This tip is a two way winner!
By donating your gently used clothing, household items, toys, etc you can get a tax break at the end of the year when deducting their value if you file long form. (This does not apply to filing an EZ form).
Many years ago, my husband had a Camaro that he purchased from his aunt and uncle for $1,000. Cash paid, no payments – way to go! We were coming to the realization that it was getting on it’s last leg and then found this confirmed when it could not even make it up the big hill leading up to where we lived. We were not sure what to do with it and did not feel it could even be driven anywhere.
What did we do?
We called Goodwill and they said they would gladly take the car. Not only would they take it, they would come and tow it away and mail us a tax receipt. SCORE! We filed our taxes deducting that car and found it to be more profitable for us this way than trying to scrap it and get what little we could that way.
By donating, you get the benefit of a tax deduction. By donating though, you are also possibly putting yourself in a unique situation.
If you take your items to a Goodwill, Salvation Army or other such charity, you can then turn around and look around for any good deals that may be of interest – saving you from paying full price for a new version of what will work in used form. Have a skill? Even better!
My father received a call from someone that found a child’s “park style” bench at Goodwill for just $4. It was in not so great shape, but knowing he could work wonders, they called him. He went down and took a look and decided to take it home. He took this bench home, and took it apart. By adding less than $5 in needed hardware and some pieces of wood from his shop, he was able to replace the wood, buff and paint the metal and came up with this:
As you can see, his trip to Goodwill paid off with a great bench for just $9!! I can tell you with the level of work he does, he could probably turn around and see this for no less than $50. He’s good! (If you have any old wood type things around that you want to get refinished or updated, he’s the guy to call!)
My mom, she hits Goodwill on “senior” days (although I don’t consider her a senior yet), and get 1/2 off. She is slowly building herself a library of DVDs for so little!
Next time you donate, consider driving your donations to the place of choice and taking a moment to look around. You never know what kinds of hidden gems are waiting for you!
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It also doesn’t hurt to ask questions while there. I once went in on a whim and noticed a lot of Target clothes with the tags still on them on their kids clothes rack. I ask and the store in my town said that when Target can’t sell all of their clearance, they send it to them. They also send them opened packages of undies and tees. I ask what day that usually happens and they told me! Now, I can go in and score brand new Target clothes for my kids cheaper than they had them on their clearance racks (usually). Plus, I’m helping out my local community. It’s a win-win for us!
Kandi recently posted..Mommy Confession I haven’t been myself
Love Goodwill! Yesterday I scored An American Girl (Bitty Baby) crib, changing table, and diaper bag full of Bitty Baby accessories! They are white, in excellent condition, and beautiful. Wait for it…..$4 for everything!!! I was with my mom, and it was her Birthday, so she got 50% off!