waste not.

Happy February 4th! What's happy about it, you ask? We'll tell you! We just got rid of a bunch of closet-dwelling junk that was making us seriously claustrophobic. Old toasters, twin bedding, bio books and reams of hot pink paper begone! How did we do it, you ask? Did we pay one of those junk removal companies to come pick it all up and do whatever it is they do (what DO they do with that stuff?) with it? Pssht. No, ma'am. You underestimate our capacity for thrift. We used Freecycle.org's Cambridge-based Yahoo!Group page to find people who actually wanted our stuff and were willing to come get it from us. We traded one guy for a spiffy colander he was unloading. Huzzah! Why didn't WE think of this?

Using Freecycle was easy and rewarding. We signed in with our own Yahoo! account info (though not all Freecycle groups are hosted by Yahoo!Groups), we posted our stuff, and a few days later, we can see the floor of our closet again. Most importantly, though, using Freecycle helps keep stuff out of landfills. Recently posted (and immediately taken... you gots to be fast): a bag of pig's ears, a Brita water filter, a bag of beads and a green velvet couch. Nice.

We see that box of stuff in its original packaging lurking beneath your bed. You're never going to use any of it. Ever. For serious. We know, we know; you're waiting to have a yard sale! Please. You've been saying that for two years now. And even if you did get it together enough to have one, how much do you think you're going to get for a sleeve of Betty Boop Titleists? Just go to Freecycle.org, enter your location, post your junk, and you're clutter-free, kid. Or, you could end up living like this. Just sayin'.