Eliminate Clutter in Your Life by Giving Away or Selling Items You Don't Need

Everyone has heard the saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure". This still holds true in today's society. There are many new places to donate items that you no longer want or no longer need. Many cities have a local Salvation Army; this is a great place to donate your unwanted items. The only thing is that Salvation Army rarely gives the items to people in need; they charge a price for them now. I have found that often they charge a price that is still a little cheaper than your local Wal-Mart, but the catch is that you are buying used, not new clothes the majority of the time. The Salvation Army still has the program where needy families can come once a year or once every six months and get five outfits for free. In my opinion, I would rather just give them away to a needy person myself and cut out the middleman.

Another option is to donate to your nearest homeless shelter. This is an excellent way to give the items you don't need, mainly clothes, to the people that truly need them. Another great option is to a church that has drives each year to acquire items for the needy. Many churches in my area do this once or twice a year. Another option is your local DHS or Department of Health and Human Services. They see many people who come in for assistance and just need a little help. You have to think of it that many children that are put into foster care have no more than what they are wearing at the time. Wouldn't you rather someone who needs the items receive them?

Another great new option is to go onto Yahoo Groups and search for the nearest Freecycle. Freecycles are based on the principles that waste will eventually cause major problems due to landfills overflowing. Everything that is posted on the Freecycle board must be free, that's where the name comes from. People can also list wanted or needed items. If you bought a new washing machine and your old one works just fine, post it on Freecycle. A person who could not otherwise afford one will respond and be very grateful. You can donate anything that you do not want or need anymore. You can even donate items such as a broken television, or something to that manner, and someone might want to repair it. The possibilities for donation are endless. Anything you can think of, except people of course can be posted. There are also two more forms similar to Freecycle: Sharing Is Giving and ReShareIt. You can find a local Freecycle by visiting their website here.

A few more options are to give or sell your items to a second hand store. They will then resale the items for a fraction of the cost of what they would cost new. You could also post an advertisement in the classifieds section in your local newspaper stating that you are giving the items away. I do not suggest putting a phone number unless you would like to be bombarded with calls. Instead I would say that the items are on the curb and it's a first come first serve basis. There is always someone out there who would like or needs the items that you no longer need. Eliminate some of the clutter in your house and life without having a garage sale.