There is a pile of stuff sitting in the corner of my classroom. An overflowing tub of books, educational games, puzzles, an inflatable globe, posters, a whiteboard that was replaced by a bigger one, and a classroom rug that we are no longer using. These things have all served us well in the past, but now they need a new home.
The easiest way to dispose of useable homeschool items is to drop it all off at a thrift store. I cannot begin to count the number of books and classroom items that we have been blessed to find at thrift stores. It has saved me so much money, and I feel good knowing that we kept usable items out of a landfill. Another bonus of just donating everything is it saves time taking pictures, writing listing, responding to messages, and coordinating pick-ups.
The second easiest way to find new homes for the items that I do not plan on selling is to list them online. I have found that local homeschool groups on Facebook are a great option for gifting items to other families. I find porch pick-up to be effective, and if someone no-shows, I give them 24 hours to make new arrangements for pick-up or move on to the next interested party. Life happens and people get delayed in their errands, but ghosting also happens and I need to get this stuff gone. The downside of this option is I spend the same amount of time taking pictures, creating the listing, responding to messages, etc. as if I was selling it.
There are a few items in this pile that can help finance some items that I need to purchase for the upcoming year. For books and curriculum, the most efficient way of finding a buyer is to list them on ebay.com. I offer free media mail shipping and a buy-it-now option. If the demand for the book is not great enough to turn a profit after paying for shipping and ebay fees, I donate them to thrift or a local library for their fundraising book sales.
For items that cannot be shipped via media mail, I opt to list locally on Facebook either on our neighborhood page or county homeschool page. I usually give these items a week or two to sale. If they do not seem to be generating any interest, they end up getting donated. Although this option takes the most time and effort, it does generate some cash for next year’s items. The whiteboard, rug, puzzles, and games will hopefully find new homes this way.
Just like cleaning out the classroom, getting rid of the items that are no longer needed is an annual chore. Since my youngest is starting high school this year, I guess I have four more years of clear-outs. A friend graduated her youngest several years ago and gave us a carful of homeschool curriculum and items when she cleared out their homeschool space for the last time. I can totally see us doing the same: finding another homeschool family with younger kids, loading the van up with everything, give it all away in one swoop, and spend the rest of the summer converting the classroom to a formal dining room…or sewing space…or office…or library…
North Star Homeschool Resources 