Books, Magazines, DVDs, CDs, Cassette Tapes, VHS, Records, Laser Disks--what all do you have?
WHERE YOU CAN DONATE BOOKS:
- Donate books to your local library. Oftentimes, libraries have "Friends of the Library" volunteers who will pick up boxes of books if you have a large donation. This is a wonderful service for an estate clean-out, for example.
- Take kids' books to your local dr office/ER. Waiting rooms are hard for parents--help keep kids entertained!
- Preschools and Elementary Schools LOVE kids' book donations. You can also see if there is a mobile library in your local town to donate to! I remember LOVING the mobile library as a kid--it was such a special treat to get on the van and pick out books. One town I lived in even had a converted caboose turned into a kids' library.
- Give some small, not heavy, good books to the homeless! They will welcome the distraction and entertainment! You can take books directly to a homeless shelter or hand out books to the next persons you see at a stoplight with a sign. Homeless people cannot check out books at a library because they don't have an address to get a library card. You have to bring in an ID and two utility bills with your name on them in order to get a library card. Most homeless, I believe, find it very challenging to even get a photo ID because of the same problem of not having a home address.
- Did you know? Animal Shelters and Animal Rescue Groups have started a cool new trend--kids reading to shelter pets! The Concord, CA (in San Francisco East Bay) public library even hosts a day once a month where kids read to dogs awaiting adoption! The kids boost their reading levels while the furbabies get much-needed attention.
MY MAGAZINE HOARD--WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL OF THEM?
Most people have a giant stack of magazines laying around, in multiple heaps--in this magazine holder by the bed, in this rack by the tv, this stack on the dining table....
First thing's first. Grab up ALL of the magazines in the entire house, and sort them into three piles: magazines you want to read, continue your subscription, and magazines that you don't want to continue your subscription.
Second Step: Unsubscribe to any magazines you no longer want/enjoy. Simply call the number on the back of the magazine. Put the phone on speaker and enjoy skimming/reading the magazines you DO want to read while you work on the unsubscribe stack. As you read, you may discover that you're no longer all that into Cosmo after all. I know I'm less into Redbook magazine--most of it is just ads and beauty and cooking--none of which I'm into. I used to LOVE Redbook for the articles, but now it's about selling, selling, selling. I want CONTENT, not ads!
Third Step: Once you've purged your already-read magazines, magazines you have no interest in, and the ones you KNOW realistically you'll never get to, you can either throw them all in your recycle bin and be done, or put in your car immediately, and take them to your local hospital or urgent care or ER. Simply drop off at the front desk, volunteer's station, or simply disperse the magazines yourself throughout the waiting room. You can tear off your name/mailing addy on the magazine cover. People will appreciate the distraction and added variety of magazines--doesn't matter if the magazines are from 2+ years ago.
COOKBOOK AND RECIPE CRAZINESS
Cookbook purge--awesome time of year for it! Take to local high school or college for home economics classes. Drop off at your local culinary school, library, or church. Donate them to a fundraising sale. Goodwill accepts Cookbooks, and Goodwill is open 9am--9pm, M-Sat and open Sun till 7pm. There's no excuse why you can't donate the cookbooks you no longer need/want/use.
Recycle any cut-out recipes or notes you simply have no desire to make.
Family recipes passed down to you, but you don't cook/bake? Give to another relative who does. If no one else, go ahead and put them in your Treasure/Memory Box and store out-of-the-way. Clear up that much-needed kitchen space!
YELLOWBOOKS AND OTHER PHONE DIRECTORIES
We are accustomed to getting them once to twice every single year. So we think it's just a household item to always have around. When was the last time you actually USED one? Or are you more likely to search on your computer or smart phone on google or Yelp for contact information? Time to RECYCLE. Especially if the books are out-dated.
DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, THESAURUS BOOKS, OTHER REFERENCE BOOKS
Same rule of thumb for phone directories as it is for reference books. A) Will you take seconds to search on Google, Yelp, an app, Wikipedia, or will you go to your bookshelf, search for the book, pull it out, and search the book for the answer? B) Is it an out-dated reference book?
VHS, LASER DISKS, CASSETTE TAPES
These dinosaurs have no re-sale value and are no longer in general use. Ask your local trash pick-up company if these items are recyclable. Download songs/movies you still want to own. Make a list as you purge.
NEWSPAPERS
For the holidays, use newspapers as wrapping paper. Wrapping paper isn't recyclable, so using actual recyclable material is awesome! Brown bags and newspapers--think comics, sci-fi, cooking, interesting articles for shits and giggles for your giftee. Wrap the comics or obituaries for a birthday!
NOSTALGIC RECORD ALBUMS
If you were keeping them for their re-sale value, go ahead now and check if what you own truly has any financial value. Are they worth selling? Donate if not.
Download the songs you want if keeping the record format doesn't matter to you all that much.
Find cool ways to turn your records into DIY Art! Click HERE for awesome ideas on Pinterest.
Keep your very top few records in your Memory/Treasure Box and donate the rest.
Where to donate old record albums? Google to see if there is a local spot. Call your Goodwill to see if they take them. I've been finding it increasingly difficult to find a place that takes them because there is no re-sale value in most of them.
If you are a collector, check out cool ways to display your large record collection HERE or search on Pinterest!
