Let's stick a pin in this (Bolt movie reference)

Let's stick a pin in this (Bolt movie reference)
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: safety pins and a purloined toy from Grammy's house
How long kept: the safety pins - since May? And the toy since last month
Last used: I found pins in the clean up fray yesterday and I put them in the borrowed bag of pins. The toy was chased around the house by the Kid
Dest: back to Grammy house along with grandpa's hat he left @ our brother's house
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New Freecycle Strategy

What:  Book.   (Along with the almost last bag from the shopping bag stash.)
Origin:  It's a prior book club selection.
How long kept:   Since we read this, late last summer?  Or last fall.
Why kept:  When I organized my book shelves, this was one of the book club books I decided to keep.    So, kind of Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   And I might re-read it, so It Might Be Useful.
Destination:  Freecycle.

New strategy:   I don't usually troll the NYC Freecycle group, but decided to look at it last night.   There was a "wanted" post specifically requesting this book, and I thought, hmmm, and decided to respond.

Well, it's gone!   Thanks, Robyn.   Freecycle-friction free!

And I'm going back in my mind over other extras I've got, for example yoga mats.   I've seen posts for those.  

In the past, I've limited my Freecycle activity to making "offer" posts, with reasonably good success.   Responding to a "wanted" post seemed to go much more smoothly than making an offer.   So I'm definitely going to experiment with checking Freecycle once a week or so for "wanted" posts matching my extras.  

(Stay tuned for analysis on whether there's less Freecycle Drama on this side of the transaction!)

Bonus:  I only have one shopping bag left.   Even the ancient Duane Reade shopping bag that used to contain the stash?   Gone.    Shopping bag-arama!  

Oh's bro

Oh's bro
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

In HS we had some nick names for people and I must have sent this to "A" who in return sent it back to make me laff! It did. When I found it again, I laffed some more. Then I took it to the recycle bin :).
Why kept: nostalgia (mostly the good kind -- some drama. It was High school and I was a teenage girl) and it was sticky

I've unstuck myself of several things today! Woot!
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The Hubby guest post: I'll take a belt of that

The Hubby guest post: I'll take a belt of that
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

Or not
What: three belts
Why: they might fit again or he might fix them
Destination: garbage. I can't find a textile recycler around here
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Who is your favorite race car?

Who is your favorite race car?
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

Well here it's either Danica Patrick or Lightning McQueen!
What: I bought a Cricut cartridge last winter of the Cars characters. This is what it made
How long kept: last December I borrowed my friends Cricut cutter thingy and I bought the cartridge. I used the cartridge for two and got so incredibly frustrated that I haven't used it since. It cuts out SO many little pieces with no instructions of how to put it together.
Why kept: out of sight and good crafting intentions gone bad.
Destination: the cartridge is with the Cricut device and these pieces went in the recycle bin. I'm glad that I didn't pay full price for that cartridge. I think I got it for about $30. Maybe I'll put it on ebay if my friend doesn't want it :). I don't even think I'd spend time using it again. It took hours to produce ONE.
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Guest Post: Flickr-ed Out

Flickr-ed Out
Originally uploaded by heywattsky

"A citronella candle that only lasted a month or so before the wick got lost in the wax. I tried to dig it out, but too many moths have made the search futile. That is a crack in the glass, so an extra reason to toss. Into the garbage it went. Easy come ($3 at Ocean State Job Lot), easy go: not my preferred motto with "stuff" but sometimes that's just the way it is.

On another note, I have decided to "flickr out" with posting my items on this wonderful blog for the next month or so. I need to get away from the computer, and I want to see if by not documenting I continue to let go. That is the plan, and looming at the end of September is the "Two Buck or I Chuck" tag sale that a lot of my items have been stashed away for.

So, I do have a goal, as well as a lifestyle already in effect. Thanks "A" and "D"! (I'll check in from time to time!)"

"S", we love having you around in any form. You don't need to post to be on our team. Good luck and come back any time.

