What to do with all of the extra stuff
Now that you’ve downsized your clutter, it’s time to handle the “Donate/Sell” pile. You’ve got an abundance of options in this department. First, decide if you want to sell or donate. Donating is easier, but selling can get you more money.
If you choose to sell, here are your options:
- Hold a garage sale/yard sale/estate sale. This requires effort and a working knowledge of local law (some towns require permits, some do not). You can hire a professional to manage your sale for you. They typically keep a percentage of the profit in exchange for doing all of the work.
- Craigslist is a relatively easy to use method for selling larger items such as furniture, yard equipment, appliances and home décor items to local people who will come to your home to pick them up.
- eBay is an easy way to sell collectible items such as old albums, comic books, figurines, and costume jewelry.
- Used designer clothing can be resold in consignment shops which will hold the item for you and give you a percentage of the cost once it sells.
- If you have any high end items – antiques, for example, consider an appraisal. You can sell them to an antique or secondhand dealer for more than you could sell them at a garage sale. Auction houses will try to sell the items for the most money and often give you a percentage. Antique dealers will buy the items from you and then resell them.
If you choose to donate, here are some creative ways to donate:
- Items which are damaged, ripped, stained, recalled, or no longer meet current safety standards will often not be accepte
- Join a Freecycle group at www.freecycle.org to give stuff away to others who need it.
- Donate – Some items – books, musical instruments, costumes, tools, some furniture – can be donated to schools or new teachers who likely are outfitting a classroom with very little.
- You can also donate through donation outlets. It’s a good idea to check out CharityWatch.org to find out how your donation will be used.
- Goodwill resells your gently used clothes and household items in outlet stores. They have 3 donation sites in the area: 1 East Broad Street in Westfield; 126 Route 22 West in Springfield; and 649 Morris Turnpike in Springfield, NJ 07081. You can also ship your donation to them for free.
- Big Brother Big Sister Foundation resells your household items, clothing, books and toys to raise money to support their programs. They will schedule a pick-up of your (non furniture) donation.
- Soles for Souls accepts donations of used shoes to be given to those less fortunate at their location at 15 Park Drive in Franklin, NJ.
- The Salvation Army accepts clothing, furniture, household goods, and cars.They use the donations to support their programs which include disaster relief, adult rehabilitation, Veterans Affairs, prison ministries, and many more. Donations can be dropped off or you can schedule a pick up.
- Your Church or local hospital may sponsor a flea market and will happily take your donations to sell.
- Many charities offer free pickup and will all give you a receipt for tax purposes.