Declutter Your Home for the New Year by Donating to Goodwill – Afropolitan Mom
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Declutter Your Home for the New Year by Donating to Goodwill

Declutter Your Home for the New Year by donating to Goodwill

On Christmas morning as the kids opened their presents, I proposed to them a trade. Here is how the conversation went down

Me – “How about we go into your rooms and look for some items to donate so that we can accommodate the new ones.”
7 yrs. old – “Room for new ones? We have enough room.”
Me – “Well, since Santa blessed you with so many toys wouldn’t it be nice to give some of your old ones to charity. Besides, your playroom is filled to the brim, if you want to keep these, you have to get rid of some items.” she looked at me puzzled then walked into her room and started putting toys aside.

It was that simple. As she pulled the toys together, I reminded her the importance of giving back. Holiday is all about giving, and there is no better time than now to do that. Besides its an excellent way to purge your closet in preparation for the new year. Declutter your life if you will, I know my home could use some freshening up. So when the kids finished, I did the same thing, I walked into my bedroom and pulled some clothes, shoes, and to round it up a few kitchen items. At the end of the day, I felt good, really good, knowing my little contribution is doing something for the community, this definitely puts a smile on my face.

Its up to you how you want to structure it, you can do something like this –  If your kids received 12 items for the holiday, then encourage them to donate 12, or whatever number they see fit. The goal is to make giving fun and encourage it as a family event. Pull your husband in on it too; he might have a few suits he no longer needs, might as will clean out his closet.

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Donating to Goodwill

When you donate items to your local Goodwill—a sweater, toys, CDs, furniture or electronics—you support Goodwill’s mission to provide employment services to people in need in your community. This holiday season, they are encouraging everyone to donate goods to one of their 2,700+ locations throughout the country. Of course, don’t forget that all of these donations are considered charitable tax-deductions, including the festive holiday sweaters that YOU are ready to let go.

Last year, Goodwill provided employment training, job placement, financial education, youth mentoring and more to 6.7 million people in the United States and Canada. Here is a video on how they do it –

Through Goodwill’s locator tool, you can find the nearest Goodwill location, including stores, headquarters, job training centers and donation centers. And through Goodwill’s Donation Impact Calculator, you can see how every item you give has supported people who are seeking to earn jobs and build careers.

Sample list of items that can be donated

  • Toys
  • Clothing, Shoes & Accessories (e.g. Jewelry, handbags, belts, hats, gloves, scarves, ties)
  • Small furniture (e.g., Coffee table, kitchen table, end table, coat racks)
  • Household items (e.g. Sheets, pillow cases, comforter, towels, dishes, juicer, ice cream maker, blender)
  • Books, Magazines, DVDs, CDs
  • Small electronics (e.g. radios, portable stereos, DVD player, clocks, lamps)

Today, I’m encouraging you to do the same with your family, declutter your life by donating to Goodwill, your families reaction just might surprise you.

Kira is the founder of the award-winning lifestyle blog focused on family, tech, fashion, beauty, food, fitness, and travel. She lives in the suburb of NJ with her husband and two daughters. 

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