Do You Give Stuff Away?

[cschin4]

What do you do with your stuff when you are tired of it, have no use for it, etc? I hate to sell things. I really just don't want to be bothered. I usually take a load of stuff to Goodwill. Or, I ask people I know if they want any of the things I am unloaded. I recently gave away a $200 maple crib, strollers, all baby stuff to a friend. I have given away computers, printers, TV's, VCR's, etc. all of which still worked fine. I have an extra twin bed, small refrig, and daybed to go next. I am really tired of clutter and am just giving things away to get it out of my house. But, I guess this doesn't score too many points for frugality.

[tinapbeana]

of course it scores frugal points: you're helping someone else be frugal by letting them get something used rather than having to buy it new!

[syracusa]

Originally Posted by cschin4

But, I guess this doesn't score too many points for frugality.

Yes, but it does score for generosity. Frugality without generosity (as in pinching absolutely every penny and looking to make a profit out of EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME) is no way to live a life.
It's petty and nasty in my opinion.

I read somewhere on this forum about someone who was taking some extra toilet paper with her from public bathrooms so she/he (?) could use it at home and thus buy less TP. Another poster responded "you're kidding, right?" And said person said no.

I would never want to get into such a dark place even if people like this may end up with more money in old age than I will.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by syracusa

I read somewhere on this forum about someone who was taking some extra toilet paper with her from public bathrooms so she/he (?) could use it at home and thus buy less TP. Another poster responded "you're kidding, right?" And said person said no.

there's frugal, and then there's downright cheap.

i think frugality is a beautiful thing, a concept and a mindset that can be applied to many areas of one's life, and something that you want to share with those around you. it's an easy way to exercise creativity and flexibility.

when you do something that's downright cheap, you know it. is it something you would want your kids to do? something you would want people to do to you when they visited your house? if not, then it's probably downright cheap.

haaaaaaaaahahahaha! imagine folks stealing your toilet paper when they came to visit you! "but, you had plenty you got it on sale! i just didn't want to have to buy any for my house, it's how i'm saving money..." if you'd feel bad on the receiving end, it's downright cheap...

[Daylily]

While giving away stuff may not necessarily be frugal, your attempts to de-clutter are. Hopefully it will lead you to not buy more 'stuff' in the future. In that case, it does lead you to be more frugal.

Granted, some of the items you listed such as baby supplies really can't be avoided. If you have a baby then you need a crib, etc.

[MonkeyMama]

I agree - I usually goodwill things or freecycle. I LOVE freecycle since there is so much that I Feel is not trash, but not good enough for charity. I tended to hoarde things because I did not want to throw them out before Freecycle came along. This is why I bow down to freecycle. I have many friends who stay away because they gave away really nice stuff they later saw for sale. BUT I think they miss the point it is for stuff you view more as "trash" overall. EIther that or you have to take the risk - I find selling a hassle a lot of the time - if the people on freecycle want to turn around and sell my stuff I Could care less - just glad it is out of my hair! IF you want to ensure a little better you are helping the needy, try charity then.

It has amazed me how grateful those people have been for stuff I could really just throw out. One man's trash is another's treasure...

If I think I Can get upwards of $30 on a single item I will try to sell it though. The only thing I really have in this category is baby items. But most of them I bought used and will probably sell for about what I paid - woohoo. Even then I handed most of the baby stuff down to friends and relatives, have even freecycled nice stuff, but I have a big batch of stuff coming out of use soon and the relatives don't need anything, so I figured it was time we got a little money back because money has been tight.

You know what else I freecycle a lot, when I don't regift it? Gifts - LOL. We don't really buy much in the way of knick knacks and such but they always pour in around this time of year, and i promptly regift, donate and freecycle - hehe. There's probably a lot of nice stuff being freecycled around january...

[MonkeyMama]

I just had to add giving away items you already have purchased (sunk cost) is probably a pretty frugal way to give to charity? I always considered donating goods and time as a great alternative when you can not donate cash. see you are frugal after all!

Oh yeah - and I like freecycle because it take pretty much NO Effort on my part. With charity you have to go deliver it yourself - well depends I guess. I like freecycle because people will come pick it up the next day. Though I guess a lot of charities will pick up furniture and such. Even when I offer things to friends who knows when they will get around to picking it up - LOL.

