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Say that you have an old table and
chair set that has been sitting in your
basement for months because it did
not make the cut when you remodelled
your dining room last spring.
You have tried, but you do not know a
young single person or couple who
will take the set off your hands and
you would really rather not throw it
out. The set has definitely seen better
days, but it is still usable.
So what can you do?
You can always go the garage sale,
eBay and Goodwill method route.
Each of these is a viable way to get rid
of your stuff without actually dumping
it. In other words, they all pass the
going-green test.
You can also try freecycling. New
on the scene and growing in popularity,
the freecycling method is very
much like selling on eBay, except that
you do not sell your stuff. You give it
away for free. It’s a bit like donating
to your local Goodwill store, but the
difference is that when you freecycle,
you can also get stuff for free.
Freecycling allows individuals in
local communities to give and get
stuff for free over the Internet, almost
like a trading system — but not quite.
The concept of freecycling was
first put into action in 1997 with a
web-based organization called the
Twin Cities Free Market. A number of
similar groups have used it since, creating
networks that have enabled a
plethora of local freecycling groups
to be set up all over the world. There
are also other local groups that work
independently and are not affiliated
with any of the networks.
Reusing Stuff
It often seems simpler to take the
road most travelled when it comes to
buying household products. People
do not want to take the time to do
such eco-friendly things as using cloth
napkins instead of paper napkins.
Paper napkins are easy. You just pick
up a package at the store, use the napkins
whenever needed and then toss
them in the garbage. And when they
are almost gone, you just pick some
more up on your next shopping trip.
Cloth napkins, on the other hand,
require you to actually do the laundry
so that you can use them over and over
Getting Divorced?
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Brophy Financial
Planning
and Insurance Agency
www.joyceowen.com
again. Most people consider this to be
a drag.
But how long does it really take
for you to throw in your cloth napkins
with that load of laundry you
were about to do anyway? Not long,
and in that short time, you will have
participated in a grand and noble
earth-saving process that falls
squarely between reduce and recycle
— reuse.
Joyce Owen B.A. Econ., CFP, CLU, FDS
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Certified Financial Planner
Financial Chartered Divorce Life Underwriter
Specialist
Financial Divorce Specialist
Joyce Owen ��������������������
Financial Advice in Divorce
613.728.9573
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Ottawa Page 29 Due West/Due East Magazine • Fall 2008