Day 70 – My Mom loved a good yard sale, garage sale or rummage sale. Whether, she was trying to sell something or purchase a remarkable find, she enjoyed it all. I even hosted a couple yard sales myself, knowing how much she loved them. I have no problem donating unwanted items. I don’t feel the time spent on having a yard sale is worth the money gained. However, I learned, through those yard sales, that my Mom wasn’t in it for the money. All she wanted to do was to connect with people. She wanted to make sure that her “beloved belongings” were going to go to someone who would care for them like she did. The little money she did make would go to the rental of a table at a local rummage sale, where she could do it all over again.

Today’s post reminded me of my Mom, because it’s about making connections and giving away things you don’t need to those that do or finding something for free, without having to purchase something new.

Have you heard about websites like Free Cycle?

“The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 5,343 groups with 9,044,639 members around the world, and next door to you. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and neighborhoods. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers (them’s good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on ‘Browse Groups’ above the search box.” – FreeCycle.org

You can also find various groups in your neighborhood on Facebook. I’m a member of the Lincoln Square Free Box group, just one of many in the area. Not only are you giving things away, but you also might find a thing or two. For someone like myself that really likes shiny and new, making the change to using something second hand, will be a bit of adjustment.

Being the third child of four, many of my things were handed down from my older sisters. As a young adult, I got in the habit of purchasing new, because it felt nice to have something someone else didn’t use before me. Now, that I am an older adult, I’m learning to be more frugal.

So, before you go out or log on to make a purchase, think twice before checking out. Maybe someone in your neighborhood is looking to pass on that very same thing to someone else who could use it. Also, before you toss out an item that you think has served its purpose, find out if anyone else could give it a second life. Take some time to make connections with your neighbors, you will feel good in doing so and so will the planet.

Tomorrow, razors and the options you have to be more friendly to the planet.