Donating Items to Charity Helps You Downsize with Care

Downsizing your home can highlight how much “stuff” you’ve accumulated. It can be nostalgic looking through old photo albums and children’s toys that have lasted throughout the years, and enlightening to find years of bills and paperwork stacked up in the cabinets.

One thing is for certain – you’ll find plenty of your belongings that you no longer need and wish to get rid of. While there are plenty of options of what to do with these items, one solution that will benefit others is to donate.

Donate Household Items to an Organization

During the downsizing process, ask yourself the question, “Is this truly important to me?” By asking yourself this while going through your belongings, you’ll be able to pick and choose those items that mean the most to you and belong in your new home.

We recommend sorting three piles:

• Keep
• Discard
• Donate

From here, you’ll be easily able to recognize those items that you wish to donate to be used by someone who needs them more than you do. Carefully consider the items you include in the donate pile. These items should be gently used, still properly functioning and have no obvious signs of excessive wear. Don’t include items that are in disrepair, don’t work properly, are ripped or torn, or are missing parts – these should be in the “discard” pile.

Once you make the decision of what items you plan to donate, the next step Is to find the proper organization. Try to find a charity that accepts a wide variety of items, so you don’t need to complicate things and make multiple arrangements. That being said, keep in mind the appropriateness of your donations. For example, a charity that offers services to foster children may be the best place to send old luggage, or an animal shelter would gladly accept used towels to line the kennels with.

Plan on spending some time on research to find the best place for your donated belongings. There are numerous charitable organizations that may accept certain items or use these items differently. One tool that will help you make an informed decision is the Charity Navigator. This website evaluates the financial health, accountability and transparency of an organization, helping you to make the best decision for your donations.

From clothes and books to household items like kitchenware, donating your gently used belongings truly helps others in need. By donating your belongings, you’ll not only be helping yourself in making your move easier, but you’ll be helping others, too.

Springpoint Makes the Downsizing Process Easy

At Springpoint, we want to help you make the transition to your new home as simple as possible. That’s why we offer team members at each of our communities who are specifically dedicated to guide you and simplify the moving process. Services may include home staging, downsizing and organizing the move on the day-of into your new community. Part of these downsizing services includes organizing and decluttering your belongings, allowing you to evaluate your possessions and donate unused items to those in need.

Learn more about how we can help you make the move to a senior living community as simple as possible by contacting us today.