MicheleAnne's Profile

I have had some luck selling bigger things on craigslist. My advice: try to time your sales around local events.
For example, I live in Reno, NV and each August, we get thousands of people in town for Burning Man, a festival out in the desert a few hours from here. Reno is the nearest airport and we get visitors from around the world. Last year, I unloaded 2 old crappy recliners and a huge heavy fan to "Burners" (1 local guy and a group from Chicago) who would likely throw them away afterward (the dust at BM is legendary), which is what I was about to do with those eyesores.
Regarding small things, I have done the yard sale thing, and it is tiring but kind of fun in a way. The sad thing was, I had such a hard time donating my leftovers. First, the pickup truck from a local thrift store no-showed. Then, I called a women's shelter, and their donation storage was full. They referred me to a nonprofit women's rehab, who were also over capacity. They suggested Big Brothers Big Sisters, who can take a lot of donations because they sell their stuff to Savers. But they couldn't do a pickup.
I decided that, while I need the yard sale monetary proceeds, I also need a simple way to get rid of clutter (I live in a house that rents rooms to young adults, mostly college students and unbelievable amounts of stuff gets left behind after every moveout).
My new idea is that I will do a 2 day sale (Friday and Saturday, because Sundays are a total waste of time) and will advertise on craigslist, Facebook, everything. I will choose no more than 20 nice, big ticket items to price according to their value, and everything else (most of the clutter is clothing) is 50 cents each, take it or leave it. Stuff gets gone, I get money. I hope it works out.

Such an important concept, I need to work on it myself. Thanks for the inspirational butt kick!

Eh, I don't usually save them. When I'm reading a book, the dust cover is such a pain in the neck, always falling off, getting ripped, etc. I can usually see if I have read a book or not by whether it still has the dust cover.
As far as selling/resale value concerns, my old books typically end up 1) "lent" to a friend, 2) sold at a yard sale, or 3) sold in bulk to a local used book shop who pays $1-$2 per paper grocery bag, so I am not terribly concerned with it.
I have elementary aged siblings who like to do collages, so they are happy recipients of the cool artwork and interesting letters.

Where I live (Reno, NV), we have a great nonprofit called New 2 U Computers. http://new2ucomputers.org/
They accept old equipment for refurbishment and/or recycling, and give jobs to local people with disabilities. They accept old cords, which they either sell with their refurbished electronics or recycle.
I recently dropped off a load. They charge a $5 donation for recycling things like CRT monitors and televisions, I think. But that just covers their costs and seems to be less than taking the items to a recycling business.

What beautiful pieces! I think your grandfather would be delighted that it is being used. Your letter doesn't say if he is still around, but if he is, why not ask him if he would mind? There might be another relative who wants them the way they are, and he might prefer that.

You mention that they are too deep for normal books, but too short for big books. I am a fan of stacking big books on their side. You can group similar-sized books together, or group them by color. Stack the books so that larger ones are on the bottom. That is how I store my cookbook collection/hoard.

I like to make a vinegar and baking soda "paste" to smear on the range hood and allow to sit for a while for truly nasty grease buildup

Sometimes, I save very sentimental ones. Like the ones the vet sends after a pet passes away, or very touching birthday/Christmas cards. But I just usually reuse the front of the card as a postcard to send to friends the next year, with a message written on the back.

Oh, most definitely! Growing up, I lived with my grandparents for several months at a time quite often. My grandma loved owls, and she had this particular owl picture hanging in her home. I see that exact owl picture at thrift stores all the time, and it always makes me smile.
She is passed away now and I am considering buying the owl picture next time I see one at a thrift store. It's actually an extremely 70s picture and appeals to my sense of kitsch... Hmm

What a beautiful room!
But I do agree that this sort of conceptual post that suggests an idea like "put a bolt in your ceiling!" without offering any sort of practical instruction are really missing an opportunity. A simple list of supplies and basic directions are really all it needs.

I just recently hosted my first swap party at my house. I invited some female friends and encouraged them to all bring things that another woman would like. We mostly had clothes and accessories, but we also got some books, unused toiletries, and household items. I took the leftovers to the Big Brothers Big Sisters donation center. Everyone had fun, and I plan to do it every 2 months. I am bound to get a slightly different crowd each time, and I am considering encouraging themes, such as "Santa Screwed Up," where we can trade presents we didn't really love, for January and "Back to School," where we can trade school supplies and books for September. The themes are, of course, just suggestions, and everyone is simply encouraged to bring things that other guests might like.