Do you have a phone number for the charity pick up service written down?

[canadian gardener]

We have several charity pick up services in our city. They will come and haul your stuff away for no cost.

LIKE MAGIC!!!!!

I just love the simplicity of calling them to come and get the results of my latest dejunking.

Tomorrow they arrive to haul away 1 bag of clothes, 3 boxes of books, 2 drying racks, an old lampshade, and some stuffed animals that dd let go of recently.

I always have a box or bag open that I'm constantly adding to, as I spot clutter that I can detach myself from. Useful stuff that needs to be sent on it's journey to find a new owner.

For a few years I just didn't bother looking it up so I'm issuing a poll and a challenge to find a charity pick up that you like to support and write it down on the back of your phone book, or your calendar.

Call them when you have 1 or more boxes or bags and want the simpler solution to getting rid of clutter.

No bothering with garage sales.
No waiting for "enough" stuff to make a car trip to the charity.
No letting one room get all junked up with castoffs on their way out the door.

[homesteadmamma]

We did in Winnipeg. We don't here because we don't have pick-up. It has to be delivered by us to the charity of our choice.

[mom2matty]

We have several charitable organizations that we donate stuff to all the time!!! I send most of our stuff to Children's Hospital!

[Kimmomo3]

They call me every couple of mo. so I do not have the #. I don't need it.

[Missy]

I don't i have had bad luck with pick ups. so if i want it to go to the charity, dh takes it, or i find alternative methods to finding new homes for stuff.

[Early Bird]

Timely topic.

You will not believe this: We have a local charity; Wednesdays and Saturdays are the pickup dates in our town. I called Tuesday night and left a message ("We have a recliner to donate; plz phone me.") Tuesday night, DH and I hauled the recliner out the carport. We added about 5 boxes of miscellaneous. Wednesday I phoned the charity -- multiple times. No answer. Left 2 more messages. No reply. THEY NEVER CAME.

This has happened before: A year ago, I'd call for Wednesday pickup; and I'd talk to an actual human who'd say, "We've got you on the schedle." -- They'd come sometimes. Sometimes I'd call for Wednesday, and they'd drift over on Saturday. (Very small town; very small charity.)

Recently, though, I phoned to donate a couple of boxes of household good, and I was told, "No. We only come for pickups if it's too big for you to haul here." Well, if I'm going to make DH load up the trailer and haul stuff away, that stuff will be going to a much closer thrift store.

[cozyquilter]

Like Kim, we have a couple that call regularly...so I don't keep the number, just keep a donate box going, and wait for the call.

[MMP]

I called one time, and when the guy saw how much I had he said it was all worthless and didnt want it. I think he was too lazy to take it. I no longer shop at that particular charity. We loaded it all up and took it to the other charity in town.

[canadian gardener]

wow, even in the other city, I never had any problem with them not coming by, they were eager. I think I'd switch charities too.

I should have included a rural option in the poll, for those who live too far out of town for pickup. My sister would fit in that category too.

[canadian gardener]

woooohooo they came, they picked up and they left.

a pile of garden magazines,
a bag of ds's clothes that he doesn't want anymore
dd's old skates
a blue glass bowl I don't use
a silk flower arrangement
some of dd's little stuffed animals she got rid of
my old coasters (got a pretty new set recently)
two stuffed animals we had kicking around
a lampshade not 2 yrs old, from a lamp that broke
and a box of paperbacks I culled from our bookshelves.