Garage sales make me absolutely bonkers. I mark things down so much each item really ought to be gift-wrapped. But still I’ll get a request to lower my prices. For example, a brand-new-in-the-box $50 electric ice cream maker (we got two for gifts one time) was marked as $3 and someone insisted I sell it for $1. My response: “Well, how about $4?” See, that’s what I do, add in their offer to my original price—it flabbergasts people and they aren’t sure what to think. Obviously, I don’t deal at all well with garage sales.
Anyway, forget the garage sale. I can do something worthy with our stuff by making charitable donations. I made arrangements and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America came by on Friday, so that pile is now gone. A different charitable organization is selected each time the purging mood descends upon me.
© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved
Now I’m purging my fabric and yarn stash. Yes, sacrilege, I know, but my enthusiasm for crafting has exceeded the bounds of realism. Thus the stuff has to go. There are charities that can use such things.
The joys of seasonal cleaning are all encompassing, aren’t they?
Resources
Here are but a few charities that welcome fabrics and yarns:
- Care Wear
- Charity Craft Volunteer Network
- CUREchief
- Project Linus
- Tips and Tricks for Donating Your Fabric article
8 comments:
Good for you, in all ways! The quilting group that I sew with every Monday (since Hurricane Katrina) wouldn't be possible without others cleaning out their stash, their mother's, grandmother's, wive's, and sometimes even great-grandmother's! It's all we can do to buy batting, thread etc.and of course quilt ;) We love charitable donations and we give back in full kind with lovely quilts to a multitude of causes. The gifts that keep on giving are the best kind!!!
I thought I was the only one doing fall cleaning, since I never did get around to doing my spring cleaning!
I too am donating items with a weekly trip to the Goodwill. I think half of the store is filled with my old stuff. I also hate garage sales, so I donate instead of trucking all the stuff outside for a measly $25.00. If I ever have another one, I'll try your tactic by adding their offer to the price. That is awesome!
Oh my, June, I would have been THRILLED to give you $3 for a brand new ice cream maker! I guess some people feel they always have to bargain on the price no matter what!
I never had a yard sale but I do donate all my unwanted clothes, toys, and small knick knacks to several local religious and veterans organizations that collect them to sell to use the profits for their soup kitchens or outreaches. It's so much better than sending them to a garbage dump somewhere!
Your story made me laugh. We had a yard sale last weekend and met a few characters. One person offered a nickel on a 10 cent item! I started to give it to him a little and my husband said to take it so that we can tell someone we sold a nickel item. LOL.
However, I must confess that we made quite a bit of needed money at our yard sale and cleaned out the basement, too.
My son had a lemonade stand and made a killing in his own right.
Good for you June! When you're done, are you for hire? I desperately need to get some cleaning out done around here but I don't seem to have any free weekends in the forsee-able future. And then the holidays will be here before we know it....{sigh}. Until then, I will revel in your clean closets!
I always feel good when some purging is done - I really think it helps me be more creative at times. And I'm with you, I'd rather just give something away than go to all that bother to sell things for nickles and dimes.
Okay, next time I have a yard sale, I've got to remember that trick! LOL
I can't believe how cheap people can be.
Great idea donating to charities though...good for you.
)O(
boo
Must admit I gasped when I read you were paring down your stash pile but you did the right thing. Its kind of liberating isnt it to reduce the amount of "stuff" around you
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