When we "get rid" of most of the stuff in our homes, we tend to placate ourselves with the idea that we are passing it on to someone who "needs" it, or, wants it. Many of us may be simply consoling ourselves with an untruth. Much of what people get rid of is of very little use to others in our country. Most Americans have so very much stuff already that they are not in need of our cast off stuff. Some of it is bound to end up in the hands of hoarders and those who just cannot resist something that is free or cheap. But, of course, the idea is to get it out of our house, so---
Some things do have an ongoing value and use. But, much of what Americans consume is not worthy of being passed on to someone else. There are those things that do find a happy and useful life after they leave your house, but, there are so many, many of them that are completely useless.
I have no doubt that the dumpsters at the Goodwill are full of trash that has been dumped at their door.
When we send something merrily on it's way to the charity or church yard sale, is it really on it's way to a new and useful life?
I used to shop the Goodwill for used clothing. Now, most of the stuff in the Goodwill is not worth the buck and half that they want for it. Americans have been buying and casting off such low quality clothing that it just pure cleaning rags anymore. And, no, it is not because Americans have been holding on to clothing because of the bad economy and only get rid of it after having worn it all out. It is not because more people are shopping at Goodwill and the better stuff gets picked over. It has nothing to do with economy. It has purely to do with the fact that the clothes we buy in the stores are of such low quality and are so disposable. If it is of poor quality when it is new, it is of poorer quality on the Goodwill rack. So, the used value of it is pretty low.
The same lack of value is true for much of what we get rid of. Much of it was just useless junk in the first place.
Of course, sometimes that collection of craft stuff finds it's way to someone who will actually use it. That boogie board in the garage will end up at the beach. That winter coat will find it's way on to the back of some child that needs it. But, much of what we get rid of is of dubious value to anyone else.
Once it leaves our house in the process of decluttering, does it really find that useful life and love that we hope it will? I think not, usually. I am sure that some of you can relate some stories of a rewarding handing down of something. Most of it is never heard from again.
What do you think?
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Posted 8 months ago #
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Having talked to the staff at one of the UK charity shops I use there is a use for most of what they are given. The UK resaleable items are either put in their shop or sent to a central depot for redistribution to their other shops, anything identified at the depot as not suitable for the UK market but still has use is selected for cultural appropriateness and sold on to traders across the world for resale. Any fabric items left are sent for rag processing, books go to book warehouses and may eventually be pulped for reuse. Electricals get tested and resold or recycled for materials. So I do feel that the stuff I clear out has a decent chance of future utility.
Do you really know what happens to the stuff you donate to Goodwill?
Posted 8 months ago # -
I do think you have a point, genny. Most of what is in the charity shops is a similar price to what you can buy new at Primark.
I think that serial buying followed by serial uncluttering is just as irresponsible as any other type of consumerism, and actually quite dishonest. I reckon that some people get a kick out of both the buying and the getting rid, and that is really dangerous - both financially and morally.
I'm allowing myself to feel good about my last bits of uncluttering as my life changes - my nest is now empty and we've downsized our living space drastically - but if I find myself going through the whole process again in the near future I will need to face the fact that I've fallen prey to advertising and consumerism, even if the stuff was bought cheap or at a charity shop.
Posted 8 months ago # -
My experience is different than yours.
We have one suburban Goodwill that has such high-quality clothing that my friends call it the "Gucci Goodwill." Friends who have shopped there have found (and now proudly wear) department-store clothing with the original tags still on. Well, they take the tags off before they wear it :) I know that the clothing I have donated to Goodwill is stuff I would wear myself if it fit or was more flattering on me. It will certainly fit and flatter someone else.
I chat with most of the people I give stuff to on freecycle. In probably a hundred transactions I only ran into one person who made me feel uncomfortable -- that perhaps she was a hoarder or running a flea market booth. I've unloaded some high quality things, but also some odd stuff that was junk to me but treasure to someone else.
Two examples: A co-workers got stuck in traffic on her way to a vigil and a case of candles melted in her trunk. I advertised them on freecycle and a scout leader took them so her troop could make "buddy burners." Our kitchen cabinets had dated molding on them. I pulled it all off and advertised it on freecycle. A picture framer snapped it up to make frames.
A good percentage, I suspect, of the things that are given away are just excess -- we have too much, periodically purge it, then fill the space with more stuff that will eventually get purged. But some of it is because of changes in circumstances -- death, divorce, merging households, changing interests, children growing, dieters shrinking, unwanted gifts, houses redecorated . . . it makes sense to me to find a new home for this stuff rather than chuck it in a landfill.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Three new second hand stores have popped up in my area in the last year and a half, I think it's safe to assume that there is a market for our cast-offs.
