How to Donate Unwanted Gifts, Goods & Gadgets

Thursday, 16 December 2010 23:54 Written by  Savvy Girl  

christmasclean

You know when you open a large gift box and the first thing that comes to mind is "you shouldn't have" and what you really mean "you really, really shouldn't have, have you seen the size of my apartment?  What on EARTH do you think I'm going to do with a 20 pound commemorative reenactment of Scrooge's birth anew as a generous chap???"

Whether you've adopted our "Something Comes In, Something Goes Out" rule or you're planning a full-fledged overhaul after receiving your Christmas gift haul, after the holidays is the perfect time to get out from underneath unwanted clutter and start the New Year fresh.

Why New Years? Symbolizing the renewal of life, New Year's presents a time to release all that we've been hanging onto physically and emotionally, creating room for a fresh start.    

We have expanded our list of places to donate (always a good idea to keep one on hand) for just about every knick-knack, whim-wham, and shim-sham you've been dying to decommission.


Master Donation List:
Baby Goods: Baby Buggy provides baby essentials for financially insecure families.  
Batteries/Electric Goods: Battery Recycling recycles a host of batteries and electrical materials. 
Books: Got Books collects used books and donates them to Books for Troops and Books for Teachers programs 
Business Clothes: Dress for Success is an amazing organization that helps provide appropriate business attire for women trying to get on their feet professionally. 
Children's Toys: Good Counsel provides temporary housing and guidance for single mothers and their children in need 
Clothes: Salvation Army and Housing Works collect gently used, clean clothes for their thrift shops to aid the poor and those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.       
Furniture: The National Furniture Bank provides furniture necessities to families ensuring that no child has to sleep on the floor. 
Home Improvement Supplies: Habitat ReStores accept donated goods and resell them to the public for a song.  All proceeds go to building homes for the poor. 
Sports Equipment: Sports Gift provides equipment to underprivileged children throughout the world. 
Wedding Dresses: Brides Against Breast Cancer will take your dress, sell it and donate the proceeds to fund wishes for women and men with metastatic breast cancer. 
Everything Else: Freecycle and Freeshare are great resources for finding recipients for your unwanted goods.   

WATCH IT Bonus Episode:
Even celebs like Gossip Girl's Margaret Colin have to face unwanted clutter from time to time.  Check out what visual therapists Joe Lupo and Jesse Garza recommend for her children's outgrown playroom and the charity that has touched Margaret's heart

 

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