Did something get upgraded this Xmas? Don't forget to freecycle.

[tuvor]

My wife got a new slow-cooker, and I got a new scanner/printer. The old slow-cooker and printer aren't worth selling, but they're in fine enough condition to be useful to someone else.

Just thought others might be in a similar position.

Find your local freecycle group at www.freecycle.org.

And Happy New Year, everyone! :hi:

[peace13]

1. Thanks for the info.

Looks like there is a group near me. Peace, Kim

[Redstone]

2. Freecycle is the cat's ass. One of the best uses of the Internet I've ever seen.

I hope that your post draws lots of attention to them.

Redstone

[SidDithers]

3. Thanks for the reminder...

I had meant to sign up in the fall, but just never got around to it. Now I have :)

Sid

[havocmom]

4. Check locally for churches that keep a bank of household goods

to give to families in case of fire or the like.

Also, look into shelters for battered spouses. People who have to flee their homes due to domestic violence and start over need help. Getting out with your life and nothing else makes it hard to get a new life started. Please, always remember to inquire at such shelters when you have household goods to get rid of.

Got a new bed and the old one is not a total wreck? You may be offering someone a comfort they never thought they would have again. Got a new set of pots and pans? There are people in shelters facing starting a new household without a pot to pee in (as my granny used to say). A bed to tuck a child into while trying to build a more normal life, can be a blessing many of us will never appreciate. But it can be a huge help to some. Having an old toaster or even a slow cooker ;) can mean you can fix a child something to eat when you are starting over from scratch.

Good for clothes donations too. Hard to get a job if all you got out with was the shirt on your back.
Shoppers: if your closet is getting tight and you need to weed, consider there are people who need something to wear to a job interview.

Many shelters need simple things to operate. Many take donations so they can help people establish a new, safer life. Please, remember them.

Your little donations can mean a future to someone else. It can mean hope and a bit of dignity. Chances are, any person you help get re-established will pass it on to another later. It is a gift that multiplies.

[ninkasi]

5. Thanks!

I'm bookmarking, for future use. My husband and I have never had a garage sale. We have always donated items which were in good enough shape to organizations which use them to help others. This is another one to keep in mind. Happy New Year to you, tuvor...:hi: Oh, I've got a question now. I had neck surgery a few years ago, and still have a rigid neck brace. My husband had a broken arm later, and we have a couple of hospital slings. Do you have any ideas about who could use these things? I know they must be expensive, everything medical is.

[tuvor]

6. Geeze, I wouldn't know. Any local charites that might have an idea?

Maybe post the question in its own thread.

:shrug:

[ninkasi]

9. Thanks to you

I have two good suggestions. I'm ashamed to admit that when my husband and I moved here a little over two years ago, those things were packed in boxes in our garage. We recently ran across them. I will most assuredly check with free clinics, etc., in our area. I think there might be other things as well, and I will look. It's a blessing to us to be able to give things to people who can't afford them.

Not too long ago, we got together all of our old, worn out sheets, towels, and things like that, and donated them to our local Humane Society. They were really not good enough to donate to people, but cold and abandoned dogs and cats don't care how threadbare they are. Our current furry kid, and the one before him, have both been rescues. Little enough, I know, and i'd never insult anybody by equating animals with people, but to be realistic, we couldn't take on an adopted human child, but this furry one is within our powers to care for.

There are so many ways, some small, that we can all contribute to the welfare of us all. My husband and I try to accomplish something positive every day. It might be a small thing, but to us, it's important in that it's something. If we all did this, all of our little acts would add up to a very big act. Why not? Let's try, as some of us already are...as some of YOU already are.

[Nicole]

7. Any free clinics in your area?

I donated my grandmother's walker & wheel chair to the local free clinic. They were happy to get them.

If not a free clinic, perhaps a Dr. in a low income neighborhood would know someone who needs them?

[ninkasi]

8. Thanks, I'll check that out

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't thought of those things until the post I was responding to. Those things are things our insurance paid for, but why not let somebody else get the benefit? Again, thanks!

[tuvor]

10. Kicking for the morning crowds. n/t

[SmokingJacket]

11. I used to freecycle, but it got out of hand.

Forty-five people responding to my ads in order to get free stuff for their yard sales -- the same people every time. Then if I ever wanted something, it was invariably taken.

Bah humbug! It's back to the Goodwill for me.