Posted 8 months ago # -
@genny - while I sometimes share your concern that some donated things are not worth donating, I'm not sure what your alternative suggestion is - keep the stuff yourself?
I agree that we all need to be more mindful of our possessions - first of all, limit intake, so less ends up being thrown out or otherwise gotten rid of. Second of all, properly care for things, so that the items' lives are extended, whether in our hands or someone else's. Third of all, evaluate the state of potential donations and either donate the item in good enough condition for someone else to use (e.g. near-new clothing, a computer that still works well enough for a starting user), or use it until it falls apart and then try to repurpose as much of it as possible (e.g. clothing into rags, computers into parts).
As for getting rid of stuff, if you'd like to make sure the stuff will actually be of use to someone else after it leaves your home, there are a couple of things you can do:
1. Pass it on to someone you know will use it. It can be an acquaintance who expressed interest, an eBay buyer or a Freecycle recipient. This way you'll know that your item is going to someone who wants it, because they've actually expressed an interest and made the effort to pick it up.
2. As Netleigh mentioned, talk to staff or representatives from the charities you're thinking of donating items to, and become very familiar with the types of things they accept and how they use them. This way you'll have a good idea of whether something is worth donating and will likely end up in the hands of someone who needs it, instead of in a landfill.In any case, if the question is whether to keep something I no longer need/use (thus cluttering my house and making very sure no one else can use it), to throw it away (making sure it ends up in a landfill and no one else can use it), or to donate it (where it may or may not find another owner)... I think I'd rather err on the side of optimism and go for the possibility that the item will be reused. At worst, it will end up in a landfill, just like it would have if I had tossed it to begin with, or if I'd kept it in my house until I passed away and my relatives had to clean out my now long outdated possessions.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Yes, the best way to avoid it is to not buy it in the first place. It seems that most of us agree to that. And, yes there are circumstances in life that force changes.
I guess my point is that there is so much excess in our lives that should never have been, and there is so much excess in the whole country.
I would like to think of these charity places as being able to reuse the stuff, but I wonder just how many of them are really in the business of recycling and reclaiming usable materials from them. That requires a large infrastructure to do such as that. There need to be sorting processes, shipping processes, and storing places for them to be able to recycle, fix, or salvage reusable materials from the likes of old clothes, appliances, and electronics. Any one of those jobs is almost a job in itself.
They may sell theses types of things to businesses that are in the business of crushing up and reclaiming recyclable materials from old household items. And, I think that they sell a good bit of the excess clothing to rag merchants and I have heard that they ship tonnage of bales of old tshirts and denim to the third world. I saw a picture of one of those bales, all baled up like hay.I don't see repaired appliances in Goodwill. I see them sold "as is" for the most part. It used to be different.
I did see some TVs that were available to be plugged up to test them before you buy them. Indeed, most appliances cannot be repaired nowdays. The little parts that you may need are what are called "propriatary" parts. What that means is that they are only available from the manufacturer and they are only easily available to authorized service people, if they are available at all. Small things like coffee makers, irons, waffle irons, hair dryers, and most electronic gizmos are not meant to be repaired. At one time small appliance repair was something that a person could actually make a living doing. All of that has changed. For the most part, once they break they are of no use to anyone.It seems that getting rid of something is a lot harder than earning the money to buy it in the first place.
Of course we should at least try to find a reuse for it, but how time consuming and frustrating that can be.
I don't agree with those who just cast things into the garbage stream with no consideration. My MIL does this. She recently had her grandsons empty the garage of everything and it all got put out on the curb and she had to beg the city to send a truck to pick it up. Which they did. There is no telling how many reusable and good items that she "threw out". She does that any time that she wants to get rid of anything. I try to tell her to call one of the charities, but she has no care for it all.After years of shopping at Goodwill (which my friend and I refer to as "GW", which sounds a lot classier than "Goodwill") we have both noted the quality of clothes has gone way down. And we are in an affluent area. In the past, we have found some really nice things. I really do think that it reflects the bad quality of the new clothes that we are buying in the store.
For instance, I like to look for nice knitted sweaters to reclaim the yarn. I used to find just fabulous stuff to reclaim yarn from. Now, most of what the are classifying as "sweaters" is just pure junk and the yarns are of no use. Most are cheap yarns and they are all pilled up or faded.Anyway, it is nice to rid the stiff our of our houses and I go agree that freecycle is a good way to get rid of it. As someone pointed out, you are likely to find attract someone who really wants it.
I still do think, though, that there is so much excess in America that very few really need much of anything that we get rid of.Posted 8 months ago # -
"I still do think, though, that there is so much excess in America that very few really need much of anything that we get rid of."
Well, I think there are plenty of poor people - students, people between jobs, etc. - who gladly check places like Goodwill out. There is also an increasing number who actually prefer to buy used as opposed to brand new.
