The Crap Swap and Potluck that I host each year is, I think, eagerly anticipated by a certain type of person.
Not only by those of us who aspire to be minimalists, but also by those who like a good deal.
The Crap Swap is the annual chance for all of my neighbors and friends to unload their unneeded junk with minimal inconvenience to themselves. And this year it was minimally inconvenient for me, too.
Usually I allow everyone to drop off their crap in the days and weeks beforehand, and I set it all up. Because the event has grown with each passing year, this time almost everyone set up their own crap. We filled something like six card tables and five folding tables, heaped with clothing, toys and household goods. Other sections of the yard and driveway were reserved (and overflowing) with large items, like scooters, a filing cabinet, a bookcase and an air compressor.
The swap attracts people from throughout the neighborhood, and everything is FREE. That gives everyone a chance to collect stuff not only for themselves but for the charities of their choice. Everything leftover goes to a local thrift store.
The weather was predicted to be ideal all week before the Sept. 4 swap, but it didn't hold. Off-and-on showers happened all evening and almost certainly lowered the number of visitors. Nevertheless we had only about 20 small-ish boxes of crap leftover at the end of the day, and after a couple of days at the curb, that number dropped to 14 boxes. A couple of neighbors graciously hauled them to VOA after the holiday weekend.
I'm already thinking about ways to improve the Crap Swap next year, like always. But the real question is: why do we have so much crap each and every year?!
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