don't toss it--freecycle it!

today is trash day in our neighborhood, and it got me to thinking. we live in a fairly affluent area (the irony here is that we are poor as church-mice; thank goddess for inheritance) the things i see people put out on the curb every week make me cringe. i am one of five children, and growing up, we wasted NOTHING. the third of five, i was raised in hand-me downs, and my mother could stretch an .89 cent can of canned salmon -ugh- into a salmon loaf that would feed seven people. (yes it was gross nasty, but that's not my point) society today is spoiled, we get bored and simply toss things in the trash to buy newer prettier things. the babies outgrow their baby strollers/walkers, and out on the curb they go. the kids no longer play school instruments or sports, so out they go too. the cat ran away w/ the spoon, and the litter box ended up on the curb. hell, my mom did it with all of us and she was a saint. i'd love to know what happened to my barbies. and i had the VERY FIRST ONE! with the ponytail, earrings and striped bathing suit? thanx mom. anyway, a couple years ago i discovered FREECYCLE.ORG. founded by some guy in arizona i think, it's a yahoo based group. if you have not yet checked it out, i suggest you do so. it's a great idea to donate your old stuff and often? find stuff you did not even know you needed. yes, it's a give and take sorta thing. nothing goes to waste in freecycle world. and our landfills are all the better for it.

all you have to do is believe in the four R'S

1. RE-THINK DIFFERENT USES
2. RE-USE
3. REDUCE WASTE IN LANDFILLS
4. RECYCLE

or FREECYCLE

if you stop and think, most items have more than one use. this can save a lot of money along the way. there is precious little in this world that can not be put to use in some other fashion. the arts and crafts that are made out of complete junk boggles the mind-- and often, fattens the wallet.

so next time you've go