Pint-Sized Times Nine

What: A bunch of glasses.   7 or 8 classic pint glasses, and another couple of odd leftover drinking glasses.
Origin: A girl's gotta drink!
How long kept:  One of the leftovers dated back to my first apartment, 1984.   I amassed the pint glasses in the late 80s after moving to NYC, buying many of them at the original Fishs Eddy over on Hudson Street for a buck fifty.
Why kept:   They Were Perfectly Good!   As previously noted, a girl's gotta drink, and I used them every day.   Thus They Might Be Useful; I Might Need Them.   And a tiny little bit of Nostalgia.   (The good kind, but I'm not exactly sure why glassware would evoke this:  Sticky!)
Destination:  Housing Works.

Confession:   While these glasses are Perfectly Good, in terms of utility, they are looking a little beat up.   Nothing truly terrible, but they are showing some wear.

Funny thing, I didn't notice this until I decided that I would prefer some more age appropriate, gender appropriate drinkware.   (I woke up one recent day feeling like only a frat boy should be drinking from the pint glasses I've used for a zillion years.)

Should I feel guilt for giving them to Housing Works?   Are they good enough for Housing Works to sell?   Should I have tried to Freecycle them?  What happens to things that aren't good enough for Housing Works to sell?


Aargh.

Sour subject

Sour subject
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What less than 48 oz of lemon juice
How long kept: well The Hubby noticed the best by day was in 2008.... Enough said :)
Destination: we have lemon fresh drains and the bottle is in the recycle bin

Doh, maybe it wasn't a great price. I forgot to ask how much the Hubby dumped :)
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Free

Check out this NY Times article about Brooklyn's Free Store.   It's a store in name only, a place where people can get other people's unwanted items.   An ongoing Freecycle Free For All, only not run by the good folks from Freecycle.   (The woman who runs the NYC Freecycle group is some kind of genius bodhisattva, in my mind.   But I digress.)  From the article:

Caryn Prescott, 41, donated some clothes and cosmetics, and Eddie Ballard, 34, from Crown Heights, who came across the store by chance, contributed a recyclable tote bag he happened to have with him, mainly out of a sense of admiration for the project.

“There is something about the communal aspect of this place that appeals to me,” Mr. Ballard said. “I felt like I wanted to give something just to be a part of it.”

How much do I love Mr. Ballard?   Instead of taking something as a souvenir, he gave something in order to participate.   Awesome.  

(Photo:  Free Texture 24 Bokeh by ShironekoEuro via flickr, used under Creative Commons License.  Thank you!)

Office Flotsam

Office Flotsam
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: A variety of unused supplies.  Everything worked, and some were duplicates.
Origin: Various, see confession.
How long kept/Last Used: Some of the stuff hails from the mid-90s.
Why kept: They Might Be Useful! I Might Need Them!
Destination: I brought them, in a ziploc bag, to a not-for profit meditation center where I was taking a class. 

Confession: I have a small school pencil box that contains my office supplies.  This summer, I think because I've found stuff and consolidated it, I lost the ability to close the box. Aargh.   I have more binder clips than I could ever use; how many pink highlighters do I need?

While I find it necessary to keep this sort of stuff contained in one place, it's still a storage box that keeps things Out Of Sight, Out of Mind.   Storage Boxes are Evil.   Even when useful.

And finally, there were a couple of brand new, never sharpened pencils from corporate events I used to attend back in my banking days. One of the pencils was branded with a company I inherited as a client from someone who had been doing a less than stellar job. I still remember driving back from my first meeting with the Treasurer, who had berated me for 45 minutes straight, using pretty much every obscenity in the book. It took about a year to turn that one around. Nostalgia. And not all the good kind.

Bonus: The good people at the meditation center were grateful beyond the magnitude of the gift. (And this is the sort of institution where they lend out a lot of pens and pencils. Next time maybe I'll take a box of new pens to them.)

