‘Tis the season to jettison the clutter that’s clogging your closets, basements, and garages and gumming up your feng shui.
First stop: Freecycle, with city-specific listservs on which folks can post things they want to give away and plead for things they seek. I’m a huge fan. I’ve unloaded speakers, stereo components, a cooler, a box spring, foam pads, light bulbs, and a beige shower-curtain rod to grateful Seattleites, and I’ve scored a good-quality queen-sized bed, an old-school TV, and a boom box. Freecycle makes people feel happy and munificent. (Read more joyful Freecycling stories!)
And now I’ve heard tell of a site and system called Throwplace. It looks to be a more complicated version of Freecycle, but with the added benefit that you can specifically direct your still-usable cast-offs to nonprofits and even get a receipt and corresponding tax deduction. If you end up trying it out, please report back on your adventures.
