I know I haven't updated you lately, but we are still at it, and our number is now...

561!

Eeep. Ok, we are getting behind, but we are home the whole month of June and this cluttered den of chaos is begging for a heave ho. I still kind of think I can make it to a thousand by the end of the month.

Also, when I look at that number, I feel both proud and super embarrassed- 500 things? And that's just what we gave away! I want to have simplicity in our life, but it seems like I just can't quite make it happen.

Anyway, other than one big haul of baby stuff, we have mostly  been giving things away one or two at a time (I did donate a huge hoard of pipe cleaners too, but I counted it as one. Otherwise, we would be up like 60 more). A lot of what has gone out has been weird stuff. Today, I gave away a pile of saucers to cups we donated years ago. One of my awesome neighbors took this creepy skull, a remnant of an Indiana Jones movie marathon from years ago. Some nursing nightgowns are headed out.

This is why I LOVE Buy Nothing. If I just donated all of this stuff to a big store like Goodwill, I don't know that it could ever find its owner. Some poor woman would think she was getting a normal nightgown, and then she wouldn't be able to keep those nipples in.

By using my Buy Nothing Group, I find just the person who needs just what I am gifting, And because they are my neighbors, I can be sure I am not giving this skull to an actual murderer (mostly sure, anyway). Donating things is still way ahead of throwing them away, but the more you can do Freecycle and Buy Nothing the more sure you are that the object still has lots of life ahead of it.

Ok, I will check in at the end of July with my awe-inspiring new number (let's hope)!