I hate waste

[tabbycat31]

Originally Posted by cschin4

I thrwo "good stuff" away all the time. If I am not going to use it, then to me it is just clutter. I see no point in keeping something that I am not going to use. I tried the yard sale thing. It was a big hassle , i didn't make much and most went unsold and went to Good will. I also take boxes of stuff to Good will. However, our local GoodWill has ridiculously high prices for used things you can buy brand new at Walmart so I got tired of enriching them as well. That angered me because they get the stuff for free and are basically preying on the poor. So, now I will give some of it to friends, the rest I just toss in the trash. The trashman can pick it up if he wants it. Otherwise, good riddance.

In my area, the local SPCA has a thrift shop. Since I'm really into animal welfare, that's who gets the stuff I'm throwing out.

However flea markets are also big here, and now especially (since I'm newly unemployed), I may pay the $10 for a table and see what I can unload there.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by tabbycat31

However flea markets are also big here, and now especially (since I'm newly unemployed), I may pay the $10 for a table and see what I can unload there.

There are also plenty of regular flea market dealers who advertise in local papers who will be glad to come by and pick up your unwanted but usable items and pay you for them. They will then resell them. There are also auction houses where you can bring your stuff to be sold on your behalf and you get a cut of the sales.

Many, many options that are better than tossing the stuff to the curb.

[tabbycat31]

not to mention, when you toss things to the curb, a lot of people come and take it (most of my furniture was acquired that way)

[LuxLiving]

To me there is a VAST difference in setting something on the curb with a free sign on it rather than wastefully tossing it in a trash can.

[Scanner]

I am going to against the Frugalmeister Packrats here and tell you all that there comes a time and place for throwing out that old dry rotted rocking chair that your 35 year old child used when he was little and all those pencils you accumulated from freebies that your kids got as Christmas stocking stuffers but never used.

It costs money, time, and space to store crap, not to mention the mental energy it costs.

Oprah did a show on Hoarders and I am sorry I missed it - I did want to look into the secret lives of hoarders and figure out what's going on in their/your heads

[Scanner]

Here. . .I think everyone except cschin and I need some psychotherapy:

Why do People Become Compulsive Hoarders?

[LuxLiving]

I am not a compulsive hoarder Scanner. I sell most of that kind of good junque' in my antique booth, or I donate it to the local women's shelter if it's still usable. What they don't use they sell in their own garage sale each year. Other items go frequently to Goodwill. I offer things on Freecycle occasionally and sell others on Craigslist. I am a proponent of Flylady.net and declutter on a regular ongoing basis.

However, I do not toss usable goods into the trash.

[Scanner]

Seriously, DisneySteve. . .the forum sort of all knows me a little by now and I try to use some humor to make my points.

Let your office manager throw out the pens and sticky note pads from the drug reps cluttering up your office and closets. It's her job to keep your office organized and you are interfering with her job with some value system you have.

I know you are the boss but let her do her job and let her have her territory. It works with my staff. They know I like my treatment rooms a certain way and they don't mess with that and I generally stay out of their way and let them run the front desk. I know not to touch anything up there.

I used to micromanage but I almost entirely macromanage, unless a new employee is very needy.

Speaking as a virtual friend. . .hope I didn't offend.

[Scanner]

I am not a compulsive hoarder Scanner.

It will be hard to get you to overcome your strong sense of denial.

[LuxLiving]

You'll have to keep trying!

I do fight to keep things moving out of my house and often wonder who is dragging it in here. I did visit an older wealthy neighbors house once and wondered at her ability to only have a single chair, single picture, single table & one small TV as the only items in her large living room. It seemed mighty cold and lifeless in there to me. I do like my rooms cozy, but not overpacked.

Now books, those I seem to have a hard time passing along!

[money2009]

What's the general rule I've heard in the past. If you haven't touched it in over a year throw it away?

I used to be a compulsive hoarder, but to be honest I almost feel a sense of relief when I get rid of stuff anymore. Too much clutter isn't good.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Scanner

Seriously, DisneySteve. . .the forum sort of all knows me a little by now and I try to use some humor to make my points.

Let your office manager throw out the pens and sticky note pads from the drug reps cluttering up your office and closets.

No offense taken. Trust me. I am not easily offended.

As I've said many times, I work in a very poor area. Periodically, when we have an abundance of stuff we simply don't need, we have put a box of stuff in the waiting room with a FREE sign on it. It is usually all gone in a day. To give the school kids a few pens is a big deal to them. One less thing they need to buy. I'd much rather do that than throw things out. We do the same with the cartons of skin creams we get. Everybody loves being able to take some free moisturizer.

A few times, I have taken a bag of pens over to my post office. They are always in need of them because customers walk off with them. Since I used to go regularly when I was doing ebay, they were very appreciative. I've also donated pens to a couple of other places when we were overflowing with them.

I think there are many, many better options than the trash bin.

[rob62521]

Hey, DisneySteve! Any chance you could have the same office manager maybe call a local school and offer these items? Our students are always in need of pens, pencils, papers, and we use sticky notes for reading...kids use them to mark places in the story looking for specifics things. Maybe if she saw these items leaving the office, but still being used for good, she's be less likely to pitch them. I have a friend at a local credit union that often offers me things for school like pens and pads of paper and I go and pick them up for the kids to use.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by rob62521

Hey, DisneySteve! Any chance you could have the same office manager maybe call a local school and offer these items? Our students are always in need of pens, pencils, papers, and we use sticky notes for reading...kids use them to mark places in the story looking for specifics things. Maybe if she saw these items leaving the office, but still being used for good, she's be less likely to pitch them. I have a friend at a local credit union that often offers me things for school like pens and pads of paper and I go and pick them up for the kids to use.

rob, if I was the boss, these things wouldn't happen. I am not, however, so I really have no control over this person other than to make the occasional comment about maybe doing something differently. Heck, if I was the boss, this person wouldn't be an employee, but that's a whole other conversation.

[rob62521]

I hear you on the fact your hands are tied, Disneysteve.

[scfr]

it does seem sad to waste perfectly good resources when someone else could use them. Why not just put the things she doesn't want in a box and write "free" on it to see if someone can put it to use?

In my old office building, several offices on our floor used to put things out in the hallway for others to take if they liked.

[marvholly]

The computer I am currently using was a "dumpster dive" in 2001. It was 1-2 y/o back then. My late hubby "rescuced" it , intstalled a new hard drive ($30) and programmer SIL has updated the operating system a couple times.

It still works pretty good.

Last time my work cleaned out the files they put the file folders & pentaflex dividers in a BIG box in the lunch room. Took nearly a week but the stuff all found new homes.

Another thing we have BUNCHES of regularly is 1 lb, 5 lb and 25 lb empty heavy duty plastic containers. I have trouble finding new homes for these except my own adult kids and they generally do not want the 1 lb. I brought some home last week & will use to store rice, lentils & dry beans.

[pjmama]

I think my biggest pet peeve is the amount of food thrown away at a restaurant! It's amazing to me how many people leave sometimes over half of thier meal on thier plate and I have to throw it away. Why couldn't they take it home? And I'm not talking about things that go bad either, but also things like goldfish crackers (which come with all the sandwiches at my restaurant). Garnishes and things also to me seem incredibly wasteful... but people want thier food to look pretty and all... ugh.

[irmanator]

A lot of people in my town will put out a free box in the front yard a couple days before the trash pickup. That gives people an opportunity to get it before it goes. My volunteers of America thrift store is very high priced too. I don't like to donate there unless absolutly no one i know wants whatever it is.