Get Out And Stay Out!

As we've been gathering up things to donate, we've been trying to figure out exactly what to do with them. First we were thinking we'd take them to one of the local animal shelter thrift shops, but as we got more and more stuff, we started looking for organizations that would come and pick it up.

We weren't having much luck, then this appeared in our mailbox!

We checked it out and it seemed legit, so we booked a pick-up for tomorrow. Shrike signed us up for the large load, which is 11 - 24 boxes and/or bags. We have maxed out.

According to what I've put down for the tax deduction, which is based on low-ball estimates of how many items are in some of them, those 20 boxes and 4 bags contain:

Kids clothes - 200 items
Adult clothes - 100 items
Bras - 4
Adult Socks - 25
Cups/Mugs - 45
Books - 110
Stuffed animals - 5
Puzzles - 2
Mattress cover - 1
Halloween costumes / decorations - 1 box
Misc baby stuff - 1 box
Pots/Pans - 4
Crockpot - 1

And using the low end of the prices on the Salvation Army and Goodwill's donation calculators, I'm claiming a deduction of $1021.25.

Would it have been super-cool if we could've found somebody to actually pay us $1000 for the stuff, sure, but given the likelihood of that happening, and the value of our time and effort, this was an awesome solution to our problem.

We will start filling up more boxes immediately, and will be scheduling another pick-up before long, I'm sure.

(Oh, and Shrike is now officially vindicated for bringing all those empty boxes home from work.)