Recycle, eh!

Every Christmas (actually any kind of celebration) comes with the inevitable unwanted or unneeded gift or present.  Getting rid of these without offending the person who gave you the gift requires a lot of skill and diplomacy. And you do have some options. Selling online on sites or through local consignment stores will give you a little cash to buy what you really wanted all along or just to save for something in the future.

Regifting is another option but you have to make sure that the new recipient is not a close friend of the original giver - it can get complicated. Donating unwanted gifts to charities is an excellent option. If it's games, DVDs, CDs, or books, consider taking these to a local hospice or respite centre. It will be greatly appreciated and you will be teaching your children a valuable life lesson.

Here a re a few local sites to visit if you do have unwanted presents:

Consignment:

hushresale.com

clothesencounters.ca

totalhomeconsignment.com

boomerangkids.ca 

thepurplecrayon.ca 

reruns-ottawa.com

threebagsfullkids.com

Swaps:

swoplot.com

swapace.com

swap-it-now.com

swaptree.com

trashbank.com

barterquest.com

money.howstuffworks.com/bartering.htm

u-exchange.com/home

barternetworkonline.com/xob2b07/Home3/Login.aspx

Selling

usedottawa.com

ottawa.Kijiji.ca

ottawa.craigslist.ca

BookScouter.com

ebay.ca

Donate or give away

Freecycle.org

Go to my Charities page for a list of charities to donate to.

Did I miss anything?

Happy New Year!