So, I haven’t been doing as many projects as I would like to this week, but I would like to show/share a little bit of what I have been up to. First, I am in the process of trying to move a full storage unit to another storage unit and I need to go through it. I am stuck on the logistics and have not gotten very far on that. However, before I do that and move any new things in around here, there is some serious junk in every closet and corner. I really like to have a minimal amount of clutter around. I feel as though I am being invaded by things if there is too much clutter so I have been on a “donate it” rampage. There are some items that clearly just end up in the garbage but I have found some great places around town that can really benefit from some of these items.
First off, I donated some non-perishable food (4 huge boxes) to a Women’s Shelter here in Austin and also got some information on volunteering there. They have different items that they need but I would always recommend checking in with your local shelters to see if you have items that might be put to good use there. Plus if you have some extra time, there are many places like this that can really use some volunteers, so check into it.
Then, I’ve had my prom dresses just hanging there for the last 8 or so years and they were beautiful dresses and I loved wearing them but I realized that even though they are beautiful they take up so much room and I am never going to have an occasion to wear them, so I put them to better use and found a local group that helps young women who cannot afford to buy a prom dress. Here close to me is Keri’s Fairy Godmother Foundation. I know there are other organizations in Austin and all around the country for that matter. Just do a google search and see what is around you. That cleared a great deal of space and I am so glad that someone else can feel amazing at their prom.
I also had a bunch of books to get rid of so I took them over to half price books and I didn’t get much money for them but they do donate the remaining books that they can’t use to various non-profit agencies. They also buy CD’s, movies, games, etc. so see if there is one close to you I have no idea how much you can get for CD’s or any of that jazz but it is always worth a shot before they end up in the Goodwill pile.
And then finally I have made several trips to goodwill to donate various items. My pile for today looks like this:
Yup, a whole lot of stuff. Sheets, towels, etc. that we don’t have a need for anymore but they are still in good shape so hopefully someone else can get good use from it.
Also, I have some old clothes, shoes, purses, etc. that I am going to run by buffalo exchange to see if they can purchase any of the items. Then the remaining items I will donate. It’s a bummer to think of how much money you spend on some of the items you can no longer use so even though donations will get you a bit of a tax break, I do try to see if I can sell any of the items first just to recover a little bit of that.
Always make sure you get receipts too when you donate items so when tax time comes around you can include those donations. It feels so good to slim down all of the stuff around here and I love that the stuff that I can’t use anymore might be of great use to someone else. Of course if it’s crap, throw it away, if it is something in decent condition that you just don’t have use for anymore, look and see if there are places around you that you can donate to.
I will be back in the next couple of days with more projects. Just gotta sort through the mountain of junk in my craft area so I can get back to it. Happy Friday!
Bella Mandarin 