Swinging!

What: Baby Swing
How long kept: Well we got it with the Boy and used it with the Kid. We kept it about two months longer than we should have
Why kept: It's worth something and it might be useful for a friend
Destination: I decided to delve into Craig's list after not being able to sell it via my work bulletin board. I posted in for sale and got a nibble from Craig's list, but the person never responded. Two days ago, a friend at work found out he's having another grandchild and offered $20 from my listed $25. I took it!  I delivered it to work and it is gone!!! YAY!

I will try Craig's list again, even though it didn't work

For The Absolut Collector -- Absolut-ly Not Me

What:  An Absolut Vodka promotion, a knitted cover for an Absolut vodka bottle, designed by Cynthia Rowley, never opened and still in its original package.
Origin:  Home delivery of the NY Times in December, 2001.
Why kept:  While bizarre, I thought it was kind of cool.   And at that time, I wasn't really processing much...I stuck it neatly on a bookshelf, with the vague thought that someday, someone might want it.   It Might Be Useful?   And definitely Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Destination:  eBay, via "M", see confession.

Confession:   I found this on the bookshelf due to this project, in one of my periodic book purges.  I googled it, not realizing that there is a universe of people who collect the Absolut promos.   It turns out that there is quite a trade in these items, some of which are selling for hundreds of dollars.

Gulp.  It Might Be Worth Something, If I Could Find A Buyer!   "M"s the eBay maven, and she posted it the other day.  (We have 23 watchers and requests coming in from Europe.   I'm not making this up.)

It has already left my house, though...as I'm going to be out of town when the auction ends, it's en route to "M" via USPS priority mail (insured), along with another Absolut holiday promo from another year.     (We'll post that one later!)

August 21 Update:  Bidding is heating up. 

Coffee Break

What:  Coffee carafe, photo'd without its stand, which holds a votive candle to keep the coffee warm, chafing dish style.   (Chafing dish!)
Origin:  Long forgotten tag-sale or thrift shop, and love of mid-century design.
How long kept/usage:   Easily 25 years.   I'm not sure that I ever used it for its intended purpose.   It may have been out on display in some long distant past -- and I mean mid 80s.
Why kept:   Because it's Cool/Vintage.   And failing that, It Might Be Worth Something.   Finally, it was on a top shelf in my kitchen cabinets; I need to stand on a ladder or on the counter to reach what's up there, so Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Destination:  Housing Works, in yet another shopping bag from the still dwindling stash.  Along with a very nice logo-tshirt from a former employer.   (Like the logo mug from the same employer, the t-shirt generated some Nostalgia, and not the happy kind.)

Confession:   Yes, I checked Ebay.   These were going for around $25.   Not worth the bother of figuring out how to ship it so that it will arrive in one piece.

Bonus:   When I dropped this at Housing Works, I was able to visit some of my donations, up for sale.   It is really, really nice to see, directly, that the stuff I'm taking to HW is actually providing fuel for good works.

Changing The Acquisition Game

Changing The Acquisition Game
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Business Book.
Origin: Desire to be smart.
How long kept: Probably 12 years. See confession.
Why kept: I might refer to it, and thus It Might Be Useful. And, invisible in plain sight on my bookshelf: Out Of Sight, Out of Mind. Finally, I might sell it on Amazon, and thus It Might Be Worth Something.
Destination: Housing Works, along with a fashion error -- a severe one -- from the summer of '09, and some power pop CDs.

Confession: I don't know if I even finished reading this one...and it was pricey. Recommended by a b-school classmate I was hoping to do some consulting work with, back in the day.

Confession, part deux:  Today I deleted the Amazon listing I made about 7 weeks ago.   Thus, it is not worth anything.   (Sigh, I left another one up there, though.)

Commitment: Having tossed so many business books during the course of this project (and before it), I've determined that all new acquisitions in this category will be via the Kindle or other e-format...and then only if I can't get them from the NY Public Library.

Shaker Hymn

Shaker Hymn
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: "'Tis the Gift to be Simple, 'Tis the Gift to be Free.." of these mid-century cocktail shakers.
Origin: Addictive Behavior. Hello, my name is "A", and I'm a tagsaleaholic. (Hello, "A")
How long kept: Easily 20 years.
Usage: Not so much.
Why kept: Back in the day, I thought I might use these as decoration. (They Might Be Useful.) See confession.
Destination: Housing Works, in yet another of the ever shallower shopping bag stash.   (Where They Might Actually Be Useful in one of Housing Works' clever displays!)

Confession: They are Cool/Vintage, yet my appetite for kitsch in my kitch is much lower these days. When I checked to see if They Might Be Worth Something, I found that they weren't:  in the event I ever miss these items,  I can buy back respectable replicas on eBay for under 10 bucks.

