The Great Give Away! Benefit Yourself and Benefit Others.

I did some early spring cleaning this weekend and got rid of many things. Like many others that were affected by the recent windstorm that ripped through Seattle, I had a tree that was damaged. Though the 120+ year old Cedar didn’t tumble completely, what remained standing did so precariously, to where we had to have a tree service bring it down. We split the remaining firewood between 4 different parties who were happy to have it for wood carving, a bonfire, home heating, and sure heating during the next power outage. They all benefited and we cleared our driveway of the wood pile shown below.

That was the weekend, today, I donated to the Salvation Army, a Queen size mattress and box spring, rechargeable drill and flashlight, emergency radio, fleece jacket, wool sweater, puzzle, and a computer. I immediately benefited as I saw the stuff get hauled to the truck. Both in terms of having less stuff accumulating in my household but also knowing that the stuff I donated (all in good condition) is going to be sold with the proceeds to fund drug rehabilitation programs. This is a case where Everybody Wins!

Aside from the tax benefits of donating to non-profit organizations, it feels good to get rid of stuff that you are no longer using. You get a cleaner household and others get stuff that is perfectly useful for their situation. If you don’t need the tax benefit you can always donate to a neighbor, friend, etc.

If you are profit minded, for the higher value items, you can always use Ebay but that is the subject for another blog post.

Look for events as opportunities to rid your household of unused stuff while benefiting others. If you have your house remodeled, give away the unused lumber and materials. Many cities now have online material exchanges and you can even donate the material to stores like the RE Store for the tax benefit or even for IN-STORE credit. After all, you are not the only one with cool stuff you are getting rid of.

Next time you buy something as an upgrade or replacement think of the destination for the item that you’ll replace. For example, if you get a new backpack, give the old one to a boy scout that is getting started. For the unused stroller find an expectant parent.

Instead of adding to the landfill, fill someone else’s heart with the items they need in order to complete a project, go on a hike, or even get a good nights sleep.