Tag: clothing donation pickup

Planning Summer Travel in 2021

Posted on by Jordank

Not so long ago in 2019, the unofficial beginning of summer was the beginning of summer travel season. COVID-19 put a stop to that last year, but now that the United States is (mostly) vaccinated against the deadly disease, pent-up demand is fueling summer trips large and small.

Air travel is at almost 90% of prepandemic numbers, and with more countries overseas easing lockdowns, international travel is starting to creep upward. But as you plan your summer trips, don’t expect the fine-tuned machine that served travelers in ’19.

For one thing, you may not be able to rent a car — or afford one in your chosen vacation spot. Auto rental companies slashed fleet inventories during the pandemic to stay solvent, the Washington Post says, and may not replenish them until next year at the earliest.

Business travel is expected to rebound late, leaving the leisure traveler with plenty of options in hotels and accommodations. Rooms may be somewhat more expensive in popular locations, USA Today says, but change and cancellation fees have largely disappeared during the panemic.

For travelers who are still wary of crowded indoor environments, the great outdoors beckons. Roadtrippers.com suggests booking campsites now to avoid disappointment as pretty much everyone tries to get safely back to a new normal, travel-wise.

The road trip is still perhaps the best option for summer travel in 2021. Pack the car and take off to visit the friends and family you couldn’t last year; gas prices are up due to the Colonial Pipeline hack and other supply issues, but it remains a great way to see the sights.

Roadtripper’s planning tools allow you to build an itinerary that will suit your budget and checklist, whether your ideal trip is city or country, active or 100% R&R. The Organizing Blog can offer advice on keeping your vehicle #neat, #clean and #organized during long stretches on the road.

If you pick up any #tchotchkes or #souvenirs on your summer trips, make sure they are things that you want to use every day; otherwise, they will quickly turn into #clutter. If you are already overburdened with #stuff, take only pictures to remember your travels.

As you pack, set aside any stuff you don’t use and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, contactless #donation #pickup. It will clear your head before you take off on a leisurely weekend or bucket-list trip — and make your home a welcoming place to come back to.

Honoring Your Heroes on Memorial Day

Posted on by Jordank

This Memorial Day promises to be a jubilant one. With a surge in vaccinations against COVID-19 — especially among the aging members of the veteran population — towns can again honor the memory of the more than 1.3 million people who have given their lives for the nation since 1775.

The Organizing Blog urges readers to get out and commemorate these heroes while observing proper social distancing to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Many parades are back after skipping 2020 due to the pandemic, and outdoor activities remain relatively low-risk, especially for the vaccinated.

The unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day is a great time to have a cookout, go to the beach, or shop the garage sales. But you can make time to #honor those who died in service to their country before, during or after engaging in the #summer fun.

Reader’s Digest suggests decorating for the event, visiting a cemetery to place a flag and flowers on a grave, or watching a war movie. You can also observe a moment of silence privately during the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. on May 31.

This Memorial Day, we should also give special remembrance to nearly 600,000 citizens who have lost their lives to a dreaded disease in the last 18 months. (That’s more lives lost than in all of World War II.) And let’s also remember the heroic health care workers and volunteers who are on the front lines of the war on COVID.

While Memorial Day is designed to honor the deceased, you can support living veterans by writing letters to active-duty troops overseas or dropping off treats at the local veterans home. And if there are any veterans among your family and friends, this would be a great time to pay them a visit, take them to lunch or give them a call.

The Organizing Blog feels duty-bound (pun intended) to remind readers that it makes helping veterans easy. We pick up your donations of unwanted, lightly used clothing and household goods and resell them to fund veteran housing, health care, events and initiatives. Gather your donations and visit ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, contactless #donation pickup.

This year, let’s honor the memory of those we’ve lost in a way that feels reverent and genuine. But let’s not forget that there are heroes still walking among us.

Lend Mom A Hand — Help Her Declutter

Posted on by Jordank

Sunday is Mother’s Day, and given the fact that the pandemic isn’t over, you may be planning to send a card or schedule a Zoom call. If you’re able to meet in person, you may have made brunch reservations or purchased a special bouquet to give her.

Whether or not you’ve made those arrangements, there’s one more thing you should consider giving your mother, and it’s a gift she’ll never forget: a day of your time. Volunteer to help her #declutter and #clean her home.

This blog’s author can tell you from experience how much a mother appreciates such a gift. Not only will she enjoy having a newly organized and spotless kitchen, garage or living room, but she will also appreciate the fact that you took the time to do it.

Many moms have a room in their home that they wish was a little more organized. It could just be a shelf or drawer that needs rearranging and dusting, but the chore is on her mental list and she hasn’t had the time to do it herself.

If you already know where her home’s #clutter trouble spots are, suggest that you take care of one during a visit. If you don’t, ask! Chances are that there is an overflowing junk drawer or overstuffed kitchen cabinet you can clean out.

Decluttering is just one of the chores you can take off Mom’s hands; she may need a wall repainted or a shelf fixed. There’s probably a light bulb to replace or a picture to hang. If you really want to show you care, give her a framed family picture and hang it on the wall immediately.

Many moms may be looking to downsize in retirement, but may not know where to begin. You can help her prepare for that next phase by sorting through some of the extra stuff that has accumulated over the years.

If you happen to find anything that she doesn’t want or need as you help Mom declutter and clean — and you will — schedule a #donation #pickup with ClothingDonations.org. That way, she’ll know that her extra #junk is going toward a good cause.

In addition to giving Mom a newly #organized, neat and #clean space, you’ll also get a few hours to catch up after a long year in lockdown. Make a day of it! It’s quality time, well-spent. And she will remember that day long after the flowers have wilted.

Clothing Donations Are Deductible

Posted on by Jordank

If you choose to itemize deductions on your federal income taxes, remember that all of the extra stuff you donate to ClothingDonations.org has a deductible value. Itemize your contributions, then calculate and deduct their fair market value from your returns using a long-form 1040 and Schedule A. Cash gifts and mileage driven on behalf of a charity are also deductible, but always remember to record your contributions and get receipts for them. #LastMinuteTaxTips

Give Yourself a Dose of Digital Minimalism

Posted on by Jordank

Your home may be the very picture of #minimalism after you used all of the at-home time in the last year to #declutter and #donate your extra stuff to ClothingDonations.org. But your digital life may also need a good dose of minimalism. “Distracting ourselves with videos, TV episodes and quick online reads is a poor substitute for our prepandemic plans,” StudyBreaks says. Spending less time may offer you the space to tackle long-term goals, so now’s the time to do a “digital decluttering” to make time for offline pursuits.