Many times people will save so much stuff that we no longer use, it can almost run us of out of the house. It takes up valuable storage space that we could be better using for the things we need to keep stored. When your attic and garage are running out the doors, and you can no longer close a single closet door in your home, it is probably past time to do something about all that excess stuff.



One of the biggest things that will take up valuable closet space is clothes. It may sound sexist, but it is true that this happens to women more than men. Women have a hard time letting go of clothing that no longer fits them or that has gone out of style. Clothes that children have out grown is often packed away and saved to give someone or is going to be used for a yard sale.

Speaking of yard sales, how many of us actually ever get around to having one? You can save things for years and always have the intention of having one some day, but someday never seems to come. Having a yard sale or garage sale that is large enough to really allow you to make a good amount of money is a real chore. It can take days or even weeks to prepare for it. Everything must be gathered up, sorted, washed, priced, and tables and hanging racks have to be set up. It needs to be advertised for at least two weeks in advance to guarantee a good turn out and then hope it does not decide to rain.

Did you know that instead of going through that headache and still ending up with things that did not sell, you can donate it all to charity and get a deduction on your taxes? A lot of people may not know this, but you can do it every year. It makes much more sense than cluttering up your home all the time and it is something that is useful. Chances are, the benefit of having a legitimate tax deduction will out weigh whatever you can make holding a yard sale.

You should know that what ever charity or organization you donate to must have a tax exempt number and the things you donate must be in good to excellent condition. You will also need to submit an itemized list of everything you donated and signed by someone in authority where you donated to. You could even take pictures of your donated items to keep in your tax records just in case the IRS were to ever have any questions.