Skagit County/Oak Harbor-area Donation Sites:

Don't love it? It doesn't fit? Have too many of them? Don't use it? Then, donate those items to someone who will!! Having less "stuff" that's organized and has a place to be will help you live the life you want! You CAN do this and benefit others at the same time!

Take a look at an interesting, entertaining story of why we need to clear the clutter and be concerned about our buying habits: www.storyofstuff.com.

  • Oak Harbor Thrift Plus, 3161H Goldie Road, Oak Harbor, WA, 360-675-0975
  • Island Thrift, 600 SE Barrington Drive, Oak Harbor, WA, 360-675-1133
  • WAIF Thrift Shop:
    • 1036 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA, 360-279-9504
    • 1651 E Main St., Freeland, WA, 360-331-2818
  • Community Thrift, 5518 Woodard Avenue, Freeland, WA, 360-331-5701
  • Harbor Haven's New Beginnings, 404 S Main, Coupeville, WA, 360-678-0537

  • Kiwanis Thrift Shop, 420 O Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 360-293-2921
  • Red Door Thrift Shop, 1019 7th St., Anacortes, WA, 360-293-8027
  • Soroptimist Club, 1107 Third Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 360-293-7251

  • Bargains Galore II Thrift Store, 145 Cascade Place, Burlington, WA, 360-707-2313
  • First Stop Thrift Shop, 351 Pease Road, Burlington, WA, 360-757-6600, fsts@crosscov.net
  • Soroptimist Thrift Store - Treasure Chest, 509 E Fairhaven Ave., Burlington, WA, 360-755-0369
  • Soroptimist Thrift Store - The Walnut Tree, 713 Puget St., Sedro Woolley, WA, 360-855-2337
  • Spruced Up Thrift Store, 328 E. Fairhaven Ave., Burlington, WA, 360-755-1141
  • St. Vincent DePaul Society, 719 Ferry Street, Sedro Woolley, WA, 360-855-1937
  • Attic Thrift Store, 2301 Market Street, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-416-0826
  • Bargains Galore Thrift Store, 224 Chenoweth Street, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-336-1081
  • Goodwill Industries, 102 Valley Mall Way, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-848-0646
  • The Humane Society Thrift Shop, 525 E College Way, #D, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-424-5991
  • Salvation Army Thrift Store, 1101 E College Way, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-424-6441
  • The Salvation Army, 1-800-SA-TRUCK, www.satruck.org
  • Value Village, 525 E. College Way, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-416-0104
  • Vintage LaConner, 301 Morris Street, La Conner, WA, 360-466-4017

Send that prom dress you won't ever use again to these organizations and some girl who wouldn't be able to go otherwise, CAN now! What a great feeling!

Turn your old tennis shoes (any brand) into playgrounds, tracks, fields, etc. through Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe Campaign. www.letmeplay.com/reuseashoe

www.handmedowns.com: buy, sell or donate "gently-used items" for free!

Money For Your Used Clothing: check www.mfyuc.com: They have a wonderful booklet for you to track your donations for income tax purposes!


Recycling Centers:

Do the planet a favor and try to keep some of your recyclable items out of the landfills! You can even make some money from some of them!

  • 1-800-CLEANUP, www.Earth911.org
  • 1-800-RECYCLE, 1800recycle.wa.gov, (WA. St. Dept. of Ecology), 9a-3p M-F
  • Lauts Recycling/T&T Recovery (wood, sheetrock, industrial & construction debris, etc.), 6967 Old Highway 99, Burlington, WA, 360-757-4000, 866-732-9256
  • Skagit River Steel & Recycling, www.skagitriversteel.com, (electronics, gardening pots, flats, soil & compost bags; metals), 1265 S. Anacortes, Burlington, WA, 800-869-7097, 360-757-6096
  • Skagit Soils, Inc, www.skagitsoilsinc.com, (yard waste), 13260 Ball Rd, Mt. Vernon, WA, 360-424-0199
  • Skagit County Recycling Center & Household Hazardous Waste, 14104 Ovenell Rd., Mt. Vernon, WA 360-424-3873
  • www.freecycle.org
  • www.craigslist.org

