I had drafted a post about days 4-8 of my 15 day decluttering challenge (getting rid of 7 things per day) but you probably don’t need or want to know exactly what I gave away. Suffice it to say that it was frighteningly easy to find 7 things to donate, sell or give away for every day of the exercise, and I liked it so much that I’m still trying to purge every day. Some things I learned:
- You can opt out of credit card and insurance offers in the mail by going to OptOutPrescreen.com.
- You can donate gently used bras and even clean underwear to organizations like AmVets; The Bra Recyclers recycle bras and distribute them to women in need around the world. Women’s shelters also frequently have use for bras.
- DMAChoice.org has a list of direct mail companies and how to contact them for removal from mailing lists.
- Go to YellowPagesOptOut.com to opt out of receiving the phone book.
- You can get good resale value on recognized labels on eBay. I have a lot of items from Anthropologie, Free People, J. Crew and Barneys New York in my closet, and have made over $300 in the past 30 days selling items that are still in good, wearable condition. It’s also a good, disciplined way to manage my closet — using the funds I get from selling my old clothes, I can buy new ones — fewer in number as a sort of self-regulated replenishment.
- Converse recycles old sneakers at its stores, any brand, and makes them into soft surfaces for use on playgrounds.
Judging my the number of fancy, lacy bras in my drawer, at some point I must have anticipated becoming a burlesque dancer before veering slightly left into the world of venture-backed commerce. In any case, many of these gems were barely, if at all, worn, and had excellent resale value on eBay. One recently sold for over $20 after waiting patiently in my drawer to see the light of day. Somewhere, a burlesque dancer is happy with her bargain.
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