Hello!
We get a lot of junk mail here at “Southfork”, pizza menus, double glazing leaflets, furniture sales adverts etc. Most of it gets dumped straight into recycling.
I hate it when over 50% of the items put through your letter box are not relevant or even personal. I refuse to open anything marked “For the Occupier”.
Between 2 - 4 times per week we get charity bags put through our door asking for clothes and bric-a-brac to sell.
Here is a selection we currently have.
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| Our Charity Bag Collection is Getting Ridiculous! |
I always take my unwanted clothes, shoes etc to my local hospice shop, and I certainly do not have enough “stuff” to fill up 3 bin liners each week.
In all honesty I find it all a bit irritating.
But, the bags are quite useful, so now we have stopped buying black bin liners and use these instead. They are thick and good quality, perfect for the kitchen bin and wide enough to fit the litter tray deposit into too.
We have been doing this for ages, but I have held off talking about it. Charity is an emotive subject. I support charities whenever I can, but find now that this business of asking for clothes / shoes etc too much and we are inundated with bags. I put up a sign saying "No Charity Bags", it was ignored and then I looked for how to give them back with not much luck, if I did leave the unused bags out on the required day then they went uncollected.
So now I take them and use them, but I would be interested in your thoughts.
If I have upset you with this post, here is a picture of Belle I took last night to make amends. She was curled on the sofa next to me and looked so comfy and sweet.
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| Away with the fairies. |
Frugally yours
Abigail
x
I agree with you Abigail, I found 2 charity bags on my door mat this morning, both will be used for recycling. I donate everything that is suitable to my local charity shop. There is never very much as I upcycle as much as possible. I do go through my cupboards as and when they look overfull and try to lose a few things each time. We do a textile collection regularly at work for worn out stuff, this is sold on to raise money for the Air Ambulance, so no bags needed.
ReplyDeleteA textile collection is a great idea. Every 6 months or so the girls in our office bring in unwanted beauty items e.g bottles of fake tans used once or the eyeshadow / bag freebies they give away with make up purchases.
DeleteWe then have a big dip in and you can take as much or as little as you want. We all love it as you feel you get everything for free!
Hi I am pretty much with you on this one. I use them as my big bin bags. I donate to charity lots of times & in different ways. I couldn't fill the bags fast enough as what they come through the door!. I prefer to take my stuff physically in to the charity shop when I have a few things to donate. Good post to cover too x
ReplyDeleteThat is the perfect way of putting it - I could not physically fill the bags as fast as they come through the door!.
DeleteGood to know I am not alone!
Tough luck if you upset anyone. They need to read them carefully. I have never filled them because I read the bag. On average they give £50 per tonne of clothing to the charity. Yet, they get up to £500 per tonne. Which charity are we helping here other than the people collecting. Other than my moan, I am with you on this one also!
ReplyDeleteI did watch a documentary about these bags a whle ago and it stated some were even faked by gangs.
DeleteWhen I do donate I always take in my goods and they can then claim gift aid too.
Offended? Not at all! I have the same problem. I did start using them to make plastic "yarn" to crochet into shopping bags but RSI put a stop to that. I refuse to feel guilty. If I take somethng to a charity shop, I turn one of these bags inside out and use it. If they won't pick them up (not economic to do so) why should we feel bad about it? If it was one a month, maybe I would be able to put something out. Most of my clothes are too washed out for resale when they are finished with and I cut them up for rags. I do use some bags for rubbish. There hundreds of charities and so we have to choose where we donate money or goods. They often only want clothes; most of what I have that is fit for resale is household items. And picture of beautiful cat....please give her a tummy tickle from me!
ReplyDeleteIhave a friend who "knits" bags from old carrier bags and always wanted to learn how to do it. You are so clever!
DeleteThanks for the comments about Belle, I just love her and her sister! x
I do exactly the same, as does my Mum. I make a monthly donation to a charity close to my heart( quite literally as they helped me when I was diagnosed with the heart condition) and donate unwanted items to local charity shops. The bags are like unsolicited mail. I don't ask for them to be put through my door, and as Dc says, many of them are from clothes collectors who donate a fraction of what they make. I had 4 put through last week!
ReplyDeleteIt is just getting ridiculous, & I did wonder if we were alone getting so many. Apparently not from the responses I have received. I got home to another 2 last night.
DeleteI seen that prog about the fake charity bags too. We do not get these so much but what we do get is the charity people coming around in the evenings when they know people who are working during the day will be home, they buzz all the buzzers until someone lets them in to the building. They appear to be trying to get you to sign up for a monthly direct debit payment to said charity. I understand they are working on a commission basis thats why they appear so pushy but it just puts me off supporting these charities with that kind of behaviour.
ReplyDeleteWe do not get charity people knocking our door, but we do get on average 2 visits from Jehovah Witnesses per month. Last time I found The Chap talking to them. They asked "well what do you love?" He answered "Well my parents, my car and my girlfriend". Good to know where I sit!! lol
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