Here's an absolutely great article from Kiplinger's on ways to give if you don't have cash. I'll be covering it in different parts, so be sure to read them all -- they're all pretty good. Let's get started:
Clean out your closet. Still harboring pieces of your high school wardrobe with the delusion that you'll wear them again some day? It's time to cut 'em loose. Consider donating clothes and linens in good condition to a local homeless shelter, battered women's shelter or charitable thrift store such as Goodwill or Salvation Army. While you're at it, get rid of those old knick knacks, books, dishes, CDs, furniture and other household items you don't use any more. Not only does your donation go to help those in need, but you'll get more space in your closets. Plus, you can deduct the fair market value (not what you originally paid) of your donations on your taxes if you itemize deductions.
We do this two to three times per year -- in the spring and the fall for sure. We ask ourselves "what haven't I worn for a year" and whatever falls into that category gets given away unless we have a compelling reason to keep it. We categorize all the items on an excel spreadsheet, print it out, then attach the receipt the organization gives us when we donate the items. We then put the documents in our tax files for that year so they are ready when we do our taxes.
I am a definite believer in whole blood and apheresis donations. I have been doing this for the past four years and in that time, I have donated about four gallons and it has only taken about twenty hours of my time. All worth it!
Neo
Posted by: Neo | December 12, 2005 at 04:25 PM