Once a year, our community has a special trash night were we are allowed to get rid of everything except mattresses.  Last year, I wrote about my community’s trash night in an article called “Everything Goes Trash Night – Bizarro Christmas Year 2”  where this special day is almost like a holiday for my wife and I.  It’s a great opportunity to get rid of clutter!

It’s the anti-thesis of Christmas where instead of receiving stuff, we get to toss stuff out!  Like last year, this year didn’t disappoint either!  We got rid of the following:

• Old, slightly rusty grill
• Plastic chairs and 1 soccer field chair
• Snow thrower (my dad still calls them snow blowers, and so do I sometimes).
• Razor scooter
• Kid Toys

Interestingly, this year it was different!  In previous years, we’d put the stuff down at the bottom of the drive, and late in the night, people would come and pick things up, but this year they were early and everywhere!  First I wheeled down the grill, and while I was walking up the drive, someone stopped by and snagged it.  I went back down and asked if he needed help loading it, but he said he had a trailer with a ramp and he was going to wheel it up into his truck.  I watched and he did that right quick.

Next I put out the chairs, when once again when I got to the top of the drive a woman stopped and asked if she could have the chairs to which I said sure, I even ran up to the garage to get the soccer field chair for her.  She seemed happy.

Nothing was left down at the bottom of my drive, so I went backup and started to wheel down my biggest item… the snow thrower.  Once again, I got back up to the top of the drive when I heard a minivan stop.  Since this was the heaviest of the items and the minivan had a high gate, I walked back down to asked if he and his wife needed help loading it.  Since it was so heavy, I was afraid that this wife would have to help, and although I’m sure they could have done it… I was there already, so I offered.  Luckily for me, he had a buddy drive by with a pickup, and that was the perfect option.  We put it in the pickup, and away they drove.  They both thanked me and I wished them farewell.

I’ve lived at my house for 11 or 12 years now, but I just really started putting stuff down on “Everything goes trash night” starting three years ago.  Five years ago, I would have worked a bit harder to make the things I had last until they would totally break, and in fact, I did do that with my old lawnmower (Mean Green).  But this year, it was easy to part with my snow thrower and everything else.  I know that if I worked at it, I could have fixed the snow thrower, but it’s over 20 years old and there are much better models out now, so why not let someone else have it!  I’m sure it will make someone happy!

An hour later, I remembered that I wanted to get rid of my son’s razor scooter, so I rode it down and leaned it against the trash can.  Again, I was surprised when I heard a truck stop and just like a quick, cool breeze, it was gone!  Totally awesome!

Right now as I write this, I’m more content than on the real Christmas!  It’s funny how giving stuff (trash if you will) away can make you happy.  I know that I could have listed half of my old stuff on Craigslist and probably have made a bit off money, but this is even better!

Happy Bizarro Christmas, everybody…  It was another great year for me!

Don