Who Wants My...

Time to purge!

A stack of old magazines in my desk was calling my name, so I quickly leafed through the pages to find out why I had felt so compelled to keep them. I re-discovered this gem of an article from O magazine's march 2011 issue.  If you now have cleared the clutter and are looking where to donate, recycle and sell your castoffs, here is a quick list of the best of the best! She compiled a great resource of companies that will take our junk and do something good with it.
1. Stuffed Animals: we all could get rid of some of these! Send them to SAFE, 
(stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org) which will donate them to homeless shelters, hospitals and paramedics, who give the toys to kids on their calls.
2. Used DVDs: If your little ones are not so young anymore, consider donating their childhood DVDs to Kid Flicks. This organization is run by 4 sisters whose goal is a family friendly library for every children's hospital and pediatric department. (kidflicks.org)
3. Mobile Phones: instead of tossing your old cell phone when you upgrade to a newer model, flipswap will give you cash for your old phone and keep it out of the trash! Print a free-shipping label at greenphone.com.
4. Office Supplies: iloveschools.com will lead you to dozens of nearby classrooms in need of paper, pencils, markers and much more. Type in your zip code and help lighten the load of a classroom teacher who is forced to spend 500$ a year for these items.
5. Any gently used children's book is a great item to pass along and the Children's Book Project has helped thousands of disadvantaged children learn to read giving books to school, shelters and community centers. (childrensbookproject.org)
6.The best for last-  Freecycle, reduces waste by connecting trash bound household items, (bikes, boxes, tables, appliances) with local people who want them!! 
Throwing out clutter is liberating, but donating items to those who really need it will make your soul joyful and a more organized house is not bad either!