that's cool, diane.

ummm . . . i probably shouldn't reveal this, but i've gotten rid of a swing
set, a portable color tv, a computer system, a sliding glass door, a truck
bed liner, a truck canope, and a huge hay wagon (though that had 2 flat
tires), all in useable condition, by simply having them put at the road edge
with a "free" sign on them.  they didn't sit there long.  my son taught me
that trick when he was 6, cuz he got rid of a goat  we had that he
hated/hated/hated, by waving a cardboard and color crayoned "FREE GOAT!!!"
sign at passing motorists.LOL

i loathe messing with having garage sales and our local charities wouldn't
come get them when i called them.  if somebody picked them up and used them
or sold them, god blessed them, either way.   personally, i don't believe in
"tax write offs" for gifts to charities.  (butch did, so i went along with
it.)  for me, i'm not "gifting" if i get something like tax breaks back.

kate

We tried to donate stuff to AMvets when we lived in Gainesville but had a
devil of a time getting them to pick it up.  They told us repeatedly that
they did pickups in town on Tuesday and if we left the stuff out front they'd
collect it.  Well, it worked once, for an old TV, but never again.  Twice we
gave them four weeks that they were supposed to pick up the stuff and didn't
- mind you with Mike having to drag it out to the curb, then back into the
garage each Tuesday.  After 4 tries, it went to Goodwill.  After this
happened twice, we quit trying.

Yeah and the vets and a couple of other charities who
do pick up now sort through stuff and take only what
they want. You are left with a truly messy pile of crap
when they leave. They also don't get called anymore. My
policy is, if you won't take it all -- you get nothing.
My brother works for Goodwill and I should take stuff
to them as a support for his job [he hangs clothes out
of your bags onto hangers for the stores]. But Goodwill
doesn't pick up and lugging is just too hard to do.
The Epilepsy Foundation is now getting most of my
business as they take all I put out and they pick up.
They call me every few months to tell me they will be
in my area. If I have stuff, I tell them to stop. So I
don't have to call, I don't have to lug, and I don't
have to dispose of leftovers. Win win for me.
Duckie

i wish.  :-)  no chief, i'm an easterner. i LOVED san diego big time, but i
missed tall trees and greenery.
john and i are planning to move in together. it could be his house, my house, a
new (to us) house in this area, a house in maryland or north carolina. very
complicated decision making. having moved into my ex's house, i am extremely
reluctant to do that again. in n.c., if we pool our equity, we could buy a
house outright easily. in this inflated northern va area, we would still have a
honkin' big mortgage. not sure how we'll figure this out. . .

diane