There’s just one thing that I really don’t like about Daiso – you can’t give someone a gift without them knowing exactly how much you spent. It really doesn’t matter how good, functional, or well made the item is, once people realise it’s from Daiso, their perception of quality (of the item and maybe even of the giver) seems to diminish. That “Daiso Japan” label is on every one of their items, and for gift giving purposes, it might as well say “Cheapo”. Fortunately, there are other places where you can get household goods, personal care items, stationary, Japanese snacks, and other knick-knacks at the bargain price of $2. And nobody has to know how much you spent.

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We live in an age of consumerism and excess, where perfectly useful and functioning items are discarded daily. While it’s true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the challenge has always been the logistics of having the two parties find each other. Fortunately, today we have many means of connecting. And with the Trash Nothing App, you can browse, chat, or post to the most popular local freecycling networks including Freecycle, Freegle, ReUseIt, and Full Circles. This app facilitates the exchange of free goods, including computers, furniture, books and more.

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