Tuesday, June 14, 2011

3 Suprising Things You Might Not Know About Your Donations

goodwill cart bw

The summer months for our family means oodles of birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and so many extracurricular activities that we have to pay for during these warmer months. It can often feel like we are completely tapped out by the end of the summer. Regardless of our situation though, I am always looking for ways that we can continue to support charities and organizations that need our help, even when we don’t have the financial means to always support everything we can.

I started referring to this giving in my house as my, “scraps of life giving.” There are so many things that I have within my possession and that I can do with the limited talents and budget that I possess that the possibilities for good old-fashioned giving are endless.

Goodwill is a great example of a “scraps of life giving” project that you could be doing with your family and I just love sharing easy ways that you can make donations with items you already have in your home. Today I wanted to showcase 3 surprising things you may not know about those donations you are giving and how they can impact others.

Jeans at Goodwill Store

What a Clothing Donation Means- Of course, it comes as no surprise that you can donate clothes to Goodwill, but what might surprise you is how much of an impact that clothing donation could be to others.

It is shocking to know that a single pair of donated jeans can provide someone in your community with about 10 minutes of resume preparation services. If just one pair of jeans can provide that, think what a good old-fashioned closet cleaning would do for others.

Goodwill has started a movement called The Donate Movement and they are encouraging everyone to participate in it. Visit The Donate Movement page and you can use their calculator to discover what your impact will have on your community and the amount of hours your simple donation will provide to educate and train employees at Goodwill. Head on over to their page today and see what a difference a simple day of decluttering could do for someone in your community.

Zenith

What an Electronic Donation Means- With two gadget-geeks living in our house, we have accumulated a lot of electronic clutter in our home. I am ashamed at the electronic clutter we have gathered, but it is nice to know that my electronic clutter could have a purpose as a Goodwill donation.

Just a couple of months ago, I shared with you how to spring clean the electronic clutter from your life. This post showcases what happens to your electronics and what you could be donating.

Goodwill has a partnership with Dell to process electronic waste in a technology recycling program that can greatly benefit our community and reduce the waste in landfills. The program is called Reconnect and it offers you an easy, convenient and responsible way to recycle your used computer equipment. You can drop off any brand of used equipment - working or not - at Goodwill's Drive-Thru Donation Centers at their retail stores.

Look around your home and see what electronic waste you can clear from your life today. Not only will you help the environment by not dumping your item in a landfill, but you also will be supporting Goodwill’s mission to provide jobs for others.



What a Car Donation Means- When I was young, I thought anyone who could donate a car had to be a millionaire to be able to do that. Just this summer though, our family had a car that we had paid off and we were able to give to my brother who needed a set of wheels to get him back and forth to work. Our humble Ford Focus was a Mercedes compared to what he had been driving, and he told me he felt like he got an upgrade and new lease on his life.

You may have a car of humble means that you could offer as a donation to Goodwill that could give a new lease on life to someone else. Even if your car is not drivable, it could make economic sense for Goodwill to take the donation to their auction site . There is no need to detail your car before donating it, just clear it of the clutter and contact Goodwill to let them know that you have a car that you would like to donate.

The vast majority of these vehicles are sold at dealer auctions and those donations help Goodwill’s mission to provide jobs, training and placement services for people with barriers to employment.

The honest truth is, you don’t need to be a millionaire to be a giver.

If there is anything I have learned, it is that those scraps of life giving can often have the most impact to others.

(Photo credits- Please click on the photos to access the photographer's Flickr pages. The last photo is my own)







Amy Allen Clark is the Founder of MomAdvice.com, a web community where she shares advice on parenting, money-saving ideas, recipes, and solutions for work-at-home moms. Visit her site for more ideas on ways to live on a frugal budget!

Friday, June 10, 2011

ROAD TRIP JUNE 18th!

Join me at the NEW St. John Goodwill store.  St. John is in north/western Indiana-ish (kinda close to Merrillville).  Honestly, you will NOT be sorry you made the trip!  Lots of goodies at this store...can't wait to see you!

