ADD or ADHD people tend to make impulsive decisions, buys, and often end up with items gathering dust and left unopened and unused. I am good at buying a duplicate of a previous item, because I forgot I had bought the item originally. So, if you have items you do not know what to do with and do not want to bother holding a garage sale or to sell the items on eBay - then look for your local freecycle group.
What is freecycle? Freecycle allowss people to recycle any object you no longer need, want, or should not have acquired in the first place. At freecycle you post the item on your freecycle group which usually covers several towns or zip codes in a combined area, but in a close proximity. In your email/post to the freecycle group you list the item you are offering, as this is an offer. Be sure to accurately describe what you are offering to those who may need it, and include information like color, condition, and any known issues with the item. Always be completely honest regarding the condition of the items you offer others. If it is broke that is ok, as long as you post that it is broke in your original email, many people use broke items to get parts for another item.
What else can you post at freecycle? All the items your kids have outgrown or lost intrest in, including bikes, cloths, toys, and beds, just to name a few. If you like to recycle but have items you do not know what to do with and do not want to take time to hold a garage sale or sell the items on eBay, then look for a local freecycle group. Freecycle is free recycling of any object you no longer need, want, or should have acquired in the first place. You post the item on your freecycle group which usually covers several towns or zip codes in a combined area. In your email/post to the freecycle group you are providing an offer. In your freecycle email you describe what you are offering to those who may need it, and you should include information like color, condition, and any known issues with the item and include your pick up by deadline.
After you send your post you will receive responses from people interested in the item and you can decide who will win your offer. I personally feel the first person who responds should get first choice but I am unsure of how everyone else makes their choice. Although I hold onto emails of anyone interested in the item, so if the first person backs out I am ready to give it the next person on the list. I am getting ready to list my house on the market and have many larger items I do not wish to continue allowing to take up room at my house but at the same time do not want to sit in a landfill, as the items are still in good working condition, yet I do not hold garage sales.
So I this week I listed the following items at Freecycle and all were gone that night and the next day. The items included a large hutch which sits upon a girl's dresser with 3 drawers, a vacuum, a tall storage metal tower, a treadmill, a set of hooked on phonics, a 5 gallon water dispenser, and a white three bin plastic storage bin, and a large wired dog crate. Already I have so much more room. I usually leave the items on my front porch and let people google my address so there is minimal work on my part. Try it today and make room in your home immediately. I hate to throw things out and I hate to keep what I do not need which takes up time and space to have around.
If someone does not show up at the time agreed upon, you can repost the item, or respond to another email who was interested in the item when you first posted the item. I will report people to the list owner who say they will get something and never show up. These are called no shows. Remember one man's junk is another man's treasure, and at freecycle that should be their motto! Go to Freecycle and find a local group today and begin to regain control over the clutter in your home.
Applied Chaos
- Erika Lyn Smith
- Midwestern USA
- Applied Chaos is how life feels living with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or ADHD. This theory is definately put to the test when three AD/HD people live under the same roof. I am an AD/HD mom raising two AD/HD children and being mom is the most extraordinary experience of my lifetime. My husband WES, is NOT AD/HD and most days the three of us make his head spin. YET he is sooooo amazingly patient, despite the unannounced and sudden mood shifts that can occur when something that should be simple is not. That is the hardest part of living with AD/HD. When things that should be simple are not. I have little tolerance for my downfalls. Sheer frustration can lead to angry outbursts when I have once again misplaced my cell phone, the house phone, any number of bills, the car keys, the dog, or my portable brain (calendar)!
