Plea for help!

[naruki_oni]

Anyone having any leads on charitable organizations in RI that will pick up heavy furniture, please let me know.

We are moving out at the end of the month, but taking almost nothing with us. I'd hate for the apartment complex to get it all, but I am not going to lug it down from the third floor.

Some really good stuff here.

Comments

[blackbyrd2.livejournal.com]

Habitat for Humanity? (They usually build houses, but frequently the people moving in can use stuff.)
Salvation Army?
Goodwill Industries? Both of these seldom come get the stuff, unless it's a sweet deal for them.

What about a local auction house?
Estate sales house?
Either of these would probably come get the stuff, and sometimes they'll buy it outright if you like.

Or put a 'free furniture: U-Haul' sign on the street.

Well...

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

Being out of work, we certainly want to get the tax credit for the donation. Anything that can help for this year, as next year I have to cash in my 401K just to survive.

Goodwill and Salvation Army - after I was able to locate nearby offices (near being a relative term) - were busts.

Something called "Big Sisters" wants me to leave everything outside for them to pick up. That means no tax credit and no help lugging it down stairs. Plus, free stuff for anyone driving by with a pick up truck. I asked them if they'd just knock since I could arrange to be here all day, and they turned me down. Bastards.

People sure do want giving to be difficult.

Re: Well...

[blackbyrd2.livejournal.com]

Well, try the estate sales/auctions guys.

No tax donation, but if they give you anything at all, it's likely to be as good as a tax break, since it'll be cash in hand.

I'd take your stuff, but I just finished clearing my driveway after the last person I helped out like that. :P

Contact your local battered women's shelter.

[thewrongcrowd.livejournal.com]

If they can't use the furniture in the shelter itself, there's usually a woman who is ready to leave the shelter and is setting up a new life for herself.

But...

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

But she's been battered. I think it's cruel to expect her to carry a king size bed down three floors. You heartless ape!

Yep, that's me... totally heartless.

[thewrongcrowd.livejournal.com]

I seem to be missing a kidney or two, as well. Gotta stay out of those cheap hotels.

Or...

[ms-issicran.livejournal.com]

ARC, which is ...let me see... I could venture, but its the folks who pick things up for the retarded citizens to fix and sell. In this case they wouldn't have to fix, just sell. I think we all have excellent ideas rather than letting college slobs Bob and Dave get the works.

Links?

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

I do have a sofa that could use fixing. We have two cats, and we don't believe in declawing...

Re: Links?

[blackbyrd2.livejournal.com]

They usually come by and pick up, but I don't know if they'll climb three flights to do it.

http://www.thearc.org/

Good luck!

Once more:

[saminz.livejournal.com]

Too bad you don't live here... We have several organizations that would compete for such a catch. Do you have a local newspaper where you could place an ad? Good luck!

Do you itemize?

[tigrismus.livejournal.com]

Because the standard deduction may be better for you if this donation will be your only deduction. You might do better monetarily selling your stuff.

How so?

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the tax laws are too complicated for me to understand. We don't have anything to itemize this year, as I was the only one working. I'm not sure we can figure out how to handle her college attendance stuff.

Well

[tigrismus.livejournal.com]

if all your deductions added together are less than the standard deduction, you'd be better off taking the standard. If you are a single filer, your deductions woud have to be over $4,750 to make itemizing worth while. If you're not itemizing, you will get nothing off your taxes for charitable giving.

Re: Well

[blackbyrd2.livejournal.com]

Yep. Generally it takes hefty medical bills or a large mortgage to get you enough deductions to make it worthwhile.
I'm not even sure the medical bills will manage it. I think they have a limit too.

Or of course, if you're in business for yourself, have some nice depreciation and some losses..

Yeh. Your medical bills have to be above 7% of your taxable gross

[thewrongcrowd.livejournal.com]

before they can be itemized. And there are limitations on what can be deducted. It's designed to force as many people as possible into taking the standardized deduction.

I believe medical bills

[tigrismus.livejournal.com]

have to be over 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, which is a pretty hefty chunk, and even then you can only deduct the portion that exceeds that. But mortgage interest and property taxes can make it worthwhile even for some with small mortgages. Plus with state income taxes, car registration, etc all deductible, charitable giving starts to make a difference in your taxes.

Naruki, you can buy TurboTax now and use it to estimate if itemizing would be advantageous, and sell or donate the items accordingly. And if you paid more than $4,850 in state income tax, itemizing might actually be worth considering ($4750 was last year, sorry!)

You could sell it on Craigslist

[routermg.livejournal.com]

http://providence.craigslist.org/

Offer it for very cheap to anyone who will come pick it up.

Craigslist is a good place to sell stuff, because it's free to post and you can type as much as you want. Also, it automatically sets up an anonymous e-mail address "@craigslist.org" for you, so people responding to your ad don't know your real e-mail address.

Good luck.

Cool!

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

I'll do that once I have enough information gathered to make it worthwhile.