Friday, August 15, 2008

Giving it away


I’ve finally unpacked all the wedding gifts! Most of the items we registered for were to replace old items (most were my parent’s items that they registered for their wedding registry 30+ years ago) that we already had. So once I finished unpacking all the gifts I loaded all the old items into those boxes.

However, I didn’t stop there.

I was on some kind of cleaning high and I went for my closet, my dresser, and most of the cabinets in the apartment. I was a mad cleaning woman!

If it was ill-fitting- it was gone.
If it made me feel like a shulmp-a-dinka- it was gone.
If I had not worn it during the last season- it was gone.
I washed everything and put them too in the ever growing pile on my futon (see photo above).

I recently found a blog about how selling items can be a temporary source of income (ChristianPF); however, I’d like to point out how much financial good you can do by donating.


3. Cleaning out your space (cabinets, closets, whatever) allows you the ability to see everything you have.
I re-discovered some great shirts and found matches to what I thought were single socks! By making things less packed and less cluttered I can spend less time getting ready in the morning with less frustration. That’s worth a lot of peace of mind!

2. It’s an easy project that can be done with the whole family.
This isn’t something that I just decided to do one day; it’s something I’ve been doing at least twice a year since I was a child. My parent’s always encouraged me to give what I wasn’t using to the poor. Back then, we would go as a family to drop everything off at Goodwill. Now Salvation Army will come to my apartment and pick everything up for free! To schedule a pick-up of your donations go here.

1. You make not get your wallet padded with cash, but you will get your heart padded with tenderness.
I may have gotten $10-$20 for my clothes and mismatched dishware and flatware if I sold it. Yes, this would have been money I could invest for myself; however, the value that Goodwill will get from these items is at least that high. Giving usable items away to a charity is worth a tax write off to you, but it’s worth countless (unavailable) dollars to a poor family.
Everyone knows that this economy is not doing any favors for our poorest families, and it’s sucking those above the poverty line down into it (listen to Marketplace Money’s food bank story on 7/18/08).
Donating these items is not only kind; it’s the morally responsible thing to do in these times.

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