Editor’s Note: We first ran this article last year at New Year’s. We’ve updated and revised it for 2012. We also have an article that details where to recycle, and another one devoted to consignment. Happy purging!

By Rachael McMillan

Even kids can get in the act when you donate your unused stuff. Credit: Editor B, Flickr

New Year’s Resolution or not, getting rid of clutter seems to be a popular goal lately.

What I love about donating stuff we never use is that it is one of those rare win-win-win-win opportunities.

Win #1: After a good decluttering, our house has less junk spilling out from everywhere.

Win #2: By donating our goods, a worthy non-profit organization benefits.

Win #3: Someone who can’t afford to purchase brand new items–or, someone who prefers to reuse–can shop the donations.

Win #4: The environment has less waste floating around in it when donated items are purchased vs. discarded.

Of course, getting rid of excess stuff can also be an opportunity to make a few bucks. But, that’s an article for another day.

The following lists can help you figure out what to do with your excess. Whether you’re looking to donate right now, don’t mind waiting a little bit longer, or have a very specific donation item, this information can hopefully point you in the right direction.

Get Rid Of It NOW

The following organizations are always ready to accept clothes, toys, household items, and more. Clicking on the links will lead to more information about hours, drop-off locations, and individual store policies regarding what they will/won’t accept.

Consider the condition of your clothing items when donating. Some organizations (Goodwill and the Salvation Army are known nationally for the practice) will accept worn and stained garments, which they sell to a clothing recycler (who knew? thanks commenters!). Mark such donations with recycling, and separate them from other goods that may be resold.

Also, if you want an item to be re-used but aren’t sure where to donate or recycle it, check out the The I.D.E.A. Store in Champaign. It accepts items that are safe to reuse in art projects, and the list of what they’ll take is fairly large. It includes scraps of fabric, mismatched game pieces–even pop tabs and bottle caps. All are welcome to peruse their collection of art supplies, and proceeds benefit the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation.

• Crisis Nursery 1309 W. Hill St., Urbana: baby/child clothing, baby/childcare items, office supplies, kids’ snacks, misc. items. Be sure to check out the link if you’d like to donate to them, as their needs are very specific.
• Empty Tomb 301 North Fourth St., Champaign: in-season clothing, household items, furniture. If you live in Champaign, Urbana, or Savoy, call 356-2262 to arrange pick-up of furniture donations.
• Goodwill 912 W. Anthony Dr., Champaign: clothing, accessories, some furniture, household items, books, cds.  Ever wonder who Goodwill benefits? Read about it here.
• Restoration Urban Ministries 1213 Parkland Ct., Champaign: in-season clothing, furniture, appliances, and household goods. Call 355-2662 for drop-off hours and information.
• ReStore 119 E. University Ave, Champaign: furniture, appliances, building materials, household items, books, some accessories. They offer pick-up services (call 355-6460).
• Salt & Light Ministry 1512 W. Anthony Dr., Champaign: like-new condition clothes, furniture, and household items. This organization also accepts food donations, as does the Eastern Illinois Foodbank.
• Salvation Army 2212 N. Market St. and 109 W. John, Champaign: clothes, accessories, some furniture/household items, books, toys. They now have two locations, both of which accept donations. Call 373-7825 to arrange for pick up of furniture donations.
• Transitions Located inside Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana: adult and children’s clothing, accessories, and toys. Proceeds benefit the Center for Women in Transition.
• Twice is Nice 607 W. Elm, Urbana: clothing, household items, small appliances, books, cds, toys, accessories. This is a program of the First Presbyterian Church in Urbana; the website has more information about who benefits when you donate/shop there.

When You Don’t Mind Waiting A Bit Longer

The following organizations take donations later in the year to supply their annual rummage sale-style fundraisers. If you see one you would like to support, you may wish to hang onto your items until it’s ready to take them (click on the links to learn more and/or for contact information).

