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Category Archives: Formerly Mine

Jul 20 2009

Old News Is Good News

by Holly

The whole stack of magazines

I enjoy perusing magazines–so much so that I kind of don’t loathe waiting around at the dentist office or the Jiffy Lube or whatnot. Doesn’t matter if it’s Family Circle or Family Dog. Mother Earth or Mother Jones. I find them all interesting. However, once I’m done with a magazine, I’m done. Finished. That’s why waiting rooms are so great. I can leave the magazines right where I found them, keeping the clutter out of my home.

Nevertheless, the car and I are pretty healthy, so I don’t spend that much time in waiting rooms. But I have subscribed to more than a few magazines over the years, most of which I’ve just been stacking up and up on my bookshelves.

So, why was I holding on to all of these old magazines? Did I really need to fill my bookshelves with their colorful spines all facing outward as if to say, “Look at me–and look at my titles! Aren’t I well-fed, well-versed, flexible, well-adjusted, worldly, wine-savvy, and stylish?” (Amazon.com, by the way, offers some unbeatable prices on magazine subscriptions.)

What to do, what to do . . .

Why not send them back to the waiting room? A woman from the Brighton-Allston Mental Health Association got in touch with me through my Craigslist posting looking for a new home for my old magazines. Being a private, nonprofit organization, money is tight–and waiting room niceties, like magazines, are a bit of a luxury. The facility serves a low-income demographic and likes to let its clients take home a magazine if they wish. Sounds like my old magazines will indeed be put to good use.

So, what do you all do with your old magazines? Are they accessorizing your bookshelves, too? Have you read them all? Ever refer back to them? Still have your copies of Sassy from 1988? Please, do tell.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more.

Categories: Decluttering, Formerly Mine | 3 Comments »

Jul 9 2009

Donating Shoes: Soled On the Idea

by Holly

Inky keeps a nonchalant watch over our Soles 4 Souls donations.

I’ve never been one to splurge on shoes, nor do I have a vast collection. However, I’ve been hanging on to quite a few pairs that I no longer wear. Some are a bit out of style, while others are in need of a little repair; functionally though, they are all in okay shape.

Over the years, I have donated quite a bit of clothing to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Vietnam Veterans Association, but for whatever reason I’ve never really thought to donate my old, worn shoes. A few months back, however, I came across a photo spread in National Geographic‘s Green Guide that completely changed my mind. (Check it out here: What Happens to Donated Shoes.)

Soles 4 Souls, the program featured here, collects new and used shoes for both children and adults whose lives have been impacted by tragedy or hardship. Inspired by the sight on television of a single shoe washed ashore following the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, its founder Wayne Elsey, has overseen the donation of more than 3.4 million pairs of shoes to date. He estimates that, throughout America, there are 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes in our closets. Billion. I can easily account for a dozen or so pairs.

I rooted around in our hallway closet and dusted off the shoes you see above, bundled each pair together and dropped them off at a nearby collection site. Easy as that. Find a collection site near you.

“Buy better, buy less.”
— John Fluevog

I’ve always preferred quality to quantity. Give me a handful of cashmere sweaters over a cedar chest full of pilly blends. A couple of classic handbags over an array of knock-offs. A few pieces of real jewelry over a mound of the costume stuff. But on many occasions I’ve cheaped out on shoes (a) because I’m pretty hard on them and (b) because they’re waaay down there and I don’t think anybody really notices (or cares) what’s on my my feet.

While I’m happy that I was able to fill the Soles 4 Souls box with so many pairs of shoes from my own closet (and there are more to come), I’d much rather embrace the John Fluevog approach and be more selective in my shoe purchases, thinking about the long-term socioeconomic benefit. While the dollar amount may be low, it’s the “hidden” expenses (like sweatshops) that don’t sit so well with me. I’m sure some of my shoes came from less-than-ideal conditions, but I’m happy to know that they will be put to continued use. And in the future, I’ll think twice before buying a new pair of shoes.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more.

Categories: Formerly Mine, Quotations | No Comments »

Jun 22 2009

It’s Gonna Take Time . . .

by Holly

suitcases

Suitcases. I’ve been driving around with a dozen suitcases and duffel bags in the back seat and trunk of my car our car for the past week. To anyone who has caught a glimpse inside of the car, we’ve probably looked like vagabonds. But the truth of the matter is, these suitcases and bags were destined for foster care kids. Kids who otherwise would be carrying their posessions from one place to the next in plastic garbage bags. And that breaks my heart.

The collection was to help out a friend of a friend of a friend who is helping Suitcases 4 Kids in its mission to collect 14,000 suitcases for foster kids in Massachusetts over the next year. According to its Statistics page, there are over 510,000 kids in the United States under the age of 23 who are living in foster care. That’s nearly as many people as you’ve got in the entire city of Boston. I hate to think there could possibly be that many displaced kids across the United States. While I’m not at a place in my life where I could reasonably take on a foster child myself, I could certainly root around in my attic and dig out a few unused suitcases. My friend Ehrin did the same, and my boss even bought two duffel bags for me to add to the collection–one with pink handles and another with blue. A thoughtful touch, for sure.

But back to the suitcases bumbling around in my back seat. After a day or two of carting these things around (and playing lots of phone tag with the suitcase sherpherd), I’ll admit–it was tempting to just deposit them in the big Red Cross donation box in the grocery store parking lot and be done with it. Once I’ve committed to giving something away, I’m ready to release it–clearing my clutter while knowing that somebody else will be able to benefit from it.

But the point wasn’t to put these suitcases and duffel bags into just anybody’s hands. They were specifically for the foster care kids. And if I was feeling a little antsy about the donation process taking a little longer than expected, well imagine how those must kids feel.

Tonight, at last, I was able to hand over all of the bags. Still, it will probably be a little while before they make it to the foster kids. Even the best of intentions, however, becomes a process once there are adults involved (myself included). Between busy schedules, social calendars, and unexpected situations, we do our best. Patience seems to slip to the wayside when there’s a to-do list involved. But in order to do good by all those anonymous kids, patience is key. Just doing something to help is what’s most important.

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Live in the Boston area or anywhere near Hartford or New Haven? Have some suitcases you’d like to donate? Let me know!

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more. (Image from KiddoInfo)

Categories: Formerly Mine, Observations | 2 Comments »

Jun 13 2009

Send Me On My Way

by Holly

It has been a Craigslistin’ kind of week . . .

I’ve had these two, tiny little guardian angel lapel pins for nearly 20 years. Back in the day, they were all the rage. Okay–maybe not all the rage, but they were fairly popular at this little new age jewelry/gift store in my hometown of Madison, CT, called Down to Earth. So I bought a couple and, sadly, never wore them. Instead, they sat in a little mauve velvet compartment in my jewelry box.

Today, I packed them up and sent them on their way to a woman who works in a nursing home. She has two residents who are getting ready to move out on their own, and thought that having a little guardian angel to make the transition with them would provide some needed comfort.

Guardian angel lapel pins, on their way to do their job . . .

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more.

Categories: Formerly Mine | 1 Comment »

Old News Is Good News

Donating Shoes: Soled On the Idea

It’s Gonna Take Time . . .

Send Me On My Way

Missed Manners

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