Yup, it’s that time of year. Jan 1 has come and gone and so has Christmas. Most of us got some new toys to play with and clothes to wear. Which begs the question, ‘where do I put all the new stuff?’ Unless of course, you are just starting out with a new home or apartment and you need all the stuff you can get. Even then, it’s a good idea to get into good habits of purging stuff you don’t need.  No one wants to end up on ‘Hoarders’!

 

  When you’ve decided to get rid of unwanted items, what do you do with perfectly good clothes and household items? Many times family members and friends will be happy to take the items off your hands, especially if they are one of those aforementioned people just starting out. Selling items on kijiji can be a way to make a few dollars, but it can be time consuming, and, unless your items are high end, probably not worth it.

 

  Most of us like to donate our clothing, toys and household items to charities like the Salvation Army and stores like Value Village, who purport to support charities. Everyone wants to help out. But when those items are sold, where does that money go? You may have noticed that when you buy items at Salvation Army, you don’t pay any tax. At Value Village, you do. This is because Salvation Army is a registered charitable organization while Value Village is a for-profit business. Yes, Value Village supports the Canadian Diabetes Association and other charities depending on the location, but as I understand it, it is a straight money donation per volume or weight of the donated items. This means that the charity receives only a set dollar amount no matter what is in the pile. Value Village could give Diabetes $10, yet sell items in the pile for $500, which, of course, they profit from.  The Salvation Army processes and sells all of its donations, and the money funds their social and charitable programs directly.  So, if you donate your Burberry purse to the Sally Ann, and they sell it for $200, their programs get all of the profit, $200.  That same purse might generate only .25 in donations to the Diabetes Foundaton through Value Village, but they will still make $ 199.75 on it. Moneysense even gave the Salvation Army an A+ in their 2016 Charity 100 issue, while Value Village, of course, wasn’t even on the list, because it is a for-profit organization.

 

  Personally, I like to donate to the Sally Ann, but obviously, it’s a personal choice.  Just remember, though, that donated items are very much in demand so think carefully.  And if you do have a Burberry purse, call me first! I’ll even donate on your behalf! So, if you are looking to buy a gift for someone and you don’t want it to end up at Value Village, think about consumable gifts like flowers and food...they will be enjoyed and not end up as clutter. See us at OMG Gift Baskets and we’ll help you out with the perfect gift!