One benefit to going this route is that it allows you to clear clutter at your own pace. My husband and I like to keep a box in the garage for storing things we no longer have use for as we come across them throughout the year. We move a lot of junk this way, and are always ready to support our favorite annual fundraiser when it comes along.

NOTE: The information in the links tends to be about past years’ events; contact each organization for information about the 2012 sale.

• Humane Society Garage Sale Sale is on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-26; drop-off occurs the week before. You may also want to consider donating your time to this event when it comes around. Not only do volunteers help out a great cause, they also get first pick of the cool stuff for sale.
• St. Patrick Church, Urbana The Cellar to Garret Sale (late summer). Note: This is my church’s garage sale, and it’s awesome. Keep in mind, though, that your place of worship may also hold such an annual event. (Know of one? Add a comment!)
• YMCA Dump and Run Sale Drop-off of items occurs at the end of U of I’s spring semester. The main concept behind this fundraiser is to collect items students would otherwise dispose of (read: abandon) during the spring move-out and sell it to the incoming crop of young academics in the fall. Genius.

Donating Very Specific Stuff

If you’re flush with books to donate, consider benefitting local libraries including Champaign, Urbana, Mahomet, and Tolono. Each has its own rules on how, what, and when to donate. Depending on the library, your donation might end up in the general collection, but more likely it will end up in a book sale. Some libraries also accept media including DVDs, CDs, and video games.

You can also donate books to the Books 2 Prisoners program; it has various drop-off locations around town.

Or, if shoes are what you’re drowning in, try donating them to Soles 4 Souls; they will get them to folks who have none. JJ Shoe Repair (109 S. Walnut, Champaign) and Heel to Toe (106 W. Main, Urbana) take donations of used shoes in good condition for this organization.

If you have a prom or semi-formal dress that you would like to donate, consider giving it to the Perfect Prom Project, a student organization at the University of Illinois. The mission of the Perfect Prom Project is, “through collaboration with campus and community members, to provide high school girls in and around Central Illinois with free prom dresses and accessories.” Donations can be dropped off at the Illini Union.

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By Rachael McMillan

We’ve reached that sweet spot on the calendar where spring cleaning meets nice weather. This, in turn, means that garage sales will soon be popping up like perennials all over town.

If this is your year to roll up the garage door and try to find Billy Bass, your maternity clothes, and your collegiate beer yards a new home, this guide should help you get started.

First of all, Chambanamoms.com has got you covered when it comes to getting the word out. Our free online marketplace has a section for garage sale listings.

To find out how to maximize sales, I’ve culled a host of advice from my friends who have been-there-done-that both as sellers and as buyers. The number one tip: Clearly mark prices. It would seem that nothing turns this crowd off more than having to ask what something costs (unless it’s hearing in return, “What would you like to pay for it?”).

My friend Nicole sums up this peeve thusly: “There’s nothing more annoying at a garage sale than seeing no prices…not everyone wants to haggle.” So, whatever you’re selling—unless it’s in the “free” bin (more on that later)—slap a price tag on it.

But, how to price the goods that once upon a time meant so much to you?

Friend Leslie has this advice: “Biggest thing is: mark it cheap. It’s not like you are going to retire with your proceeds, but you CAN get rid of the stuff!”

Of the garage sale-shopping crowd, my friend Natalie adds, “People are looking for a deal and are mainly there with their dollar bills and quarters.”

Now, you certainly can give all your goods away for free—which is a recent trend—or, you might benefit from only giving some things away. In fact, Natalie found that her husband’s idea of having a box of free goods (clearly marked so as to be visible from the street) was a good way to draw people to her recent garage sale.

The other nice thing about having a “free” box is that, as the day wears on, you may decide to move more items into it so as to simply get rid of them. Other end-of-sale techniques include marking everything down 50% and having a bag sale.

Next on the pre-sale to-do list: organize. All those I asked agree that having everything nicely categorized and attractively displayed (known as “visual merchandizing” in retail circles) will increase your odds of making sales.

Friend and former teaching cohort Annie says, “If things are well organized and clearly marked, I’m actually more likely to buy because it feels less like I’m paying for someone else’s garbage. If the place is a mess, I’m likely to reconsider after an initial find and think ‘Do I really need this?’”

Displaying items so that they’re visible from the street also ranked highly on the list of top selling techniques.

My friend Jay’s advice for drawing a crowd? “Make a sign saying a portion of the proceeds go to charity. (Then make that “portion” like 15 cents.)”

Though certainly a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that I’m guessing Jay never thought I’d print, there is a good idea in there somewhere. You could have a garage sale to raise funds for your favorite cause. In fact, more people may come if they feel like they can get cheap goods and support a worthy charity at the same time.

Speaking of supporting charities, consider taking my good friend and charity guru Marla’s advice and donate your leftover goods at the end of your sale. She plans on taking the remains from her May sale to the Humane Society’s annual garage sale fundraiser.

If your sale won’t be done in time to benefit the puppies and kitties with your leftovers, here is a list of other places that can take them. Be sure to check each individual organization’s policies on what they’ll accept.

One last tip from Nicole: Consider asking friends to pitch in for a multi-family garage sale. Being able to advertise that your event is a combined effort can help draw a crowd.

How did your last garage sale go? Got any tips to share? Add a comment!

Rachael McMillan is a former high school teacher, social worker, cake decorator, and just about any other profession you can think of do-er. In addition to writing, tutoring, and giving talks about fair trade, she is currently staying home with the highly entertaining Jack and Kate.

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by Amy L. Hatch

Credit: iStockPhoto.com

Over the last five years, I’ve been pregnant twice, gained 50 pounds, lost 40 and traded in my corporate wardrobe for a stay-at-home one, and, finally, started working again.

That’s a lot of clothing — a lot of different kinds of clothing, plenty of it professional. I have bags and bags of it, just sitting in my basement, waiting for me to lose more weight, get pregnant again or get a traditional full-time job.

Ain’t none of that gonna happen, which is why I was more than happy to hear about the Professional Clothing Drive, sponsored by the United Way’s Emerging Community Leaders group.

The week of Oct. 11, donations of professional clothing for both men and women will be accepted at locations all over Champaign-Urbana. Your donations will help men and women who need jobs, or those who are already employed but need clothing to wear to work.

Items accepted include:

Men:

• neckties
• slacks
• suits
• jackets
• button-down shirts
• dress shoes

Women:

• button-down shirts
• work-appropriate blouses
• slacks
• work-appropriate skirts
• suits
• dress shoes

The clothing should be clean and in good condition. Donations will be accepted at the following locations, from Oct. 11-16:

Transitions Resale Store
Lincoln Square Village, Urbana
9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday

The Salvation Army Thrift Store
2212 N. Market St, Champaign
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday

The Salvation Army Family Store
109 N. John St., Champaign
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday

The News-Gazette
15 Main St., Champaign
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday

Busey Bank
3002 W. Windsor Road, Champaign
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – noon Saturday

Nothing feels better than cleaning out your closet for a good cause.

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I’ve mentioned, oh, about a few hundred times on this here website how much I dislike crafting.

Well, someone needs to tell that to my basement, because it is brimming with craft supplies.

I did go through this phase when Emmie was about 2-and-a-half, during which I spent Saturday mornings wandering the aisles of The Giant Crafting Store. I thought I might scrapbook.

Or stamp. Or make cool origami gift bags for Christmas. Or … whatever. I didn’t do any of it, but I sure have the supplies to do so if the urge ever strikes! I also have a giant paper-mache box shaped like a heart.

Why? I just don’t know.

When I was looking for items to purge, I thought I might donate the leftover craft stuff I have hanging around to Emmie’s school, and then I heard about the The I.D.E.A Store.

The I.D.E.A. Store is a new venture run by the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation. What is it? Basically, it’s a place where artists, educators, recyclers and others can find materials for projects they’re planning or working on.

Where do the materials come from?

From you! And me! And anyone who wants to donate them!

The list of items that The I.D.E.A. Store takes ranges from the very basic (dowel rods, baby-food jars and paper) to the not-so-basic (musical instruments, sheet-metal scrap and archery arrows).

The list is very long, and, odds are, there’s something on that list that they want and that you want to get rid of.

This is all excellent news for people like me — and you — who have leftover craft odds and ends, and are looking to also help out and be earth-friendly at the same time. All proceeds from the venture will go to benefit schools in Champaign and Urbana.

How can you beat it?

The I.D.E.A. Store isn’t officially open yet — it will be open to the public on Sept. 30 — but they are currently taking donations. For more information on what, where and when to donate, check out the website.

Next week, we’ll feature a sneak peek at the inside of the store and more about their exciting plans.

Happy donating!

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by Amy L. Hatch

Bye-bye, baby stuff.

When our basement flooded, all the stuff we stow down there got pulled out from its hiding places, and it became painfully obvious just how many baby items I’d been hanging on to.

The “baby” in our house had his second birthday just about three weeks ago, and I don’t think he’s going to be using that cradle swing any time soon.

Nor will we be adding to our family. We have one of each flavor, and we’re happy with that. The baby train has left the station, folks, and while my sentimental side gets all squishy and wistful when I hold those wee onesies in my hands, the side of me that enjoys sleeping and hot meals does the happy dance.

So when I heard about a garage sale in town that was going to benefit a very good cause, I finally got off my duff. The sale, which raised $300, will help send Chambana resident Rachel Storm to Andean region of Cotaccachi, Ecuador, to help build a shelter for battered women there.

Storm is trying to raise $50,000 for her “Four Walls and A Roof” project, and the garage sale, hosted by Joan Wingo of Champaign, will help pay for Storm’s plane ticket to Cotaccachi for her next visit there.

It was, as my 5-year-old likes to say, a win-win situation. I got rid of some stuff I didn’t need, and helped a very, very good cause at the same time. Here’s what I donated:

• One Fisher Price cradle swing
• One baby mobile
• One child’s toy “computer”
• One Fisher Price “Little People” pirate ship
• One Fisher Price “Little People” circus toy
• Four bags of books
• One baby toy of musical flowers
• One child’s walking toy/activity center

My mother-in-law was in town when I gathered these items up, and she gave me The Sad Face™ when I tossed them into the back of my van.

“No more babies,” she said.

“I know,” I replied, with a little skip in my step. “I know!”

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by Celina Trujillo

With the summer’s heat comes the usual concerns about our kids and their hydration.  Are they drinking enough so they’re not getting dehydrated? Are they drinking from glass or stainless steel, non-leaching, BPA-free containers, so they’re not ingesting harmful plastics that will lead to developmental problems?

The worries seem endless.

Meanwhile, a mother just like me who lives halfway across the globe in Liberia, Africa, is also worried about her children and their drinking water.  Just like me she has two young sons and is pregnant with her third: a girl, but she doesn’t know that yet like I do.

She’d be very excited about that news, too, because it means she’ll eventually have a helper to do the “women’s work” of fetching the family’s daily supply of water from the closet creek.  This involves walking between five and 15 minutes one way with her youngest strapped to her back and an empty bucket on her head.

The trip back home takes longer, and is a heck of a lot more tiring, because that bucket is loaded with water.  To make matters worse, that creek is known to be the cause of frequent outbreaks in her village of water-borne illness like cholera and diarrhea, especially among the children.  You can imagine this mother’s overwhelming concern when there is no other option for drinking water.

