Ways to Recycle Your Unwanted Items

It seems like as I am getting older I do not have a need for a lot of stuff and I cannot stand the clutter anymore. I use to love to collect stuffed bears, and angel figurines, no more - I want that stuff out of my house, and would rather spend less time cleaning and dusting the clutter. If you're like me and wanting to clear stuff out of the house, here are some ideas to get rid of all those unwanted items, without adding them to our landfills.

What I do first is I set up boxes in the living room and label them with the following: donate, e-bay, f & f (family & friends),group sites, toss

Then I go through my house and as I am cleaning closets, drawers, shelves I add items to the boxes I have labeled according to which category I feel they fit best.

Here's some examples:

Donate box- I put items in here that know my family/friends would not use or need, items may still be in good condition, but if they would not sell on e-bay then they go here.

You can list items on Craig's or free cycle and offer them free to others. You can also give to Salvation Army or clothing pantries.

F&F box- I put items in here that I know someone in my family or friends could use and benefit from. I will offer these items to them first, if they do not want then they will go in the donate box.

E-bay- I put items in this box to list and sell on e-bay, items that are in good condition and still very usable and feel they would sell.

Group sites- I belong to several group sites like paperback swap, book crossing, posh points, free cycle- I put books in here that may have some shelf wear but still very readable that others might enjoy.

* paperback swap - You list your books for free, if others want them they request them and you mail them free of charge, you earn points when someone requests your books and then you use your points to request other peoples books in return.

* Book crossing- This is fun, what you do is you set your books free in public places, like restaurants, Laundromat etc. Members include a little label glued to the inside of the book so person that finds it knows it is a book crossing book, set free for someone else to read and enjoy. Each label has a tracking number and the person that found the book can log on line and enter the number and record that they found the book and where, they can do this with their privacy protected or if they like while they are on the site they can join for free. It is neat to log on and see who found your book as it is traveling all over the country and the world, some people write how it has affected their day, perhaps made a difference in their life by finding a book and brings people a smile which is great!

*posh points- Is free to join you can list whatever you would like to get rid of and works the same way as paperback swap.

* Free cycle- No listing fee, but you are offering items to people free of charge, most people that post items ask for them to be picked up in person.

* Grisliest- No listing fee, you can posted on the "free" section and offer local pickup or offer to ship it to them and have them pay for the actual shipping costs.

Toss- this box is for junk, old papers, clothing that is in poor condition etc, goes in the garbage.

So now that I am making headway and getting rid of the clutter before I buy anything I ask myself is it a need or a want? I also ask myself where is this item going to be kept and do I have room for it? If the answer is no to either of those questions I pass on buying it. If I do decide to buy something like a new pair of jeans or a top then when I get home I must get rid of a item of clothing, that way my dresser drawers and closet will not be over packed with clothes and will stay the same. For me practicing this tips keeps me from buying most of the time, as I really like my current clothes and dread having to get rid of something in my wardrobe to be replaced by a new item, it keeps my spending to limit and helps me save money.: