365 Days of Giving January 12th and 13th.

As usual, I bite off more than I can check and suddenly fall waaaaay behind in everything. The good news? I have been keeping up with my donations. The bad news is that sitting down for a few minutes to write about it seems to elude me. This week, I will attempt to catch up!

Today is about January 12th and 13th. Both are going out together along with a few others items over to the Salvation Army to find a new home.

January 12th: I have done a few breast cancer walks and every time they give you one of their hats as a thank you. I would love to see them use that money instead toward more research, but I digress. And I accept the hat. A hat which I will never wear.

total donation count: 40
total days: 12

January 13th: Most people who know me know that I don't like the typical products or items, especially when it comes to items designed for girls. Someone thoughtfully gave me this purse, but I have never gotten around to using it and since I usually use purses that go over my head, this purse will probably continue to just sit in my closet. I would rather see it go to a new home instead.

total donation count: 41

total days: 13

365 Days of Giving January 11th.

Another freecycle giveaway: this gel wrist protector seemed like a good idea since I do so much typing. Yet considering that I am a "hunt and peck" type, my wrist don't even come near the right position for proper typing. So this item has sat in its original box for at least two years. Time for it to go!


total donation count: 39
total days: 11


Have you entered my giveaway yet?

http://http//funretro.blogspot.com/2011/01/365-days-of-giving-giveaway.html

365 Days of Giving January 10th.

full confession: I buy things because they're cute whether or not I need it. Sound familiar to anyone? This is reason #1 why I own things like giant paper clip/clothespin/magnet/whatever. Cute, yes. Useful for me, not a chance. I plan on finding some cute kid in my school to pass this on to. Perhaps this will help inspire more homework-doing in some way :)

total donation count: 38
total days: 10

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

http://funretro.blogspot.com/2011/01/365-days-of-giving-giveaway.html

365 Days of Giving Giveaway!

A Giveaway!

As you may know, I have decided to embark on a 365 project in which I give away at least one item per day to a variety of different people, some known and some unknown. Some items are personal whereas others are work-related. Feel free to peruse my other postings to see what I have been freed of so far this year.

I thought I would go in a different direction this week and make Friday's giveaway go to someone online, which means it could be you!

The purse below was given to me for Christmas. It is brand new and was given to me by my aunt. It is in perfect condition and measures 9"H x 7"W. There is one main pocket and also a zippered compartment in there as well. When empty, the purse lies flat against you and is super easy to wear on your shoulder or over your head. If you love a very ethnic look, this purse is perfect for you. While I like it very much myself, I have one that is very similar and in keeping with my goal this year, I am sharing items that I do not need.

This Sunday, I will select one winner and will send it on its way to you on Monday, January 17th, 2011. Below are the rules for entering. You will receive one entry for every step you take below:

1- follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/funretro
2- follow my blog: http://www.funretro.blogspot.com
3- send a tweet with a link to this giveaway and include @funretro in the tweet
4- friend me on facebook: user name: funretro
5- post a link on your facebook account



Once you have done any or all of the steps, leave a comment below and tell me which steps you took. Each step counts as one entry.

BONUS: for every day you send a tweet or post a link on facebook you will receive one ADDITIONAL entry.


This giveaway is open to anyone in the world!

Thanks and have a great day!

365 Days of Giving January 6th

Most of you don't know that my "day" job is teaching. I am in my tenth year and if you know any teachers you won't be surprised to learn that I am as much of a hoarder at work as I am at home. Ugh. As I raid my desk drawers.....well, let's just say it ain't pretty. And incredibly overwhelming. So although I am technically not "lightening the load" at home, I believe that giving these away from any aspect of your life has a cleansing effect.

The papers below....I bought these at least five years ago. Seriously. I don't have a clue what the project was supposed to be or if I just thought it was pretty, but I bought a pack of this rather expensive foil paper. And in my desk it has sat. Make that desks. In the past five years I have sat in at least three desks. Which means I have painstakingly packed these and taken the from school to school and even town to town. But never actually used it. Today, I picked a super nice kid to give this pack to. She is one of those kids who is soooo nice that she tends to get passed over. So Jessica, today, received this pack of paper and was super excited to receive it. She has laryngitis and has barely been able to speak for a few days, yet she kept forcing out several "thank yous". I was incredibly touched by her reaction. It was a good day.

total donation count: 28

total days: 6

365 Days of Giving January 3rd

Ever heard of freecycle? If not, you have got to check it out. What a great way to give and get things for free rather than throwing the away or visiting the local big box stores. I have been using it off and on for several years and this past year got really serious about it. For the next three days, I will be giving one item away a day.

Today's item? A white Cuisinart Handheld mixer. Not in perfect working condition, but for anyone even slightly handy, this will be a great find. And since we have a second one already (why? why?), we did not have to go to a store to buy another one.

total donation count: 24

total days: 3

365 Days of Giving. Jan 1 and 2

A couple of years ago I heard from a friend about a personal challenge he was planning on taking. It involved giving away one personal item a day for 365 days. As an avid believer in the motto of"reuse, reduce, recycle", I thought this would be perfect for me. I have to say, I followed it perfectly for all of 2009. Last year, it seems, I took a little vacation from this although informally (i.e. not keeping track) I did give away tons of things. I thought this year, as a personal challenge to myself, I would do it again, this time formally and will track myself here.

I certainly cannot promise to write every day. For those of you who know me personally you can understand why (teaching, etsy, and graduate school). But I will chronicle as best I can.

For the first couple of days, January 1st and 2nd, I raided my drawers and came up with 23 different shirts to get things started. All of them will be donated to one of my favorite places, the Salvation Army in Newark. NJ. I guess technically I am making my first 23 donations, but I am just going to count it for days 1 and 2.

Total donation count: 23

Total days: 2