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Zwaggle helps you with the "reuse" part of being green



If you're like me, your garage is filled to bursting with things that are still "good" but you just don't need anymore -- like skis, books and maybe even a brand new shredder that you bought by accident because you forgot you already had one. That last one might be just me, but we can all benefit from reducing the clutter in our lives.

You could do a Goodwill run, or have a yard sale. Or, you can join Zwaggle and get it into the hands of someone who can really use it, plus get points toward something useful for yourself.

Zwaggle is sort of like a bartering club, only with points -- I mean "zoints." You join -- it's free -- and start earning zoints by "selling" items to the other people in the club. You can also earn zoints by referring other people to join.

The main focus is on kids items, which are expensive, get outgrown quickly, never decompose (Fisher Price people may someday be mistaken for the dominant life form on Earth) and usually have more time left in them after your kids are done using them.

It's an easy site to use, with images and details available in the usual ecommerce site style. Once you buy or sell and item, you can make arrangements through a message system to deliver the items in person, or, since members are all over the country, ship them. The site makes it easy to send items, with a built in Fedex interface.

Once you're done cleaning out your garage, or play room or closet, you can use your zoints to buy other stuff. There is also a nice accountability system, where the buyer approves the transaction after receiving the item and only then do the zoints transfer to the seller.

I also really like that you can designate a charity to receive your zoints, if you want to get rid of items but don't plan on getting neck deep in the trading. There are only a few registered on the site right now, but any 501(c)3 organization can register. You get the tax write off, and your favorite charity gets a little help.

Zwaggle is another way to keep nonrecyclables out of landfills, which is always a worthwhile endeavor. And if you get a clean garage out of it? So much the better!

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