Monday, June 6, 2011

What To Do with Old Jeans

I hope my previous post inspired you to NEVER EVER wear Mom-jeans again!  

Remember, I said don't WEAR them...not don't purchase them from Goodwill and turn something frumpy into something fabulous!  

Meet Liz.  You might recognize her from her debut on the runway as one of our models from the Little Black Dress Fashion show in April (2010 and 2011).  She loves finding old denim at Goodwill.  The older the better...the more material (in other words, the horrible high waisted kind she LOVES!).  Look at all these great things she has made out of old jeans she has found at our local Goodwill stores!  Now THAT is some serious crafting talent! AMAZING! Check out her creations up close:


Aprons


bags

aprons

aprons

aprons
bags




Here are some other ideas:
  • Kim said, "I'm searching for great old jeans to make a quilt someday"
  • Leah said, "I love finding old jeans that are about 2-3 sizes too big.  I make them into skirts.  Take the waist, stitch together the legs, cut short and leave the hem frayed...super cute!" 
  • Kris said, "I am locker hooking wit them"
  • Joan said, "My mother quilts with them."
 There are some great blogs out there with other fund ideas.  Check these out!

What creative ideas do you have in the effort to re-purpose things from Goodwill?  We'd love to hear about them!
 





p.s. Thanks Liz for allowing us to use some of your photos!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

ATTENTION MOM-JEANS EVERYWHERE!

ATTENTION MOM-JEANS EVERYWHERE!

Do you know what mom-jeans are?



If your jeans snap (or button) above your belly button – LET SOMEONE ELSE LOVE THEM, DONATE TO GOODWILL. If the back pockets of your jeans are so big that they completely cover your back-side, please, DONATE THEM TO GOODWILL!



We’re all friends here, right? I don’t want to see your backside in next month’s edition of Glamour magazine in the “Fashion Don’t” section!



Trinny and Susannah, fashion gurus from the UK "What Not To Wear" TV show, appeared on the Oprah Show (in 2006). They perfectly describe what mom-jeans are:




Mom jeans always are tapered or high-waisted. Plain and simple - they make your legs look shorter, your stomach bigger and your rear longer! Who wants a long rear? And if you're pear-shaped like Trinny, tapered jeans exaggerate the width of your hips. If you have a flabby belly, don't wear super-low hipster jeans. Unless you want to look heavier than you are, never wear light colored jeans.




The ONLY time to wear peg-legged (tapered) jeans is if you are very thin and have great ankles...and want to show them off. This can (and I emphasize the word CAN) be a fashion forward look...but isn't flattering for 99.9% of the women who try to wear them.



Still not convinced? You should know this...tapered denim only accentuates the width of the hips. In other words, it makes you look heavier than you are, and makes your backside look wider than it is. Plus, the tapered effect often leaves women looking like ice cream cones. Hold your jeans up and look at the shape – this is the shape they’re going to give your body! If I have said this one time over the past 15 years...I tell you, I've said it a MILLION times! Clothes DO NOT change shape...the illusion of YOUR SHAPE changes based on what shape clothing you wear.




Now...let's talk about the rise. The rise of a jean is the length of the zipper, or the distance from the cross-point where the lege come together to the top of the waistband. A common mistake I see with the Mom-jean lovers out there is wearing a rise that is just TOO high!



If the waist band of your jeans is above your belly button...you are wearing Mom-jeans! Wearing a jean with a waist this high will make your backside look like a pancake. It will also shrink the length of your torso, and make you appear shorter and stockier. Now...I can bet most of you want to look taller and leaner - right?

While moms may not want to wear their daughters' trendy, low-rise jeans, there are plenty of brands out there that cater to mature women with good fashion sense...in a very VERY flattering way.



So - what to do with all those Mom-jeans you find at Goodwill? Stay tuned...I have some ideas for you!















Photo Credits: Honestly, I can't remember where I found these pics! I am sure they came from Trinny and Susannah or Oprah...so let's give them credit!