to house.
I told Du the other day we’re emailing all our family a “No More Stuff” letter in which we state our new policy of NOT accepting anything material from them ever again. And I’m serious.
Stay strong girl!
Vicki’s last blog post..I’d Like To Thank The Academy
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Are you talking Salvation Army? They are so damn picky, they rejected a sofa and loveseat that were…. ugly. Gimme a break, is this charity or consignment. Grrr.
skiplovey’s last blog post..Proof that my son is just like his dad