Last month, I decided that it was time. It was actually long past time.

I’m talking “clean out the playroom” time.

We are lucky in that our playroom contains a closet, but unlucky in the fact that said closet had become a dumping ground for just about everything. Truthfully, the entire playroom had become a dumping ground. The cabinets were full of toys with no parts, puzzles missing pieces, and naked baby dolls. So I pulled everything out of all of the hiding spaces, piled it into the middle of the room and got to work. I made a spot each for “give away”, “trash” and “donate”.

We had entire sets of waffle blocks, spiderman legos and duplicate baby dolls. They were buried in the bottom of the closet, sight unseen for at least six months. Why did we have all of this, why did I spend so much money, and why wasn’t anyone playing with it? Simple. We had too much stuff. The day care at school needed toys, and so I sent the trains and the waffle blocks to them, as well as the bead and wire maze. I sent the stuffed animals and the duplicate baby dolls to the children’s hospital and the extra lego sets went to friends with younger sons. The baby toys were boxed up and given to friends with newborns. Then I matched up the remaining toys, tossed out the junk, and slid it all into the empty cabinets and the closet.

Success. We had gotten rid of at least half of the toys, given them to people and places who needed them more, and best of all - according to my own kids, anyway - we had room for new stuff.

But, what if you don’t know anyone with children smaller than yours, and don’t have a charity nearby to which you would like to donate those unused items? Here at Zwaggle, you’ve got a couple of great options. You can list those unused items and use the points based system to exchange for new things your family needs. Also, you can utilize the Zwaggle Charity page, where you can pick a charity to donate your Zoints. It’s a win-win situation for all involved - you even get a receipt for your taxes. What’s not to love about that?

Christmas is coming. I think I’ll need to clean out the playroom again, maybe the week before. This time, I think I’ll list it all here on Zwaggle. It’s much easier and I don’t have to run all around town. After all, there are several things listed here that I’ve got my eye on.

It’s used all the way for me.

My name is Carmen, and I’m delighted to be the newest addition to the Zwaggle team! I have six children, ranging in ages from 3 to 15. We are a soccer playing, cross country running, boy scout, art club and mess making group of people. As a mom with a larger family, I am constantly reusing and recycling. I’m always on the lookout for soccer cleats with remaining life, jeans that haven’t had the hems walked out of them, and sneakers that won’t kill you with the fumes.

Having a large family has changed my opinion on what is necessary for raising a family and the reality of how to obtain those items. When my first son was born, I was determined to purchase everything NEW and UNUSED and the thought of using a hand me down was horrifying. I bought it all new - strollers, car seats, clothing and toys. My second child was a daughter, and she needed all girl stuff - so I thought - and again bought it all new. By the time the third child came along, I had completely changed my mindset, and now I see what a gift a network of friends with children just a bit older than yours can be. There isn’t a week that goes by that I am not handed a bag of clothes, books, toys or games for my kids. I don’t know that I’ve bought new clothes for one of my daughters in a year. How awesome is that, to know that you are helping others and being helped at the same time?

I’m really impressed with the concept of Zwaggle, and keep thinking of more and more things that I can list. Not only that, but there are many items I’m interested in for my own kids, and the recycling concept appeals to the thriftier side of me.

Now, if I could just hook up with someone who had a Wii…