How about freecycle? You're not allowed to ask for anything in return (money or traded goods) but this is a great way to rehome that which you would throw away without it going into a landfill... See if they have an active community in your area too... it might even work for the encyclopedias... though the supply and demand situation on those buggers is working against you...

Most of my storage shelving is Lyon 8000 Series steel shelving, 48" wide x 24" deep. It works nicely, but I'd go with 18" deep if I had it to do over again--24" is too deep, and you end up with stuff stacked two-deep that gets lost in the back. 16-3/4" is the length of a standard "Book and Record" box, so it fits perfectly on an 18" shelf. I've recently discovered the "Metro" welded-wire type shelving. I really love those! I have them for all my pantry shelving. Again, I have 4 foot wide sections. I went 18" deep on these, which is again too deep for the purpose. For pantry shelving, you'd want to use the next size shallower, which is around 14" or 15". Exercise equipment. It depends on whether you want to go cheap, or go for the good stuff. The best equipment I've found, by a large (and I mean large) margin is the Vectra gyms. (Link attached below.) The VX-18 or VX-28 is appropriate for a home gym. Their stuff is SO much better engineered and nice to use than anything else I've seen! For cheap (That's me!), here is all you really need: * Dumbbells. Take your pick from a zillion vendors. * A bench. The LS514 banch from Lamar Fitness is really nice, but there are a million benches around. * A plate-loaded pull-down and low pulley (rowing) machine. There's no easy way to exercise these muscle groups with just dumbbells--you need a machine to convert the force so that you can pull down and horizontally. Mine's from ParaBody, but practically everybody makes machines that are pretty much the same. (These are around $300-$400) * Plates for the above. I find that plates with handles are a lot easier to get on and off the machine. The rubberized olympic plates from Iron Grip's "IGX" line are the best I've found. * I also suggest a plate-loaded leg curl/leg extension machine. I've got a seated leg curl/extension machine from TuffStuff. Lamar has a similar unit that is nicer, which is probably what I'd get if I were doing it again. (These run around $400 +/-) Get whatever aerobic equipment works for you. For me, I have an old excercise bike that I've had a custom seatpost machined for so that I can use a standard road bike saddle. And you need a television and DVD player for extertainment while you are doing your aerobics! (For me, that's the only operating TV in the house!) Here is a link that might be useful: Vectra Fitness

A few years ago I bought a large exercise ball with a cd teaching different ways to use it. You can sit on it and do stomach crunches, you can lay on the floor and lift the ball with your ankles, etc. I travel a lot for business and never leave home without my stretch bands. I bought them at sears- they are like giant rubber bands, really light weight, and can be used many different ways. And then there are always videos- yoga, pilates etc

Unfortunately, I am very lax on exercising... I used to go to the pool and exercise when I lived in former town, but it got to the place the chemicals made me itch and break out so badly that my skin bled... I walked 3-4 miles a day...then came 3 joint replacements and arthritis in every joint in my body and I have constant pain. The surgeon who relpaced one of my hips, cut the nerves and I walk with a terrible wabble and it feels like it is caving in with each step, and no fixing it...the nerves are dead....so makes my back hurt and have terrible balance when I do try to walk. I have gained a lot of weight and it know it makes all of my health problems worse..plus I am blessed with tremors in my hands..so I think I have just given up on extending my years. I am able to keep up with my house and take care of my personal needs, but life has lost its "fun" for me any more.