Chambanamoms.com Highlights Clean Water Garage Sale

PURGE started with an idea from Amy Hatch from www.chambanamoms.com to have "A Year of Living with Less," whereby she'd get rid of junk each week and tell the world about it.

Brilliant! Potentially embarrassing, but also brilliant.

I decided to join her with "PURGE," but it's basically the same thing. I've been keeping Amy posted about things over here and when I told her about the Clean Water Garage Sale and it's connection to PURGE, she asked me to write an article for chambanamoms.com!

I nearly wet myself. I read Chambanamoms.com multiple times a day because I'm connected with them through every possible social media. I'm indebted to them for the amazing deal we got on our 2011 Toyota Sienna when we discovered we needed a van to accommodate Mei Mei by October. To randomly with a T-shirt from them at a pool party was the icing on the cake (though Bo wears it cuz it's too bug for me, even while pregnant).

So I was quite honored to be asked to write an article about the Clean Water Garage Sale and PURGE, but I was nervous. A grad school friend of mine commented that it has to be easier than writing a dissertation. Yeah, maybe, but only five people read my dissertation and only because they had to!

I'm hoping this will have more of an impact. May it encourage you not only to PURGE but also to put your junk to a good cause, whatever that cause may be.

"Living with Less," "PURGE," "Decluttering," etc.

Whatever you call it, you did it!

A small group of Clean Water Garage Sale volunteers met last night to unpack and organize from the last sale. AND we also sorted and priced all the new donations that came in. Thanks, newbies! Here's a preview of what you'll be able to buy tomorow from 8 to noon and Saturday from 8-2 at 3916 Aberdeen in Champaign:

Furniture (numerous bookshelves of different sizes $5-$10, hide-a-bed couch $20, futon couch, directors chairs - set for 25 or $15 each, white resin patio table and 4 chairs $25, kitchen cart $5, recliner)

Baby and Children's Items (space saver high chair $15, bouncy chair $10, boppy pillow $5, multiple car seats - $10, art desk with chair $10)

Children's Toys (Legos, Megablocks, door basketball hoops, coloring supplies, many Spidrerrman things, baby toys)

2 full Tables of Children's Clothes (infant to middle school, boys and girls) - 50 cents

Adult clothes $1

Shoes - $1

Books - Hardbacks $1, Children's books and Paperbacks 3 for $1

DVDs - $1

VHS - 25 Cents

Sport Equipment (junior golf clubs $20, assorted balls $1, free weights, rackets)

Home Electronics (coffee maker $7, phones $1-$5, hand-held massager $3, iron $3, printer $5, speakers $3, carpet cleaner, vacuum )

Household Items (kitchen, office, bathroom, linens, rugs, home improvement and repair items)

Home Decor (wall art, candles, knick knacks)

Holiday Items

Luggage, Bags, Purses

Don't miss the $1/bag at 1pm sale on Saturday!

Funds Raised from Clean Water Garage Sale are "Well Spent"

If you're wondering if your contribution to the Clean Water Garage Sale makes a difference, IT DOES. Check out the pics below of the 2nd well that Quest has funded. The first one was in Wazon, with funds mostly raised from our first garage sale in 2008.

A procession of singing and dancing on the way to the dedication of the well in Zoeger Town, Liberia

Words of appreciation from Zoeger Town UMC to Quest UMC and that includes you too!

Dedication Ceremony

Drinking the first flow

This well to access clean water in Zoegar Town...

Means no more of this: carrying gallons of dirty and diseased water from the nearby creek.

MANY THANKS for all your help and support with the Clean Water Garage Sale!

Come shop again at our next sale this Friday from 8-noon and Saturday from 8-2 at 3916 Aberdeen in Champaign. And don't miss the $1/bag at 1pm sale on Saturday! If you want to volunteer, you can sign up here.

Clean Water Garage Sale

Holy Smokes! This is the "before" picture. Thanks to all who were inspired to PURGE and donated their stuff to the Clean Water Garage Sale. We raised just over $600! We still have a lot of great stuff left over, not junkie stuff, cuz really we didn't receive any junkie stuff. We're going to have another sale in 2 weeks (on Friday and Saturday at 3916 Aberdeen Drive in Champaign), so it's not too late to PURGE for a great cause.

Here's a view from the other side:

Garage Sale PURGE - Closet (Wk33)

#200 Box with cat on it - Got this from a very dear aunt when I was like 10. It's served me well but I found new home or PURGEd the other things in it. I don't think my kids will use it.

#201 several envelopes - These are from the office stuff I had left in my closet and said that I'd attack them another time. That time has come ;)

#202 Perfume bottle (it in the case with the envelopes - I can't even remember where this came from but it's nice.

#203 Cell phone charm - same story as #202

#204 U of I lanyard - from college obviously. Haven't used in years. Coulda let the kids play with it, I guess but off it goes.

#205 Peace Shirt - Wore this to my church's murder mystery party last year when Bo and I were John and Yoko.

#206 Chinese-looking Purse - got this from my mom. I think a friend of hers made it. It's cute, but I won't use it.

#207 Japanese-looking bill fold - I remember my dad using this. I never did.

#208 Dia de los Muertos card - Bo's brother got us a bunch of pretty cards. I didn't know who to give this one to.

#209 Day Runner - Electronic works just fine for now, though this helped me get through grad school.

#210 - Little Christmas notepad - Got this from the kids I sat for in college. Very sweet. Way to tiny to actually use.

Garage Sale PURGE - Basement (Wk32)

#193 Egg-crate bed cushion, #193 3 Small Rugs, #194 Over the door shoe holder, #195 2 chair cushions, - all of these my cousin left here when she moved from U of I. I don't even remember how long ago that was, prolly before I had kids.

#196 Willow Tree Figurine - I got this for serving at church. It's my only one, so it kinda seems outta place.

#197 Jesus plate - got this as a gag gift to our small group from a member when she moved. A relative got it for her cuz she was Christian. LOL! Seriously? I'm a Christian, surely I want a plate with Jesus to eat off of! ;)

#198 Water bottle for large rodent - left over from when I/we had guinea pig(s). Won't be needing that anytime soon, though that's what I said when I PURGEd baby stuff back in January, when little did I know I was pregnant.

#199 Candle/scent thing - I can remember getting this in high school and Ive just let it collect dust. It was so gross, I had to put it in the dishwaher on "pots and pans" to get it clean. Ewww...

Garage Sale PURGE - Purses and Bags (Wk31)

#186 Diaper Bag - We used this for Bean and Monkey, but will need a new one for Pumpkin cuz it's tearing on the inside.

#187 Purses - Now that I actually use a purse on a daily basis for work, these little ones just won't do. I need something that hold more than a wallet, keys, and cell phone.

#188 Cosmetic Case - Never used. I have one I like pretty well, at least for now.

#189 2 Backpacks from Read Across America. We got 2 new 2010 ones this year, so we'll rotate these out.

#190 Shoe bag - Very nice, but I've discovered that I don't have a need for it.

#191 Black Shoulder Bag - We sometimes used this as a back up diaper bag for the car or an overnight bag for Bean, but it's too small for any of our purposes now.

#192 Crown Royal Pouch - An old roommate gave us this and we've had it in the toy room, but the kids never really played with it. People kept asking up why we have that in the toy box. It's just a draw string pouch! Ah well, I'm sure someone else can get more use out of it.