Posted 8 months ago # -
We have a great little store where I live called the "Free Store." It was established for people that basically have nothing...due to whatever circumstances, they have lost everything. It is truly a place where items that are no longer useful to me become incredibly useful to someone else. All donated items must be in working order and clean. The Free Store is set up like a department store...people in need have vouchers so that they can only take a set number of items per month...that way, no one can come in and take tons of stuff for hoarding or reselling. They get the vouchers through the local Red Cross and other emergency centers so that it is established that they are in need immediately. I am sure that an occasional person slips through the cracks...but for the most part, I think it serves a great purpose to someone in dire straits. I am pretty confident that what I give them goes to good use and is greatly appreciated :)
Posted 8 months ago # -
We have a number of small, independent thrift stores here, several run by churches and one by a women's shelter (in a separate location). There are 3 larger ones run by the Catholic church; a consortium of several churches, and a Value Village (nationwide). The last just opened this summer, and I have never been in. I donate to the small ones usually, esp clothes to the women's shelter one as they use the interview quality stuff for their clients. Before that one opened I used to donate mainly to the Catholic church one as it seemed well run, had good turn-over, and the stuff was clean. However, recently I've noticed that they have way more stuff than they need, and it's taking a long time to get sorted and put out. Don't know if their management has changed or what.
I've not had good luck with either Craig's list or Freecycle here; maybe I just don't have stuff anyone wants. :)
Posted 8 months ago # -
I am with Anita - I am going to err on the side of optimism. I won't give anything to Goodwill that is not in a usable state, but as long as it's functional, who am I to judge whether someone else might find it useful or desirable?
As a longtime overconsumer, most of what I have given away has been lightly used, and generally of good quality to begin with. My new state of uncluttered consciousness does mean that much less stuff will be going out (to any destination).
I agree with genny that buying less to begin with is key to successful, long-term uncluttering. But I don't think we really need to obsess too much over what happens to our stuff when we pass it on. It's a form of the sunk cost fallacy. We've spent the money and bought the stuff. It's in the system no matter what we do with it. All we can do is make the best choice we can about how to reduce, re-use, recycle, and repurpose.
Posted 8 months ago # -
If I were to also stress about what happens to the stuff that is fully functional, clean and in good condition when I release it, I'd go nuts. I can't unbuy or be ungifted what has been brought into the house, but I can learn from my lessons and make peace with my less fortunate decisions in the past. I will make mistakes still, but nowhere near as many as up until when I found this place. Having mercy on myself is key to my whole process.
Posted 8 months ago # -
On the topic of the quality of things that are generally available, I'd agree with the "what is the world coming to" sentiment. I've found that it takes a lot of work to find things that are high quality these days. For example, say you wanted to buy a pair of scissors. If you go into most stores that sell these in the US, they are total junk. You really have to do some research online to find a pair that will last. I feel like it's this way with so many things, from clothes to furniture, etc. I've wanted to buy a new bike for a long time now but am holding out until I have time to do the proper research because I don't want to end up with more junk.
That being said, if something is in decent condition I usually opt to take it to the Goodwill rather than toss it. Some things (leftover lumber from the shed project, a Skilsaw) can't be taken to Goodwill and those I put on Craigslist for free. I've had good luck with this.
Generally though, I think that what those companies that produce junk are doing is unconscionable, and frankly I think that they should be taxed according to the environmental damage they are doing.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I agree that there's no real alternative aside from just acquiring fewer things. If something's usable, it's better to donate it than to just throw it out. I used to volunteer at Goodwill, and they throw out any actual trash that they get, but they manage to reuse most other things. The quality of clothes at our Goodwill has indeed gone down...I was told fewer people were donating. But stuff like H&M and Forever 21 really doesn't hold up to being resold. At any rate, the Goodwill shops are always full of people, so *someone* must be buying. The Goodwill I volunteered at also did a brisk Ebay business; it was the only part of the business that was actually growing.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I think there is a real alternative, and that's supporting re-structuring of economies away from their current basis of growth in consumer spending. The decrease in item quality is pretty much the logical conclusion of what happens once the middle classes have exhausted their limits in terms of purchasing power - those companies have to reap profit somehow.
In that sense, the secondary market is a great idea. It allows consumers some freedom from the bottlenecks imposed by companies, like the proprietary parts that genny lists above. It extends the lifespan of at least some products and reduces some of the environmental impact of some items (shipping existing goods often has less impact than creating new ones when you consider the whole lifecycle of the item, especially wrt electronics).
