I was just thinking today how funny it has been, trading things around with the family lately.

My mom and I always do this. We mention we need something, and the other one has it.

Anyway, recently we traded a rice cooker and a cooking pan. Dh thought the pan was too big and didn't want to handwash, and her rice cooker was too big for her. So we traded.

She was telling me just 2 days ago she had stocked up at Costco, out of paper towels and all this. I told her the big pile of paper towels she gave us way back were mostly in the garage. We didn't really use them and she could have them back. (We're much more environmentally mindful when it comes to paper goods). So we might keep a few, to last a year or 2 or 3, and give the rest back.

I was also telling my mom about my exchange gifts, wondering if I should give the Asian set to my sister. I also mentioned offhand the pretty ornament frames I Got. My mom had seen some at Cosctco and was "tempted." I Said they are all hers. How funny. The same day she spotted those, I was getting them as a gift.

So I will ship those off and be happy to de-clutter a bit.

Then a couple of weekends ago dh's mom asked if we happened to have a spare TV laying around. Probably asked since we upgraded a while ago. Well, of course. Grandma-in-law needed one with a sleep function. & that we had. IT was hard to let go though. I bought the TV for little when I first moved out on my own (13 years ago). An 18-incher I guess. But it still worked fine (though it was in no way shape or form up to dh's standards. IT worked for me. ). Anyway, but just funny she needed a TV and we had one to spare.

I know a lot of the stuff from our house came from the same kind of things. Chairs for our dining table. (Mentioned to a co-worker that my roommate had left a table but no chairs. I don't remember why, but she sold me the table for $5 or something, and I Was too broke for chairs. My co-worker brought me some very nice chairs that she had wanted to dump).

I have a few things from my boss, when he de-clutters.

& tons of hand-me-downs from family. But these aren't always "old" stuff. Sometimes very nice stuff that is no longer needed/wanted.

I was thinking at some point that the free handouts don't seem to come up so much with age and more financial stability. But I Think the truth is that we just no longer ask. I bet if we asked as much today as we used to, we would find a lot more.

It just never hurts to keep your ears open.

I will just never understand furnishing an entire house with new furniture either. BEtween family, friends, co-workers, etc., there seems to be plenty to go around. For stuff we had to buy, we always bought very used when we first started out. It really makes ALL the difference. These days I almost prefer that stuff. You get the feeling they just don't make things like they used to. Not at all!

Somewhere on the bottom of my future wish list, I have "new furniture." IT always gets pushed to the bottom. The funny thing is the thing I want to replace the very most is the only piece of furniture that WE bought brand stinking new. Our sectional couch. Dh talked me into something I find hedously ugly these days. I figure a nice couch and maybe a new dining set for the kitchen nook, when the kids are a little older. Replace the free chairs and $5 table. Mostly because the chairs are clothe and thrashed from the kids. Otherwise I would see no need.

The first place I will probably look is Craigslist too. Kind of why we wanted a van, so we could more easily buy used furniture. Just hard to justify since we don't "need" anything lately. I am not sure we'll by anything until the kids are 18. Out of the house or something. Then maybe we can enjoy nice stuff. Seems like a waste with 2 rambuctious boys. LOL. I mean at the least they got to get past the potty training stage and all that.