So the Cliff Notes version is that these mothers in Liberia are lugging gallons of dirty water to their own homes in their attempt to provide a basic need for their families.  How humbling does it seem, then, that those of us (like Carla and me) who have joined in Amy’s challenge of “A Year Living with Less” are lugging 18-gallon blue Rubbermaid tubs of useless junk from our own homes in an attempt to just live more simply?

Well, thanks to the Clean Water Garage Sale there’s a solution to both these very important challenges; it perfectly pairs our own need to get rid of our junk while raising money to dig wells for clean water in villages in Liberia.

Get rid of your "Living With Less" purge items and help build a well in Liberia but donating your unwanted stuff to the Clean Water Garage Sale. Photo courtsey of Celina Trujillo

It all began two years ago when a small group (of mostly women, mostly moms) from Quest United Methodist Church raised over $1,300 (of $1,500 needed) from selling their and other people’s stuff to help fund the digging of a well for the village of Wazon, Liberia.  Since then the church has helped raise the rest of the funds to dig that well, plus an additional well in Zoegar Town, Liberia.

For the most recent Clean Water Garage Sale in Urbana on July 24th, about a dozen Chambana moms helped in some way: By donating or collecting items, cleaning, sorting, and pricing them, or even just buying them.  We’re happy about the over $600 we raised, but we are dedicated to raising the full $1,500 for a complete well.

We still have a lot of great stuff to sell and a lofty goal to meet, so we’re giving it another go on Friday, August 6 from 8am to noon, and Saturday August 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3916 Aberdeen Drive in Champaign.

We could use any of the support as listed above. If you want to donate your “Living with Less” items, you can contact Celina (celina.trujillo@gmail.com).  If you’re interested in shopping, you’ll want to come early to get your hands on the numerous baby and kids items we already have (clothes for 50-cents a piece, car seats for $10, a pack-n-play for $15, numerous toys, a preschool desk, and more).  You frugal Chambanamoms won’t want to miss the 1 p.m. $1 a bag sale on Saturday.

And, there are free ice pops to keep your kids entertained while you shop.

Last time I scored a brand new pink stainless steel water bottle for $2 for my baby girl. I can’t believe someone found this useless to them.  Well, good for them for purging it from their house!  It was also great to know that my purchase would keep my daughter safe from BPA sippy cups while also help another mom’s daughter in Liberia have safe and clean water just steps away from her own home.

Born a raised a Jersey girl, Celina Trujillo came to Champaign-Urbana as an undergrad and never left.  Many of the loves of her life are here including her college-sweetheart-turned-husband (plus his family. Yes, she loves her in-laws), 2 energetic sons, a church of authentic people, the most perfect job at the U of I and all this in pretty much the cutest little mini-city ever!  Even as a young girl, she’s had a passion for social justice, being a critical thinker and trying to make a small difference in the world.

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Photo courtesy of sxc.huc

by Amy L. Hatch

I’m in a lather to get rid of stuff after last week’s flood. A variety of items went in the trash today, including but not limited to:

Random toys that were once part of a set
Baby teethers
A plastic activity cube
Portable bed rails
Baby jumper seat
Plush “bowling” set
Two duffel bags

That’s just from the random assortment of stuff that’s been sitting in the garage since last Tuesday. In the next few weeks we’ll have to go down in the basement to re-arrange and sort all the other items, but I already have my sights set on a bin full of coloring books and random plastic bags full of left-over party supplies.

While we’re down there, I’m going to carve out some office space for myself. We have a carpet remnant that made it out of the flood unscathed, and I plan to lay that down under the desk where we have our modem and AirPort Extreme set up. The desktop computer that we never use anymore will get wiped clean and recycled, and viola — home office!

Over the next two weeks I’ll be preparing for our annual summer vacation, which means I’ll be spending a lot of time with our clothing. My closet is getting weed-whacked — anything I haven’t worn in more than a year goes into the donation bin, and I’m not going to hang on to my fat clothes any more. I’ve shed 15 pounds since last summer, and I don’t plan to put that weight back on. So why keep the evidence of my former sloth?

