One of my co-workers is moving to a smaller apartment and needs to downsize her life. Lucky for us, as we all benefited because she followed in a long tradition at our workplace of hosting a Free Stuff Sale. A table or counter is designated as the gifting spot, and the giver brings in their wares and sets them out. Then the vultures descend and have a mad feeding frenzy and fight over the discarded goods. You know, normal day at the office. If anything is left over, it gets donated to a local charity or thrift store.

To me, this is about as good as it gets. As a green fiend and writer for a green living magazine, I fully support re-homing unwanted stuff instead of throwing it away. And as a bargain aficionado, I fully embrace getting free stuff. As I write this I am wearing my favorite cold weather wool blend sweater that I got at a clothing swap a couple years ago that I am SO grateful for on super cold days like today.

Accessories are the best candidates for Free Stuff Sales, but pieces of designer clothes and new or close to new beauty products sometimes pop up too. Here’s a guide to what’s usually popular:

-Scarves

-Jewelry

-Hats

-Wallets and small purses

-Trinkets

-Books

Go through your stuff and make sure it’s something someone might actually want. Used makeup is best left out, since you can’t even donate that due to hygiene considerations.

I was inspired to take some photos of the Free Stuff Sale that happened today for examples of popular items. This stuff is so cute I couldn’t help but share it on the blog.

What are your favorite ways to give stuff away? Would you do a Free Stuff Sale?