This “Where Bloggers Live” topic surprised me. “What’s your Favorite Website.”
I thought it might be a blog, or a decorating site. Or Pinterest.
I guessed perhaps it might be Amazon.
And then I wondered, HOW would I even find out what my favorite website was? So I Googled It…and then “Ha!” I exclaimed to myself inaudibly. “I bet it’s Google!”
Nope. Not Google either. But Google DID tell me how to find my frequently visited websites. I use Safari as my primary browser, and on the Start Page for each tab on my computer, it’s right there…and I never knew.
And what, exactly, did that turn out to be? Well, TBH, it was something horrible. Freaking Facebook, of all the ridiculous things. Ask me one site I would NEVER….EVER call my favorite and it would be Facebook.
I am VERY late to the Facebook game. So late, that I made a page in the name of one of the dogs instead of myself. (The blog has a page, but there’s little activity there, surprise surprise 🤣.)
Eventually, I changed the name on the dog’s Facebook page to mine. I DO like some things about Facebook: life/family updates, occasional pictures, a quick way to let someone know you’re thinking about them. I have exactly 62 Facebook “friends” on my personal site (and surprisingly, none of them are canines). However, few of those people regularly post, and most of what does pop up are articles with intriguing titles that lead to potential hours of time wasting.
So HOW in the world could Facebook be my most frequented page? I concluded that it’s a combination of two things: First, I clear my browser history semi-regularly. Less history, less websites stored. And, thinking about it, I have visited Facebook a lot lately…and not because I’m looking to see EVERY SINGLE ONE OF Susan N’s vacation photos. Facebook has become one of my favorite ways to give things away. So it isn’t Facebook I’m frequenting, it’s Buy Nothing.
I first mentioned the Buy Nothing Project when I began working on our Dining Room makeover last fall.
A friend had been telling me about how helpful it was when she was downsizing. We are recreationally downsizing, in that our kids have all moved out and the nest is filled with useful crap we don’t need. Buy Nothing is a Facebook group that provides a forum for offering your useful crap–for free–to someone in your neighborhood who might appreciate adding your crap to their collection.
Lest you think you are now instant friends with these new contacts, nay nay. For those of us who aren’t overly people-y, there is a delightful option called “Porch Pickup,” which most people seem to favor. You leave it, they grab it. No hellos need be exchanged.
Last summer, someone was offering a bobbin winder for sewing machines. “Hey,” I thought, “instead of having to unthread my machine to wind a bobbin, I can just pull out a handy bobbin winder and I’m back in business.” After picking it up from the woman’s porch, I realized I would then need an extra spool of thread each time my bobbin ran out, otherwise I STILL have to unthread the machine. Thus, that person’s useful crap has been in my trunk ever since, waiting for me to pay it forward to some other unsuspecting crap searcher another sewist who is likewise too lazy to wind a bobbin the traditional way.
When you search for a Buy Nothing group, there might be several groups for the vicinity of where you live. However, you are only “allowed” to join one, ideally the one closest to where you live, as the intention is to promote the spirit of community.
I am often stunned by the variety of things people offer, and accept from other people. A 6-pack of yogurt with four left because the kids didn’t like strawberry banana. A container of Muscle Milk nearing the expiration date. Two leather sofas with a cat scratch on one of the cushions. The late Aunt Tilly’s yarn collection. DustandDoghair’s dining room cabinet, Bear’s boxing gloves, a Groot Chia Pet, a no-longer loved etagere.
They say “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and the Buy Nothing Project is, truly, a great way to find that treasure for FREE. Plus you can do so without having to suffer the indignity of curb shopping (and I will admit here and now that I will happily suffer that “indignity” any day of the week for a great furniture find, haha).
It’s surprising what people can find a use for, and it’s a happy thing that useful items aren’t going to waste or finding their way to a landfill. It’s a win win for everyone!
Here are a few of my recent listings, all of which were eventually claimed.
BTW, people respond in the comments using some form of the words “I’m interested” and the giver either takes a first come, first served method of awarding the item or awards it raffle-style.
First come, first served suits me just fine
Here’s another:
STOP THE PRESSES!!!! While writing this post, I just discovered that there is now an app for the Buy Nothing Project (for iPhone users only)!
So NOW I won’t have to stop and comment on Susan’s trip to Antarctica and her 27 pictures with penguins on the way to giving away the scrap wood from our kitchen.
I’m telling you, win win!
