I'm moving in two months, combining households with someone. Big yay! Also I'm moving cross country. I'm jettisoning a lot of stuff.

Furniture. My microwave (if only I had know you needed one, Beth!)

I know what to do about the music we have in duplicate-cash cash cash. I've been weeding out my book collection, and have discovered that it doesn't hurt quite as much as I thought it would. It's actually quite freeing. I have bags of clothes and textiles that need to go to GoodWill.

But what do I do with the dresser and desk that wouldn't survive another in town move, much less one across country?

Do I try to sell my furniture (how)? Do I unload it on a friend (who?)

What do I do with those boxes of useless miscellaneous paper? REceipt old credit card statements and the like. What of that is safe to junk.

And the microwave and extra coffemaker. What do I do with those?

-- Anonymous, November 15, 1999

Answers

Garage sale. Depending on where you live, with that kind of stuff you can probably net at least a thousand bucks.

But it will be a lot of work, and you could wind up with a heck of a lot less than what your stuff is worth. If you don't want to just take it to a run of the mill thrift store, you might find a particular charity you'd like to support. Here in Sacramento, there are thrift stores run by a women's shelter, a bilingual preschool, and the local SPCA, just to name a few.

As for credit card receipts and so forth, you can buy a cheap shredder for $15 or so. It won't last forever, but it will handle this job. Plug it in some night while you're watching TV, and shred away. That's what we did the last time we moved, and now we do it every couple of months.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 1999

Do you live nearby a college? If so, you are golden. Trust me, college students would love an affordable microwave, coffee maker, or even somewhat ramshackle furniture. Just call the college and ask if there is some means of advertising such things to students (at my school, we have a widely-read daily announcement sheet for that kind of thing). List what you have, how much you want for them, a name, and a phone number, and hopefully you'll have offers come in- especially if a new term is beginning soon, which means students moving and needing household items.

As for the papers, my mom always says that reciepts and credit card statements should be kept for seven years. Maybe she's over-cautious, but I think it's better to be prepared. As for what's left: I may be paranoid, but I'd try to shred it or burn (if that's legal) it.

Good luck with your move!

-- Anonymous, November 19, 1999