Are YOU Freecycling yet??

I recently (like yesterday) went shopping for some new clothing items to take on vacation with me. I don't particularly enjoy clothes shopping, but somehow I ended up with nearly $200 worth of new stuff, mostly shorts and semi-casual skirts and a bathing suit. Yes, I actually OWN a bathing suit for the first time in a long time. It's a little scary, but I'm feeling strong...

Anyway, one of our "house rules" is one in, one out. Every time we buy a new article of clothing, we try our best to get rid of an old one. It works well to keep the volume of clothing we have pretty stable so we never have to do a massive closet-cleanout. And guess what? More often than not, we end up getting rid of MORE items than we brought in new, so it's a double win!

So today, I offered up 12 tops, five jackets, four pairs of shorts, and six pairs of pants to the first person who wanted them from my local Freecycle group. If you aren't familiar with Freecycle, it's a fantastic online community where you join using your Yahoo ID and password, then you can begin posting items that you no longer need. Essentially, it's just a distribution list where you can tell those in your area of town that you have something to offer if they are willing to come pick it up. The stipulation is that everything offered must be offered FREE of charge. No trading, bartering or asking for money.

It's another option to Goodwill and the great part is that you never have to haul anything in your car. You just leave it outside on your porch and the person who claimed it will come pick it up. Simple. Check out Freecycle today and see if it doesn't make your decluttering a LOT easier and your garage, attic, basement and closets a lot emptier!