Guest Post: Your roots are showing

Your roots are showing
Originally uploaded by heywattsky

"A spider wort plant, which believe it or not, despite this evidence, is a nice native plant that blooms in the spring. I said yes to a neighbor's offer, then a wheelbarrow-full later I still hadn't found an adoption for this guy. With all the dry weather, I think these roots got fried like a bad perm. A trip to the community mulch pile yesterday ended my lame foster-parenting. Three weeks was too long to be living in a hot wheelbarrow, exposed to the cruel, cruel summer."

Thanks, "S"!

The jumpin' jumperoo

The jumpin' jumperoo
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: a borrowed Jumperoo from "Q" who borrowed it from another
How long kept: about 6 months
Last used: a week or so ago. The Kid doesn't like to be contained anymore. He's mobile now! Aaaahhh
Destination: delivered it today to my niece and then it will get passed onto another friend that is due to have a baby in a few months

I love that this has been used by so many babies and will continue to be used and passed on. Thanks for sharing "Q" (and "C")
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Freecycle treasure

Freecycle treasure
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

We had a blast making our first cabin with Lincoln logs!! I think part of the reason he was willing to let go of the artwork was to make room while we were cleaning up BEFORE he could start playing. I *heart* Freecycle!!
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Recycling recycled art

Recycling recycled art
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: art project from preschool
How long kept: about a week. The paint started to flake. It needed to be recycled.
Why kept: in the hopes that we could store some small toys in it. It might be useful.
Destination: recycle.

I again am so proud of The Boy for recycling his artwork. I told him it would be memorialized on this blog. Yay!!!
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Stamping Out Another File Item

Stamping Out Another File Item
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Handful of 42 cent stamps.
Origin: USPS beat me on a rate increase.
How long kept: 18 months?
Why kept: I Might Use Them. And, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: they
were in a file folder behind the current stamps.
Destination: Used a good chunk of them on an Amazon return.
Remainder will be cleared in short order.

Confession/Bonus: In the same file? 3.5 books of 44 cent stamps I had
forgotten I had. Aargh.

Guest Post: even the birds know not to eat here

even the birds know not to eat here
Originally uploaded by heywattsky

"Seemed like a nice bird feeder at the time (8 years ago, & considering where I bought it) but it clogs and the feed never really settles into the tray. The lid always comes off, gets lost in the underbrush, then the seed gets wet and moldy. And, well, maybe the birds are simply boycotting Wal-Mart, like me. Not long after this purchase I made a conscious decision not to shop there anymore because of, well, don't get me started...

I dropped this off down by the metal bin and set it outside the dumpster. Maybe someone will think it an interesting relic and be more vigilant about its upkeep than I was."

"S," on this gorgeous day, it's nice to have a post from up in the country! Thanks for stopping by.

Celebrate the Free for all

Celebrate the Free for all
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

All of the items left behind have been taken to Goodwill!!!! Woot!
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Order Up!

Order Up!
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: A file of takeout menus.
Origin: Food is a requirement!
How long kept: Oh, I think that Spice Grill closed in 2002.
Why kept: I might be hungry and I Might Need Them. And, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Destination: Recycling.

Confession: The top three menus are from now defunct restaurants. There were others that were more current, but I'm releasing them, too. Frankly, I rarely order in. I tend to pick up more often...and menus are mostly online now.

Ted Nugent would be proud

Ted Nugent would be proud
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

Well maybe not but this is eco friendly. Sadly I'm bringing stuff home like real wood Lincoln logs for The Boy and an old school playskool town like we used to play with. I'm trying to stop. But those I couldn't pass up
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Welcome Cheap Bohemians

Thanks to Lisa from Cheap Bohemian for posting a link to our blog.

If you want to join us on our journey -- even occasionally -- click here to join our Flickr group.   When you post a photo to our group, we'll add it to the slideshow!   We'll also occasionally (or maybe more often) add your item as a guest post here.

(And big hat tip to "S", who clued us in to Cheap Bohemian.)