I haven’t done a lot of donating to thrift stores over the years. I tend to hang onto things forever and ever, building up my clutter nest in my bedroom. Therefore, I never really thought about how one would go about putting a value on the things they donated.
Besides, we have never been able to itemize. At any rate, I never really thought about it before, but while looking at an accountant’s site I saw that she’d linked over to the Salvation Army’s Value Guide for Donated Items. Pretty handy resource.
AJ took my donated items to Goodwill from my bedroom decluttering session and brought back my donation receipt. Attached was a 20% off coupon for my next purchase over $10, (no expiration date!) and also a link to their Estimated Values list for donated items.
If nothing else, the 20% off my next purchase is nice. Also, I have a coworker who just loves shopping Goodwill so maybe she could use the coupon if I don’t get a chance.
I decided, just in case of some freak accident and we’re able to itemize on our taxes, I would keep a list of the items I donated. The really crazy realization is that now that it’s gone, even though I’m still feeling some pangs of sadness, I can’t even remember what went in the bags.
I did take pictures of my favorite dresses so in the future when I wonder, “Where did my black dress with the purple roses go?” then I’ll I donated it. Here are just a couple of my favorites that I parted with. Even though I wore my black dress with the purple roses frequently, I hand washed and drip dried it, so it was in excellent condition.
This jacket and skirt outfit with matching scarf was another favorite. I wore this outfit maybe five times, so it was practically brand new.
And here is a screenshot of my spreadsheet that I’ve started. Maybe this will help encourage me to donate more items. The only items I’ve listed is the clothing and two bed sheets, since I can’t remember anything else! I remember I donated several dozen books, but neither of the lists offer any suggested retail value. Maybe I should just put down $1 each?
The biggest hurdle was actually getting the stuff to Goodwill. In the past I’ve started a “Goodwill” box, but that was as far as I got it.
Yours Truly,
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