We just repainted Brianna’s room, and in the process, I had to cut my office space from a large L-shaped desk under Brianna’s loft bed, to a repurposed TV armoire. Oh yeah – and I had to take off all the books. Seriously…I have a lot of books. Stacks of them in the hallway during the painting process.
You thought I was joking? This is just one side of the hallway, not the stacks leaned on the other side. Yes, I like books.
In cleaning out the office and weeding through the books, I got three big bags full of miscellaneous office stuffs and five (5!) boxes full of books. I had two choices – hit eBay or try to sell stuff on craigslist, OR take everything to Goodwill®. I have five kids, I’m a professional writer, and I homeschool. And I have three kids in soccer and two in Scouts and, and, and… I do NOT have time to try to sell, ship, collect, etc. This is what we call a no-brainer – take everything to Goodwill in one fell swoop, be done with it, and get a tax donation.
Not only that, but Vivian needed new clothes as well, so of course I hit the kids clothes sections while we were there and got two big bags of stuff that actually fit the girl for what one dress would have cost me elsewhere.
But more than saving me money, and sanity, and helping me declutter, Goodwill® helps create jobs for people who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to work for themselves and their families. It’s no wonder their new tagline is “Donate Stuff. Create Jobs.” Check out this video:
I love that, don’t you!? I often think of Goodwill as saving me money when I purchase. Or I think about it as saving me a headache when I donate. But I didn’t think about how I am literally transforming my clutter into new jobs for those who are seeking more independence and dignity.
It felt great to declutter that room and make it more useable than it had been before the decluttering process. It felt even better to know that I was contributing to job creation in my community! Now it’s your turn to be challenged.
Find a Goodwill near you and then challenge yourself to clean out a closet or attic space and get rid of some of that stuff you’ve been hanging onto too long. Be sure to check out their donation and tax deduction calculator when you do so. It’s a win/win/win. You win, your home wins, your community wins. Brilliant!