[nanamom]

Frugality doesn't mean selfishness. Giving things away is great.

[tabbycat31]

I've given lots of stuff away in an effort to declutter. I'm a former shopaholic, and I'm just trying to purge my space.

I'd love to put everything on ebay, but I have no time to

[dossin1]

We give away at least 4 garbage bags of things every year. With kids, you accumulate so much stuff and there's no way or need to keep it all.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

there's frugal, and then there's downright cheap.

And then there is outright theft. If you are stealing TP from a public restroom to use at home, that's just plain wrong.

We certainly give stuff away. We donate our outgrown and outdated clothes, household items, toys, etc. to Goodwill and Purple Heart. When you have a kid who grows as fast as mine, you fill those give-away bags pretty quickly.

On the flip side, we also shop at Goodwill and another local thrift shop, so we benefit from other people's give-away stuff. No need to pay more that $4 or $5 for jeans, especially for my daughter who will outgrow them in a few months anyway.

[ChimbleySweep]

I try to give away if I can, like clothes or picture frames or whatever, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm newly wed and a new home owner, so I'm usually on the other end of the spectrum... I'm the one who is happy to take your used items!

[Fern]

I feel like i am giving away things on an ongoing basis. It started with a desire to declutter when i was going to sell my house, but even now i always seem to have old clothes or other items i don't want/need. Old books go to my local lilbrary. Good Will gets clothes and the church consignment shop gets misc items. If it's too large for the consignment shop, i give it away on freecycle, but people there aren't always reliable. Oh, and i give stuff to my mom, too, who is a 'hoarder."

[Aleta]

I gave away so much last year and I didn't itemize so, I didn't get a tax deduction. I decided this year to have the garage sale and by golly that's a pretty great thing to do because it makes you think about future purchased and what it would be worth if you had to sell it. I just don't buy crap anymore. It's alright to donate especially to a good cause but I know there are a lot of you out there that could probably use the money to start your EF fund or to pay debt probably on the thing you're donating.

[scfr]

cschin4, you are absolutely scoring points for frugality by giving things away! Good for you! By reducing the volume of your possesions:

1. You won't end up renting a storage space for your excess stuff. [Some people have storage spaces and can't even remember what is in it.]

2. You won't have to move to a bigger house because your stuff outgrew your current house.

3. If you do move, you won't have to rent a bigger truck just to hold all of your stuff.

When I want to reduce, I do sell things on Ebay or at a garage sale, but I also pass things along to family members or donate to charity.

If there are some items you want to get rid of and want to recoup some of the cost (but can't be bothered with selling it yourself - completely understandable), you may want to try one of the Ebay consigning services.

[fairy74]

I sell books or items that I think will bring a substantial return. Everything else I just give away. If I know someone is in need of something I will mention it to all my friends as well and usually someone has something to fill the need that they were going to have to take a Goodwill trip to donate. I prefer to give things to people I know.

[KellyJef]

Originally Posted by syracusa

I read somewhere on this forum about someone who was taking some extra toilet paper with her from public bathrooms so she/he (?) could use it at home and thus buy less TP.

That's not being frugal -- that's stealing

That toilet paper is put there for the user's consumption -- not for them to take home.

Geez.

[Ima saver]

We give lots of stuff away, we gave away 2 bicycles, dish washer that leaked a little, lots of items. I take books to the library We are going to have a garage sale someday and what is left over will be free. I think it is great to give things away!

[kimiko]

I only sell school text books, everything else go to Goodwill.

[titi]

I also often give stuff away. Most often it is clothes and shoes and generally it is unused ones. I very often buy things that are just not comfortable to wear and because of this I don't wear them but instead I give them to friends and relatives. Otherwise, I might have acquired by now the largest collection of one-time shoes and clothes.

I also give away new bags (again, when they are not the right ones for me), which I don't happen to buy as frequently as shoes but still it happens from time to time. Also PCs, mobiles and different sorts of electronics I don't need any more. I gave my oldest comp to my cousin, my old mobile to my mother, a pair of speakers to a neighbor, and so on. All of them are happy with what they have got and although I could still use the PC, the mobile and the speakers, I am also happy with what I did.