Saturday, December 26, 2009

pay me for my community goodness!

This is another Facebook import from October 2009-

Minimalism is in, right? I've been on a kick to get rid of things that I don't use, wear, want or need to keep around. Fortunately, there are quite a few consignment shops in Lawrence where one can sell such things they don't use, wear, want or need to keep around. Getting rid of stuff = getting rich quick, right? Besides the aspect of additional cash, I'm pursuing an anti-materialistic lifestyle, cleansing my musty chi, & creating more margin in my house & life. I should feel so cleansed! And slightly richer!

First trip to Plato's Closet to sell a bag of clothing- "Well, these items are not currently in style, so we won't be buying anthing today."

Second trip to Plato's Closet- ditto.

So I struck out on clothes. But for two heavy bagfuls of books & DVD's, I'm sure to make $$$ at the Half Price Book Store! "I can offer you $12."

At that moment, I don't think any sense of focused chi or world peace could have calmed my inner frustration. I politely took my $12 while thinking, "Why doesn't anyone want to pay me for my goodness to the community??? I'm reducing landfill accumulation! People, I'm reducing, reusing & recycling! Pay me!"

And then the secondary thought hit- "Your clothes are many seasons past stylish, as is your DVD & book collection. Maybe if you owned better stuff, you'd be able to get more money when reselling it." But then I realized how completely stupid that thought was & decided I should be happy just getting rid of stuff. True minimalism probably includes minimizing self-righteous & entitled attitudes.

So, I took my $12 & treated myself to a falafel & hummus sandwich at the Mediterranean Market. Not only was it delicious, it was a purchase I won't have to worry about reselling someday. And I still have enough of my $12 left to buy another sandwich, but I'll have to guard against feeling self-righteous for supporting a local business...

2 comments:

  1. Next time take your clothes to Arizona Trading Co. downtown and whatever they don't take, take over to lasting impressions and they'll pay you when they sell the items. And then if you have anything left after that you can donate them to goodwill. The dvd's I can guarantee you would have gotten a better deal for at GameNut downtown.

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  2. good call. i'll have another round of cleanouts soon so i'll give those a try! (and perchance make more than $12?)

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