there’s a product they sell in the laundry aisle called “rust out.”

on the label there are directions for using it in your dishwasher.

i’ve never done it for the dishwasher, but i’ve used rust out to get rust stains off of laundry.

My vehicle was not covered by this settlement. I was pretty sure it wasn’t because I never received any type of notice (which is required by the rules of civil procedure!), but to be sure, I checked my VIN at hondatransmissionsettlementcom. Result: My vehicle was not one covered by this settlement.

So…in my case, buying a certified pre-owned Honda definitely saved me from having to pay for a new transmission on my own. I’m sure paying for the “certified” label isn’t a good buy ALL of the time, but in my case, it certainly was.

This reduces your time cost considerably, especially if you leave things for porch pick up. Plus, it’s not going to waste!

But “typical blonde” is typically used for women, not men, so I guess subtle sexist comments are acceptable? Trent, your overlook reads as acquiescence. I am brunette, but was very attractive as a younger woman, and had to prove left and right that I was not an idiot. Comments like the above were career hurdles to women.

I wish you had not let that one pass through.

Clearing clutter is really time consuming for us too, even when we have a plan. But, the resulting burst of energy we feel is well worth it.

I agree with J- classy thing to say about your sister- or ANYONE. This blond finds the stereotype offensive. I’m fed up with that sort of remark. It’s not funny or cute- it’s insulting and crass.

look into the Creative Reuse Center. Here in Oakland, CA, it’s a Arty-Crafty persons dream/nightmare. They’ll take almost anything (ie 1000 empty yogurt cups, 39 labels, a package of cd’s, etc). It’s basically a place to give all your old unfinished project new homes with arty-crafty people that have the time/inclination to do what you aren’t going to. There are similar ones in Chicago and New York: I would guess that you’ll find something of the kind within a few miles of any art decent art school/large urban area.

I still think what Trent says is true – a good mechanic is probably a better bet. However, when I buy used cars I go to a dealership or a reputable place like Carmax as opposed to an independent use car salesman. I think you are much safer with a dealer rather than a fly-by-night operation and most likely, those dealership used cars are certified pre-owned anyway.

When I buy my next car (and it won’t be a Honda/Acura) I’ll probably buy certified pre-owned and I will also take it to my mechanic.

I used to babysit, petsit, and work in a book store on the weekends while working 40 hours during the week.

Now I have my blog…it’s only brought in a tiny bit so far in 2 months ($3 with $220 on the way this month), so I wouldn’t suggest a blog as a get-money-fast option.

@Adeena, I agree that money you have spent is a sunk cost. That money is gone. And the money you could get for selling your things doesn’t seem to be motivating you to get rid of them, either.

You could look for more places to donate your stuff. For example, women’s shelters like to have shampoo and toothpaste. Animal shelters like to have old towels. Police like to have old cell phones. Schools like to have art supplies. When in doubt, ask for a wishlist. My library prefers new books but will take just about anything other than National Geographic, encyclopedia sets, and moldy books—even if they don’t keep it, they can sell it at their annual sale and use the money to buy something more in demand. For ideas, Google your city and “wish list” and Google what you have and “recycle.”

You could also try a pros-and-cons list for keeping each type of clutter. For example, here’s a list I should have for some of my art supplies:
Advantages to keeping –
* I might use them one day.
* They are pretty.
* There is a place for them.

Advantages of losing –
* I can use that space for other things, clearing up floor space.
* I won’t trip over things so often.
* I can invite people over.
* I can do exercise videos more easily.
* My house will be prettier.
* The floor will be easier to vacuum.

Many people find that when they get rid of a lot of things, they actually do find a use for one or two of them later and have to re-buy them. They are still happy they did it.

For your arts and crafts stuff, maybe write down your five favorite possible projects and get rid of all other supplies. Or pick one project to work on and tell yourself that any time you go a month without working on that project, it’s a sign that it’s not as great as you had thought it was after all. Get rid of the supplies for that project and pick out another one.