Let the shedding of unused tag sale treasures begin!

Chaos May Be Thriving...A Bit Less

What:  Business Book.
Origin:   Desire to be of the times in my field.
How long kept:  Uh, when was this written?   Mid-90s?
Usage/Why kept:   I'm pretty sure that I at least skimmed it...in the mid-90s, and retained it because It Might Be Useful.   I might need to refer to it again, so I Might Need It. 
Destination:  Housing Works.

Confession:   For about 4 minutes, I thought It Might Be Worth Something, and did check online to see about re-selling this book, a tactic that has worked out surprisingly in one or two other cases.   Resale value of this book starts in the $1.99 range.   If I ever do need it, buying it back will be cheaper than paying rent on it, dusting it, and rearranging it when I choose to manage my bookshelves.

Learning Moment:   Business books are rarely classics.   When you go back to something that pre-dates wide adoption of the internet, so much of the advice is, um, ancient history.   Books on entrepreneurship that pre-date the serious problems faced by small business owners with availability and cost of health care now seem oh-so-sweet, innocent...and ultimately useless.

While I don't want to own these books forever any more, I do still need to read many of them.   I've been attempting the library, getting some to listen to on my iPod via Audible.com.   Next up, the Kindle.

Train train! Take me on out of this town (saturday's post)

What: peg Perego train. Forgot to take a photo!
Origin: garbage picked from the proverbial "other side of the tracks". It was like brand new
Last used: two years ago.
Why kept: we might use it again and it might be worth something
Destination: garage sale SOLD! $50 woot!
This was really cool but it was a pain to set up and it was HUGE. I could have sold it on Ebay for more but I'm so glad it's gone!!

Sleeping it off (Tuesday)

Sleeping it off (Tuesday)
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: baby bassinet and three sheets
Origin: from my friend "Q". She found it for me @ a Free4All last summer :). Thanks "Q"!!
Why Kept: It might be worth something... we will see....
Last used: about a month ago when The Kid grew out of it
Destination: garage sale pile

Usually I would re-freecycle this, but since I purchased a bassinet mattress and sheets, I don't feel badly selling it and sharing the proceeds with "Q". I told her I'd take her out for ice cream :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Annoyingly Rewarding

What:  $12 in Staples coupons.
Origin:  Erroneous belief that I'd get an actual rebate for recycling my inkjet cartridges.
How long kept:  Not too long, actually.   The one that expires today just arrived weeks ago.   The other, maybe last month?
Why kept:  It's Worth Money.
Destination:  Staples, converted into printer paper.

Confession/Rant:   Perhaps I wasn't using my listening skills:  I thought that the Staples employee who convinced me to sign up for Staples Rewards program used the word "rebate".

My understanding of the definition of "rebate" involves receiving an actual check.   This "rebate" can only be used at Staples.   Annoying.   Not because I don't shop there -- heckfire, it's the only game in town.   There aren't any non-big box stationery stores left.

But because they have just given me another job...to hang onto the fracking (heh heh, I've been watching Battlestar Galactica on DVD) little pieces of paper and make sure that I have them in hand the next time I visit.

I'd prefer to go back to recycling my cartridges for the good karma points I used to get when HP let you mail them in.   You don't need to participate in any program to drop the cartridges at Staples, and I'm going to revert to just dropping them off, shred my rewards card, and "blog" my participation in Staples program.

"Reward" programs like this fall into the same category, in my mind, as stored value cards.   (With the added twist that we're effectively selling them our data about what we buy.)    Part of the business model is that all of this "money" will not actually be claimed.

They're a trap.

Taxing My Patience

Taxing My Patience
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: My revenue and expense documentation for Q1 2010; stacks of receipts and invoices.
Origin: Desire to avoid extreme stress around tax prep in 2011.
How long kept: Oldest items, since 1/1/10. Most recent are only days old.
Why kept: Frugality, legality. This Might Be Useful for both. (And It Also Might Be Worth Something in the form of tax deductions.)
Destination: Moon. No, really to my new bookkeeping service, via priority mail.

Confession: If I were to make a practice of doing this for myself, it would probably take about 5 minutes a day. Many years of small business ownership have taught me that this is not bloody likely. Instead, I gather icky looking piles of wrinkled receipts into folders, and then ruminate endlessly about what I need to do with it...leading up to between 2 and 4 hellish days of procrastination and self-loathing as I sift and sort through the nightmarish, but semi-orderly, mess, and data-enter everything into a spreadsheet.

Enough. Sometimes the services of a professional are called for.

I don't fill my own teeth, either.

