I Don't Want It. Maybe You Do.

Several months ago I was given a small leather good from an exclusive, fancy-shmancy designer brand. The item was beautifully packaged in a box with the designer logo and tied with designer logo ribbon. Inside, the tissue paper was closed with a designer logo sticker.

I was thrilled that the giver thought enough of me to offer something so beautiful, and I tried to make it work. Ultimately the design of the piece didn't match what I was looking for. However, when I went to the company's website and looked at the item's retail price (multiple hundreds of dollars!) I couldn't bring myself to just put it in the Goodwill pile.

The item laid on my project inbox in my office (AKA the spare bed) until it was there so long I started looking past it. During an office straightening I rediscovered the item, did some research, and decided to take it to an upscale consignment store. There I was told that they couldn't accept it because they already had enough of that item.

I came home and put the item back on the bed while I figured out the next step. Time passed. One day I saw a Facebook ad for a local resale shop that has a couturier sale of "good stuff" every October. I decided to donate the item there.

When I walked into the donation center holding the box the volunteer didn't seem to be interested. But I opened it up and showed her what was inside. Her eyes got big, and she told me they could definitely add the item to their sale. The proceeds of the sale fund their outreach programs, and it felt good to know that my discard would be going to good use.

Five years ago: Walk From The Sun To Neptune In 2,880 Feet