I wonder what will be my new favorite website?
Now that I’ve freed up so much time, I can’t wait to read the posts where the WBL crowd shares their favorite websites. Join me in checking out:
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Sally at Within a World of My Own
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? The second Friday of each month is when this group of six bloggers links up to share their workspaces, homes, towns… or whatever our fearless leader, the fabulous Bettye, proposes.
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
OOohh! We have something similar here (which I think is actually national but I might have just made that up because I think it SHOULD be national) called Freecycle. I used to use it a LOT when I still lived in my house, both for getting rid of stuff and claiming stuff. I was big on plant divisions in the spring and packing materials any time. I think I got a fancy foot bath machine that I used exactly one time…and maybe one of those paraffin melting stick your hands in things…Katie used that more than I did.
It IS a very useful site, and great for the landfills as it keeps a certain amount of things out of there, though…doesn’t almost everything land (ha ha) up there eventually anyway? I mean unless you burn it or smash it to smithereens (an unfortunately underused word these days). Eventually, as many owners as it might be passed to and from, eventually that foot bath is going to break or get gross or fall out of favor…and it will end up there. Right?
Ooh, I’m a little dark today.
But I will probably be using it again when I get to the final stages of The Big Move…as it’s easier for someone else to carry furniture out for free, than for me to try and transport it somewhere.
A hot dog roller?? That sounds kinda like a no brainer. Or…a taquito roller…..ooooohhhh.
Just saw a Seinfeld routine that talked about how EVERYTHING we own is tomorrow’s garbage. Puts a different spin on the landfill thing. Not to mention how so much of our garbage is sent to other places. Yeesh!
My daughter loves this group in our community. I cannot join it…I just don’t have room for the stuff I would find and think, “Oh, what could I do with that? I’m sure I could figure out something.” And, it would sit in Mike’s garage until he threw it out under cover of darkness! When we moved in 2015, we obviously had to empty that house…we had an attic over the garage which was full of the kids’ old scooters, bikes, wagons, etc. We lived on a corner lot on a country road. I always told Mike to just put it out on the corner. When he cleaned out the garage attic, he took all those bikes out there. A woman stopped and asked if she could have a couple of them and how much. She cried when he told her they were free and to take as many as she needed. He even helped her load them up! I’m not sure if our new neighborhood has rules for how long something can be out or not. I probably ought to look into that!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Lucky for me, I live in a magical neighborhood. If I put something out front, clearly labeled FREE to a good home, it is usually gone in minutes, or a few hours at the most. I have witnessed a guy on a bicycle maneuvering my old 8×10 rug, a woman who was out walking her dog making a cell phone call to someone who arrived in a truck a few minutes later to retrieve an old desk, even a young man who offered me $ for my broken weed eater-how sweet, but no, thanks-because he loved fixing stuff like that.
Our local codes say things left out for a day are okay, any longer than one day must either be taken in off the curb or placed out for trash pickup. Pretty easy to comply with unless we are talking large furniture.
Ah, a magical neighborhood! Your town gets it right!
We had a junker who came around on trash day and I would leave things for him. But then our garbage service changed the way they collect and we can’t do that anymore. The new totes are so deep and huge I hope he doesn’t fall in!
I’ve heard of this group a couple of times, but have yet to join. Okay, okay, I will. Especially when Aunt Tilly’s yarn stash could be an option (because we all know I NEED more yarn, LOL)
I wouldn’t have guessed this site for you though. I was definitely thinking it was going to be one of those home decor sites where you can change the color of everything with a flick of the wrist.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Haha, maybe next month! My on-line time has experienced a significant reduction lately. Too much real life to tend to. I was guessing Pinterest or Houzz would be at the top because of all the selecting we’re doing lately…I seek inspiration! I’ve saved so many pictures on my computer that it isn’t working properly. Thought of you with Aunt Tilly, haha.
I had never heard of this group – very interesting! I can so relate to the horror of discovering Facebook is your most commonly visited website. I have become an absolutely terrible never-visiting-Facebook user even though it’s where most of the wonderful nephew photos are. I just…cannot…somehow.
Sooo much junk there…makes me wonder if they filter out the good stuff. Nephew pics are worth the sifting, though!
Oh my, I’m not familiar with that site, but I have given away items on Facebook Market Place – and found my new couch on there (it wasn’t free, but almost). I may have to find the site, just to satisfy my curoisty.
Iris