I guess what I'm saying is that reducing purchases and uncluttering on a personal level are great, but they're not the main solutions for what is basically a systemic problem. One of the major issues is that all of this "stuff" is dealt with solely in terms of price point, which ignores a lot of the larger issues of quality, environmental impact, and workers' rights. But how do consumers band together to demand fewer, better-quality items, when they don't have the means to afford said items?Posted 8 months ago # -
Garbage in, garbage out. I know many of us on this forum are raising standards and buying higher-quality goods. They'll last and last (if take care of) and still be nice enough to pass along when no longer needed. Why on earth acquire junk in the first place? Everything begins at home, with ourselves. Life is too short to spend it with junk and then to castigate ourselves when it's time to get rid of it.
I'd suggest, genny, if you are seriously concerned about how Goodwill disposes of items, you could do some volunteer work there and see the inner workings for yourself. It would be very interesting to hear your firsthand report.
Posted 8 months ago # -
There are plenty of quality clothes in the thrift stores - if you go to the right thrift stores. The one I go to is next to the closest local big box grocery for an affluent area. It's a Goodwill with a drive-thru donation station, so it's quick and easy to donate, and people with money to spend on quality clothes donate there all the time. I happily and gratefully shop there to dig for those finds. The pants and top I'm wearing today would sell for a combined $150 or more if I had bought them new. The outfit, which looks brand new, cost me 6 bucks. Not bad for a Chico's shirt and J. Jill trousers.
Granted, I had to shuffle through a lot of beat-up Walmart clothing options to find what I have on, but if you have the time to make regular visits and the patience to search, there are lovely things to be found. I found almost a dozen Chico's items in one trip alone. I can't afford these kind of clothes new, so I'm more than happy to spend a little extra time hunting through racks instead of going to a mall where I can't afford to buy anything.I also visit another Goodwill when I'm down by the local mall. The area isn't as affluent as where I live, so I rarely find the nicest brands there. (But their books are much cheaper, so I stop for those instead!)
I think that we're going to be stuck with the results of several generations worth of planned obsolescence for another couple generations to come. Until we can convince the majority to stop chasing the dream with a credit card in hand and a houseful of clutter, it's not going to change much. But I don't think donating what we don't want anymore is ever a waste of effort.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I agree with Irulan. I cringe whenever the health of a country's economy is announced... and measured by what they consume. We (meaning the whole first world, and to some extent other nations as well that would not fall into that category) has some deep soul searching to do and some frightening systemic concerns. If I thought about it too much I'd probably go mad.
Posted 8 months ago # -
jbeany, your reply could have been written by either me or my Goodwill buddy some time ago. We used to have the same experiences. We would laugh at our "million dollar" look for a buck fifty. We had the best time. We went at least once a month, for years. We found fabulous stuff!
Now, when we go, we come away empty handed.
Much of what is there is just walmart stuff. We used to find Chicos and I always loved LIz Claiborne (yes, I fit the demographics for LIz). Now, we find not much.
We used to look for Old Navy, but most of the stuff we find from ON now is not very good quality. My friend also shops at "neiman marcus", which is another charity store near where she works. She also shops the sales at the stores and she has found that she can get some things new for about the same as the charity stores are wanting for used. This is especailly true of the Salvation Army. They are priced too high. Even the Goodwill now puts a premium price on items that carry a name brand. If it is Ann Taylor, it is priced about twice the price as something from Walmart. They started doing that about a year or so ago. I tell you--much of that stuff at the Goodwill just needs someone to set a match to it. Much of that stuff should never have been made it the first place. Much of it is pure junk. That is especially true of much of the furniture there.
So much garbage streams out of our economy. Sad that so much depends on our buying worthless junk! Sad and scary that our economy is based on consumption---of crap. We waste our environment, our energy, our recourses and our lives in pursuit of harmful and worthless consumer items. I am trying to swim aside from this rip current of consumerism. It is not easy.
Where does it all go when it is pooped out the backside of our waste stream? No matter who took it off of your doorstep from Freecycle, it will still end up having to be disposed of, by someone.
Makes me wanna' holler!Posted 8 months ago # -
When i was a student there were times when I literally didn´t have ANY money except for rent and a minimum of food. No money for a coffee in a coffee bar, no money to buy new clothes, no money for furniture, no money for nothing. Don´t get me wrong, those times have been very happy times in some way (lots of friends, lots of fun with them in parks, lying in the sun, debating interesting topics etc) but concerning my needs and things at goodwill: I really could not buy anything in regular shops and there was a kind of goodwill/ second hand shop in my neighbourhood. I was very very very happy about that!
I am happy not to need those shops anymore, but for some other reason I like to buy “old” things: it´s because they don´t have to be produced new, they are already there. This is the most underestimated resource that can be saved: the energy that you need to produce things! I will buy a “new” clothes dryer soon, and it will be a used one.I could buy a new one, but why would I? I will “save” a lot of energy and metal and electronic stuff because this dryer is already there.
Posted 8 months ago #
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