Effective January 1, 2009, Washington State has a new electronics recycling law. Computers, computer monitors, laptops and televisions can be recycled without cost now at specified, registered collection sites. Note: this free program does not include printers, mice, keyboards or other computer peripherals. As the Department of Ecology site states, in its ecycle FAQ, " 'Small Effort, Big Return' means that turning in your unwanted electronics for recycling will have a big impact...With a 'Small Effort' on your part, there is a 'Big Return' for the environment. When electronics are properly recycled resources are saved, toxic materials are kept out of our environment, and everyone benefits." For the most current information on regulations and participating collection sites, go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/eproductrecycle/faq.html.

Paper Reduction:

If you get less paper in the mail, you are more likely to take care of it at one timely sitting. Otherwise, it may get relegated to a PILE that may not get any attention for TOO long! Unpaid bills? Late payment fees? Don't damage your credit ratings or lose sleep with paper pile-up!

  • www.catalogchoice.org: free site to eliminate all those catalogs that come to you, most of them unsolicited!
  • Another way to reduce magazine receipt: call the toll free number and request to be removed from their mailing lists. Whenever you do order from a catalog, be sure to ask that they not sell/rent/lease your name to other companies.
  • www.dmachoice.org: $1 per item for removal from mailing lists.
  • www.optoutprescreen.com: free site to opt out of credit card offers, 1-888-567-8688
  • A-1 Shredding Inc., www.a-1shred.com, 360-676-5594
  • ALL DATA Shredding Inc., www.alldatashredding.com, 866-32-SHRED, 360-588-1616
  • Reduce telemarketing phone calls: register your home and mobile phone on the National "Do Not Call" Registry, www.donotcall.gov, 1-888-382-1222

How about really trying to reduce all your post-its, bill-paying documents, “someday” articles?? Take a minute to check out the following “in the cloud” websites (watch for new internet offerings on a frequent basis!):

Products/Companies I Like

Closet Organizer Resource

Unwanted Medications:

  • Washington State drug take-back program: www.medicinereturn.com
  • OR: if there is no drug take-back program in your area:
    • Keep medications in original containers
    • Modify medications to discourage consumption - add small amount of water to dissolve or mix with kitty litter or sawdust
    • Seal and conceal: Tape container shut, put in resealable bag then in non-transparent bag so contents cannot be seen
    • Discard container into garbage away from children or pets - NOT in the recycling bin.

(Washington State Department of Health, "Water Tap", June 2008 issue)

How about turning school days "green"?

(ParentSmart, Natalie Ermann Russell, USA Weekend, August 10, 2008)

Concerned with Identity Theft? You should be!

Victims of identity theft lose on average over $6,000; spend an average of 40 hours and over $400 in out-of-pocket costs in trying to clean this fraud up (Javelin Strategy & Research)! To help keep this from happening to you, DETER, DETECT and DEFEND, as below!

Deter:

Shred financial documents containing personal information
Protect your Social Security number: don’t carry it with you or write it on checks, etc.
Don’t give out any personal information unless you know who you are dealing with
Never click on links from unsolicited emails – protect yourself from phishing, spyware and viruses by keeping your protections up-to-date
Keep your personal information in a secure place at home

Detect:

Routinely monitor your bills and financial statements to make sure: they arrive on time; that all the charges are yours; that you aren’t denied credit for no apparent reason; you don’t receive calls or correspondence about purchases you did not make
Inspect your credit report annually, or more often if you suspect fraud or theft of any sort. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 877-322-8228 for receive a copy of each of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Apply to one every four months to keep a more current watch on your reports!

Defend:

Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports as soon as you suspect ID theft
Close accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently
File a police report to assist you in proving to creditors that a crime was committed
Report any such theft to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or 877-ID-THEFT.


(Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580)