Recently I donated two big bags of clothing. I think it’s really positive to donate clothing you no longer need, rather than throwing it away as garbage which benefits no one and uses up landfill space. Others can really still wear the good clothes we no longer fit or want to wear. If any readers don’t have transportation but want to donate clothes, try to get a friend to give you a ride and you can both donate clothes, furniture, and other household items. You could also google “chicago clothing donation pick up” and check out the well known charities that will pick up your clothing for you by appointment.
This time I used a metal clothing donation box. The clothing donation box I ended up using is just about a two minute drive from our house. I had the clothing in the trunk of my car, and I saw it on my way home from some errands, so it literally took two minutes of my time to park and put the bags into the donation bin. Instant good karma! I have been doing some reading on the internet about the donation bins, and they say that you should be careful as to which donation bin you use because some organizations give more to the poor than others. Soooo, I guess it could have been better karma if I had done a little homework on the internet first. It sounds like it’s safest to deal directly with a reputable organization like Brown Elephant, Amvets, or even Salvation Army if you don’t mind their more conservative perspective. I think next time I will drop off the clothing at one of the two Brown Elephant resale shops like I usually do. Either way, I think any form of donation is better karma than throwing it away and having it take up landfill space. If you have any clothing donation tips, experiences, or comments, please comment here.
You can claim your non-monetary donations on your tax returns. Up to a certain value, you don’t have to document anything at all – you just claim the deduction. I take lots of stuff to the Brown Elephant, keep no records whatsoever (paperwork? moi? no thank you), and take the maximum deduction allowed every year. It might be $600. If you donate items of high value and you can document their value, then of course you can claim a lot more.
Thanks Karin for leaving a comment of any sort, plus yours is interesting. I always thought in order to claim donations and “itemize” you can’t take the standard deduction, so your items better total more than the standard deduction of $3,000 or whatever they allow. No? I’ll have to keep a look out the next time I do our taxes.