Ah... I did it! I offloaded a bunch of baby stuff, and a few other unloved items that had been piling up. I used to have an annual garage sale, but after figuring out it was more valuable to donate my clutter, I became an annual donator instead. To understand how your donation turns into cash for you, read this post. Remember, anytime you donate goods worth more than $500, you have to document it. I'm hoping my list and photos are good enough. I'll talk to the tax guy on Tuesday and let you know how it goes.
After cross referencing my list with the Salvation Army Valuation Guide (When using the guide, be sure to select the right geographic region), I'm estimating I should be able to deduct at least $900. Our tax bracket dictates how much of that comes back to us in the form of a tax return. I probably won't actually claim that much, but I have the documentation for it and pictures for it just incase. Here's an itemized list of everything I donated today:
Baby/Toddler Clothes
- Onsies/T-shirts: 43
- Pants: 23
- dresses/outfits: 43 again
- jackets: 5
- pajamas: 20
- shoes: 13 pairs (6 brand new ones)
- swimsuit: 1
- plus a bag of socks, caps, bibs, and hair bands
Other kid stuff:
- diaper champ
- sit 'n ride lion (tried to sell it on Craigslist first, but unfortunately, no takers)
- beaded wire toy thingie (not sure what to call it)
- box of miscellaneous toys
Adult Clothing:
- Maternity Shirts: 12
- Maternity Pants: 4
- maternity jacket: 1
- ladies' shirts: 9
- ladies' jeans: 2
- ladies sweaters: 8
- ladies' loungewear: 3
- ladies' shoes: 1
- ladies' belt: 1
- ladies' swimsuit: 1
- Mens' shirts: 3
- Mens' sweaters: 2
- Mens' pajamas: 2
- Mens' dress pants: 2
- Mens' jeans: 5
- Mens' shorts: 1
Other "Stuff"
- cooler
- one cup teacup/saucer
- puzzle
- CDs: 12
- paraphin wax manicure set
- candle holder
- basket (large)
Some things are easier to donate than others. The wax manicure thing was just taking up space; however, I struggled to let these darling little mary janes go. After a moment or two of thinking about it, I reasoned that my girls never wore them so they don't have any sentimental value. I took a picture of their cuteness and packed them up. Still struggling a bit, I wondered if they would fit a Build-A-Bear animal? Stop it... we don't have a Build-A-Bear animal!!! To the thrift store they went a-walking... ~ It's Plain & Simple As That
WOW! That's quite a list.
ReplyDeleteI hope Mr. Lion finds a good home. How many TIMES did he cruise up and down our hallways? Sometimes I am haunted by that laugh and the music... :)
I was sad to let him go, but Veda is afraid of him... mostly because every time she goes near him, Neena pushes him out from under her and she lands on her backside! I didn't think he would be a good addition to our house with stairs, but he was nice to have on Duplex Alley. :)
ReplyDeleteStacy, I love your blog. You have put into words all the things most of us are thinking: live simply. We all have too much stuff and it is weighing us down! Darling girls.
ReplyDeleteAh.. Thank you Deb. It's great to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteI really struggled for a while with all the STUFF around our house. I stumbled onto www.Discardia.com and a great article about mentally letting it all go. I'll have to find the specific article, but all her stuff is helpful.