So as I have mentioned, I am currently between roommates. My roommate moved out in November, and my new roommate is moving in sometime in late-July. While I’m a little sad to be giving up my solo life, I’m glad that someone else will be around, and glad to have the help with the rent for sure.
When my last roommate moved in, it was pretty quick, and I sort of cleared space for her at a rapid clip. That meant that a lot of things that I should have sorted through just got tossed into bins and boxes and squirreled away. What I should have done was go through things and decide what I did and didn’t need to keep. When I moved into this apartment, I had just finished law school (and the bar exam). I had a lot of things (supplies, clothing) that were geared more toward a graduate student’s life than toward my new life.
When said roommate moved out, I sort of unpacked all the boxes and put things back into the extra room. Sure, I went through some things, but hey, I had the space, so why bother going through everything with a fine toothed comb? But now that I have to clean out the room again, I’ve decided to start looking at what I have. I’m doing it in small chunks, a shelf here, a drawer there. It’s much easier than saying “Everything in this closet must be reviewed today.”
I’ve discovered that I still have a lot of school supplies. Binders, notebooks, paper, binder clips, pens, highlighters, post-it notes, etc. Lots and lots of school supplies. And yet I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. Do I plan to go back to school anytime soon? Nope. But I can’t just throw it out. It still has value! I do okay getting rid of books because I can swap them or donate them. But I can’t just trash something that still has use. It feels so wasteful! Now that doesn’t mean that I’m saving trash or any of the other stereotypical things that hoarders tend to keep, but I’m struggling to throw out things that still can be used.
Clearly, I should do something about this, see if I know anyone who might be able to use this stuff. I have a friend starting grad school in the fall. Maybe she could use a box of highlighters.
Or check with the local schools – most of the time, teachers buy extra school supplies for their classes with their own money, so any extra supplies you can donate are greatly appreciated!
When the school year starts up again in August, many organizations solicit donations for school supplies for families who aren’t able to afford them. Maybe gather a box of the nicest stuff for those organizations and find out if a teacher’s association or maybe a local daycare could make use of some of the half used stuff?
I’m with the above ladies on the school thing- great idea!
“Use” is in the eye of the beholder. You might not think of the interior bags of cereal boxes as useful, but I know a hoarder who does.
Not being able to get rid of things that might someday have use is actually one of the signs of hoarding. I agree with the commentators – see if there is someone you can give them to. Rather than trashing stuff, it can get used – just by someone else.
Best to try to donate the stuff and take the tax deduction. That way you save some money and someone else can ejoy the items!
Donate to a school, church or boys/girls club. They can find a use for this! If you call a local hospital they might want some supplies for the kids that stay there as well. Don’t toss it… but definitely don’t hold on to it for no reason!
I seventh the donation idea. Lots of churchs and boys/girls clubs are looking for supplies right now for summer camps/vbs. Also–if you have a community college in your area, you may want to donate the supplies to the student success program. There are a lot of people going back to school right now who don’t have much of anything–they could use a binder or some supplies to help them out. (I teach at a cc and it is amazing how many students cannot afford basic supplies).
I’m doing an ebay purge at the moment. I’m just putting everything on ebay (like staplers i’ll never use) if you get 20cents for it’s still better than throwing it away.
We need to all do a better job of just giving things away. An alternative is to sell it on ebay or at a garage sale. Either way, it is probably just cluttering up your home so it is time to move on.
I agree…just take the tax deduction and move on. You will feel so much better once you get rid of everything.
Call local schools to see if they can use the items. Also, why not just take them to your own office? We have a supply closet at ours, and I’ve had a good time bringing in excess things we have at home for everyone else to enjoy. Or post them on Craigslist or Freecycle. There are other students out there who would surely take these things off your hands.
Just donate it and take the tax deduction. Many folks don’t realize that this can really help them out. It’s usually best to just get the deduction and move on.