Fat clothes, be gone!

I’m on a tear, y’all. What are you getting rid of this week?

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by Amy L. Hatch

There is an odd assortment of items sitting on the floor of my garage this week.

Here is a plastic piece of pizza, a lone remnant of what was once a set of play food. Here is a plastic storage bag holding extra pillows and blankets for guests we never have, and here is what remains of our Christmas tree, sopping wet on the bottom and dry on the top.

Our basement flooded Monday afternoon during the sudden storm that brought an inch of rain in about 15 minutes. The kids were scared by the cracking thunder and the spiky bolts of lightening, and when it was over I rushed outside to get some photos of the street, which looked more Venetian canal than suburban thoroughfare.

Then I tried to get online, and when I couldn’t, I went down the cellar steps to check on our Internet connection. That’s when my brain tried to wrap itself around the fact that I had stepped in almost four inches of cold water.

Our basement isn’t as bad as it used to be. My husband and I invested significant time in paring down the junk we hung on to. We tried to limit it to the very sentimental, like family photos and a few mementos from high school and college, and the necessary, like tools and furniture waiting to be used again.

Slowly, though, “stuff” crept back into our lives — and the basement. The carefully culled brand-name kids’ clothes, waiting to be sold at the right season. The craft supplies I always promise Emmie we’ll find time to use, and we never do. The fancy baby swing I keep saying I’m going to post on Craigslist.

Stuff we don’t need anymore, and stuff we had to pay a clean-up crew to cart out of the basement and sort after it marinated in the Urbana rain runoff overnight.

I surveyed the contents of the basement — now in the garage — and shook my head at my own foolishness. Sometimes I hang on to stuff because it symbolizes some important part of my life, and of course the baby items are laden with sentimental moments. And if I’m honest, all that stuff makes me feel safe somehow, a kind of buffer against the uncertainty of the future.

I’m a hoarder in the making.

This week I am being forced to throw stuff out. It’s ruined, there’s no place to donate it — and there’s no excuse to put it off, either, like I do when I promise my husband I’ll get the stuff out of the house and then it sits around for another six months.

Or a year. Or several years.

We got lucky, we didn’t lose anything that’s really precious, and the basement is filled with industrial-strength fans and a huge dehumidifier as I write this, getting nice and dry. In a strange way I’m grateful for the flood, for reminding me of what’s really essential and renewing my commitment to live with less.

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by Amy L. Hatch

It’s hard to get too worked up about clutter when you’re packing up for a solo plane ride halfway across the country with two kids. BY YOURSELF.

But, one good thing about getting ready for a big trip is that you suddenly decide to ignore what you really need to do because you’re deep in denial when you actually get all the laundry done, you can see the forest for the trees.

In my case, the forest is my dining room. For some reason this room, which is the nicest in our house, is the designated landing place for Things We Don’t Know What To Do With. This includes my sewing machine (too delicate for the damp basement), my camera (ditto the sewing machine), and, for some reason, a giant pile of books.

We’re bibliophiles in our house — two of my wedding gifts, one from my parents and one from my husband, were signed first editions of favorite novels. As much as I love the Books As Furniture decorating style, my husband decided several weeks ago that we needed to make room for … well, more books.

We weeded out the hardcovers we aren’t going to read again — and left them on the dining-room table.

For, like, a month.

But lo! Today, my husband decided they needed to go. Of course he did, I was getting ready for a road trip (insert snarly face here). The good news is that a) he came home early to help me get ready, and that included getting the books off the table; and b) I know exactly what to do with them!

The Champaign County Humane Society is accepting donations for its 26th Annual Giant Garage Sale, to be held May 28-29 at the Champaign County Fairgrounds. What goods to they want?

Good, useable items that are not broken or worn out. We will accept clothing, but please do not bring items that are stained, torn or badly worn. Yes – we DO want books. We are also selling plants, so if you have any extras, bring them by.

