hi everyone,

I'm at my halfway mark and cleaning out my closet.

I'm logging them for my tax deductions (it's going to be a great tax year!) and sorting them into piles by type. Around Portland, there appear to be several types of non-profits. Ones who accept business/interview type clothes to help women get off their feet, formal wear for teens for proms etc.

I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and if they have advice for how to split up the loot.

I must admit, my pile is embarrassingly large. Being at a larger size, I was often so pleased to find something that fit, I bought almost all of it. Often I wasn't super happy with the item so a large amount still have price tags on them! It sure pains me to see all of this waste, so I'm hoping to send them all to a good home for someone in need.

When I get down to my goal weight, I'm planning on purchasing the most efficient warddrobe that is simple and every piece serves a purpose instead of finding 12 pairs of khaki's depending on how i 'feel' in them that day.

Anyhow, I'm just curious what other folks are doing with their clothing.

I usually donate old clothes to Goodwill. Since you're hoping for a tax deduction, might I suggest going to nonprofit stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, and often other charities run their own individual stores) and see what they're charging for clothes? I noticed the other day that Goodwill's prices have gone up, so if you take that into account you can get a nice big tax deduction. Also, to be on the safe side I reccommend taking photos of your clothes and getting a receipt as well when you do donate them.

Congratulations on your weight loss, and good luck with donating your clothes!

I have donated business clothing in the past to a job training program for women trying to get back on their feet. They appreciate the donations so much. Just try to make sure anything donated is in the best of condition. Many of the women are wearing those clothes for an interview and want to make a good impression.

I have also donated to facilities for abused women. Most have to leave with only the clothing on their back. So anything you can give will be used.

Good luck with the last of your weight loss!

I have donated a lot of my clothes to a non-profit mission. I have also placed some better clothing for sale in consignment shops. I really don't receive a lot of money from the consignment shops, but it does help when I have to replace jeans or pants in particular.

Hi. I live in Beaverton, so we are relatively close. I take my better clothes to a resale shop on Hawthorne Blvd. I have done extremely well there. My last commision check was over $900.00! That was for a years' worth of selling clothes through the 4 seasons though. I just left the money in the store account until I went on vacation. The store owner is pretty particular about what she will take. The clothing must be clean and pressed and on a hanger. She also buys things outright from you. The clothes must be a size 12 or larger. The clothes that I feel she won't accept I take to a womens shelter in Tigard. I too, have clothes that still have the price tag on them! The MRC I go to is in Beaverton. They held a clothing swap and it was a disaster. I took some VERY nice things to be swapped. I was the first one there the morning of the swap and none of the things I had brought to swap were there! People had brought FILTHY, torn, stained, smelly clothing to be swapped. The room smelled that the clothes were in. I asked the councilor in charge of the swap if people had access to the clothes before it opened that morning. (I had my eye on a cute coat the day before the sale, but I didn't inquire as to whether I could have it before the swap.) The councilor told me that no one took clothing before the swap. However, there were two clients from Beaverton MRC that told the councilor they would organize the clothing for the swap and they made off with the best of all the donated clothes. SO, there will not be another clothing swap at our center! Bummer...ANYWAY, if you want any information about the resale shop or whatever, just ask! And great job on the weight loss!!

Marianne

can someone please send me some more information on how donation and tax deductions work? Call me frugel, but i have a whole closet full of clothes ranging from really expensive business suits and leisure clothing, that i just dont want to 'give away for free'.

So any info on how this works, would be appreciated!!!

Hi Nabeel,

When i do my taxes online, they have a little chart that you fill in with the number of slacks, suits, blouses, etc and it totals it up for you. They actually value them fairly well, like $20 for a sweater.

You can also find little tables around the internet which give you a rough idea, like this one:
http://sdgoodwill.org/donation_values.shtml

Good luck!

champagneblond, thanks for the recommendation for the place on Hawthorne, I found the name on google. That is a really great idea! I think i'll take a trip there this weekend! What a good way to put seed money in my new wardrobe fund!

THANKS!