Stuff We need for our household

Why do we have this big "want" list? 

Well, here's a little history: 

About two years ago (though it still feels like yesterday) after a series of hardships, I lost my home of more than 10 years. Because of the hastiness required by my move all of my belongings, more than 30 years of an established life, a houseful, were put into storage. My cat and I were homeless for a year before we found a room in a shabby but lovable,  1904 death trap in West Oakland.  (I call it a "death trap" because it appears to be held together by miracles. There's no insulation, the electrical wiring is more whimsical than safe, the gas stove doesn't have a vent other than the open window  the floor joists are random (as are the wall studs) and there are no smoke alarms.  But it's a haven in a neighborhood that is covered with graffiti and carpeted with trash. The rent is cheap and the landlady has a big heart. She's understanding when I run behind on rent and even lets me work some of it off. 

Ironically, just as I moved into this place all my possessions in storage were auctioned off because i had fallen behind in the payments. The late fees added made the total due insurmountable! I had only been able to salvage a few things before I was locked out. A lifetime of precious and practical things were gone in the blink of an eye and suddenly, I found myself in no position to replace the practical things for every day living, let alone splurge on things to make my life more beautiful!

My business, More Than Pets , specializing in pet care and personal services such as home organization & design is finally starting to recover, however I no longer have regular access to a working car and this lack of reliable transportation has my business stalled. The full information on my car situation is HERE!

I also tend bar at private events and am in need of supplies to make me more portable and efficient. I also need donations of various kinds of booze.

Currently, I receive a small disability check. It covers half of my rent. I need to scrape up work and transportation (to get to work) so I can cover the balance as well as my cell phone bill, which is crucial if I want to stay in business. There is rarely anything left over for toiletries, cleaning supplies or household goods. Often my cat has to take donations of cat food. As for my own food, I am very grateful for the Alameda County Food Bank and the food stamp program!

I have 3 housemates who are not exactly swimming in money or possessions either. One of them lives in our basement.

If you are needing / wanting to purge, I'd appreciate you checking this list and contacting me OR if you think you have something not on the list that  might be of use, please email me: [email protected] Check back, I may be adding or subtracting things. I may also put some links with photos or further explanation. 

No! All of these things are not necessities. Many are things I used to have that I would love to have again to make my life more pleasant. A lot of them however, are important.
 
* As of 07/2013, I am working on updating this list! I have gratefully received many useful items and am overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of friends and strangers! I am also discovering more things we need. For the future I hope to make this a more organized, easily searchable and eventually much smaller list! Thanks for taking the time to look!

If you have unused unwanted gift cards for Target, Ikea, Walgreen's or anywhere practical, please consider passing them along rather than letting them sit in a drawer!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

-Lorelei
Please click on the category links below to see lists.