My Big Give & a Blessing Bag

Remember when I posted about my participation in Amy's Declutter Challenge?  Well, I'm working a little bit every day towards my goal of giving away 730 items.  I didn't post last week, but I gave away another 12 items, which brings my total to 35 given items as of last week. 

This week, I've been busy cleaning bookshelves and have another 16 books to give away, plus a box of items for the Goodwill which counts for another 10 items, which brings my total to a whopping 61 items! 

One of the ways I remember to give consistently is to keep a "Blessing Bag".  It's a concept I invented last year because my friend, Fay, and I are always exchanging books, buying little gifts for each other, and sharing garage sale deals when we find them.  Plus, she keeps me stocked in fresh eggs from her local source, and I "repay" her with free groceries I find.

I wish I had a bag like this to use for my Blessing Bag...

In the meantime, we use a heavy duty cloth shopping bag that was gifted to me by another friend.  We see each other once a week, and usually trade the bag at that time.  It's been fun to see how creative we can be in what we give.  Last week, I gave her a pair of ceramic French Country figurines I have had in my den for years.  I know they'll look fab in her house, and I can't wait to look for them the next time I'm over.

We do have an understanding that anything the receiver doesn't want can be regifted to someone else we might know, and no one has hard feelings if that happens.  It just makes it easier to give things that way!

I'd love to hear if you have a way you like to share or give on a regular basis, maybe through a club, or your church, Biblestudy, or local group of friends. I'd also like to hear of any blog giveaway experiences you've had.  I haven't done a giveaway on my blog yet, but I'm thinking about doing so in the near future, and would love to hear comments or thoughts on the subject!

(Edited to add:  I just read some of the linky posts over at Amy's and had to go clean out a kitchen drawer! So, add 9 more items to my total ~ now I'm at 70!!! Whoot.)