They want books! Yay! They can so totally have mine.

Used items can be dropped off at Kesler Hall at the Fairgrounds on the following dates:
Thursday, May 20: noon – 7 p.m.
Friday, May 21: noon – 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 22: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 23: noon – 3 p.m. No drop-offs will be accepted after 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23.

The University Y.M.C.A. is also accepting donations for its annual “Dump & Run” event:
Monday – Friday, May 17-21, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.*
Monday – Friday, May 24-28, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.*
*Late collections: Thursdays, May 13, 20, & 27 until 7 p.m

What’s so great about both of these options is that all the proceeds go right back into our community. What’s not to like? So easy! So painless! So charitable!

Next week, Living With Less will be on hiatus, because I’ll be back East eating Buffalo chicken wings, proper bagels and grocery shopping at Wegmans, JUST FOR FUN. Plus, I think my mom might get mad at me if I start throwing out and/or donating her stuff.

Peace out.

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by Amy L. Hatch

This time of year I get a hankering to clean house.

I want to scrub, shine and generally get the place in tip-top condition, but usually what happens is that I get sidetracked by all the stuff that gets in my way.

That was the case last week, when I took a day off to clean. I tossed on a pair of dirty yoga pants and got down to business — only to get stymied by my daughter’s dresser drawers.

Photo by Karen A. Hatch

A mountain of backlogged laundry needed to be put away and there was no rhyme or reason to her drawers. I couldn’t fit the clean clothes in, and the stuff that was already in there was leaking out from every angle.

I sat down and did my seasonal clean-out: Stuff to keep out for the season; stuff she will probably still fit into in the fall; and stuff to get rid of.

It was only in the past year or two that I’ve begun to consign my kids’ clothes. Since we knew we were having a second child, I stowed most of Emmie’s stuff away in the basement, just in case we had another girl. When the sonogram showed a wee babyman, I trudged down there and hauled away about a metric ton of pink.

Now, I’m ruthless. I keep very little, and the rest gets sorted by category: Sell, give to friends and donations. Lucky for me — and you, too — the consignment options have just about tripled here in Chambana.

When I first started selling Emmie’s duds, I was limited to the now-defunct Yours, Mine & Ours. Now, options abound, like All Things Kids in Champaign, Urbana’s resale boutique Frogs and Fairies and now, Pink and Blue Closet in downtown Urbana.

These three options give me plenty of ways to clean out all the clothing — and related baby items — from two kids. We know Henry is our last baby, so everything! must! go!

After my session paring down Emmie’s closet, I took a load of stuff to Goodwill and then I stopped by Frogs and Fairies with the cream of her winter wardrobe. I found out that the store’s policy has changed somewhat.

The boutique used to take clothing from all seasons for a full pay-out, but now out-of-season items will only net you half of what they would in season. For example, I brought a pile of winter dresses, and I was offered a pay-out of $16. That same pile would have been worth twice that if I’d taken it home and returned to the store in November.

For me, it made more sense to take the cash (which I actually took as a credit to buy summer clothes for the boy), rather than return home with items I didn’t have room for.

I haven’t been to the new shop, Pink and Blue Closet, at 401 W. Springfield, but it did catch my eye as I was driving through downtown Urbana. I rarely go to All Things Kids since it is so far from my usual stomping grounds, and a trip there is something I have to plan for.

Now that we have a new shop right here in town, I may brings some of our larger, unneeded kids items there. Another bonus is that Pink and Blue Closet is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., meaning that I could do a drop-off after the kids are in bed, since it’s only a couple miles from home.

While I was down in the basement culling items from the “sell” pile, I ran across my maternity clothes, all folded nice and neat in plastic storage bags. When I had a wave of phantom morning sickness, I knew those had to go, too. Next week, I’ll tell you how.

What’s your favorite way to recycle clothing, yours or your kids’?

Related posts:

1. Living With Less: Where To Donate in Champaign-Urbana