Excellent Surprise

Excellent Surprise
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Textbook.
Origin: Course I took back in 2004.
Last Used: 2005-ish? Maybe I've referred back to this one once since then.
Why kept: Mostly, Out of Sight, Out of Mind. A little bit, I Might Need It.   And more recently, It Might Be Worth Something, If I could Find A Buyer.
Destination: A man named Todd in California. Thanks, Todd!

Confession: I didn't expect this book to sell. I looked through it one more time last night, and definitely don't need it.

Bonus: I'll net $22.69 for this baby (after postage and Amazon's commission.) I was able to drop it at the PO when I went out for coffee this morning.   And key to getting rid of the book was pricing it slightly below the lowest priced used copy on Amazon.   Sure, there are some copies out there in worse shape than the extremely gently used copy I mailed off this morning, maybe it was "worth" more.   But this one is out of my house, and I'm no longer paying rent for it, dusting it, or thinking about what to do with it.

Bonus, part 2:  I'm done for the day!

Extra incentive this morning:   As I was stepping out the door, NPR broadcast a story called "For Hoarders, The Mess Begins In the Mind."  (You can listen at the link.)

Uh, exactly.   It's not just hoarders, and it's not just the mess of stuff!   For humans, all messes begin in the mind.

Don't Put Me In, Coach

Don't Put Me In, Coach
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Textbook from a coaching course I took a few years back.
Origin: Desire to learn a new skill.
Usage/How Long Kept: Maybe I've referenced it once or twice since the course ended in 2005.
Why Kept: I might need to refer back to it, and thus I Might Need It.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: This was in a stack with another coaching book. These were $40 texts, and I checked on Amazon to see if there was a resale market. This one has a new edition, so I got rid of it. But the used copies of this edition are listed at Amazon for over $30, so I actually filled out the donation form at Housing Works this time.   (Usually I've just been dropping stuff off; I don't really care about the deduction.   With another 3/4 of the year to go, I'll have plenty of time to donate up to my limit!)

(And I listed the other one for sale at Amazon.   It Might Be Worth Something, If I Can Find A Buyer. If it's not gone in a month, it can go to HW, too. They have an awesome bookstore in Soho.)

Confession, part two: "Coaching" is like yoga or crafting...lots of women seeking work they enjoy or find meaningful try to make businesses from it. Thus, there's a wide range to the quality of offerings -- while I learned some great things in the course, and have great respect for the teacher and the person who steered me in this direction,I took a pass on doing this for a living.

Bonus:  April 5th update --  the other book sold!   I can't believe it.

Filtered

Filtered
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: prefilters for a broken hepa filter
Why kept: might be useful, it might be worth something
Last used: two years ago. The hepa "appliance" has been broken for over a year I think
Destination: I'll research ebay to see if there is a market otherwise Freecycle free4all
Okay. I'm all caught up and I hope not to fall behind again. I had the things set aside, but not blogged them. I can't tell you how it affected me!! I was a little stressed that I hadn't blogged them


"M", would you like to hear my helpful hint for when I don't have time to blog something big?

Sure... but it was a time issue, not the lack of bloggables

CocaCola cap (and other bottle caps) recycling

CocaCola cap (and other bottle caps) recycling
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: bottle caps from Diet Coke bottle tops and a few others
Why kept: coke tops have a code you can enter to get free stuff. Origin: Our other sister, "K" saves them for me and I also save them from my bottles
How long kept: some are from 2008
Why kept: They are worth something, they are sticky because they take some work to get rid of.
Last used: some of the lids were used and "entered" in the last week.
Destination: Aveda will accept and recycle any caps. (http://aveda.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.asp) "A" and I took them to their store today. The woman that helped us was very nice and asked that we mention Aveda in our blog post, which we would have done anyway! Save those caps and recycle them!!
Confession: my sister brought a ton more. Next time I will probably mail them to the store for recycling unless I'm coupling it with another trip in that area.

More Confession: You can get some pretty cool stuff from MyCokeRewards :-) Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.... I got a really cool cordless Black and Decker screwdriver for work.

Bonus: the ziplock bag was recycled from Christmas dinner. I washed it and reused it.

Now my next step is to keep on entering a few a day to get them done and out before the next shipment "K"

Wrap it up!!

What: pretty wire ribbon
Last used: Christmas eve
How long kept: since this summer
Origin: I got a bagful of beautiful wire ribbons at a garage sale for $3. I only bought 1 bag of the three.
Why purchased: for presents and it might be worth something. I thought of selling them on E-bay. One roll was marked $36.99
Destination: gifts and the empty spools are getting recycled

More later and yesterday's post is stuck argh and ugh I lost the photo!!! I'll try to take another photo later

Confession: I still have a ton, but will use them throughout the year on gifts that I give.

Update: They went to the recycle bin. no photos. I'm having some serious photo issues