Home Cleanse Day 3: Donate
Now that you have tons of boxes in your garage of things to get rid of, get rid of them quickly before you or a family member dig back into them and second guess yourself. I’m going to cover our philanthropy event to donate items to The Shelter House, and then walk through some local sale, consignment and donation options.
The Shelter House IMP Event Pickup
I ask that you first consider which of those items might be suitable for donation to The Shelter House in Iowa City and sign up for a time slot to have them picked up from your front porch. You can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0444A4AD2FA2FF2-shelter
We also have an IMP Facebook event and Evite floating around where you can find the above link, and post about how your process is going!
The items that The Shelter House has requested most recently include:
CLOTHING
Selling
Nothing novel here. Craigslist or Facebook marketplace if you want to sell items. Consider resale items that require shipping (like Ebay or various clothing shops) only if you are tech savvy enough to actually follow through with it. Be selective about how many items you try to sell, as it’s a lot of logistics to field inquiries, set up pickup times, mail things, etc. You don’t want to burn out and have random stuff sitting in your garage that still needs to be sold.
Consignment
I love Stuff Etc. They have locations in Iowa City and Coralville. You can walk in and open a consignment account whenever you’d like (though they do not accept consignment on Sundays). Note that both locations have a separate consignor area with its own entrance doors, so don’t go to their regular checkout. Currently (October 2020), they allow you to consign one tub of items a day, and up to five large items that don’t fit in the tub. The tub is theirs – you move your stuff into their tubs and head out. Because of the influx of business they’re getting, they will look through your items quickly with you as you or they fill up your tub.
Every time I have gone lately, both locations have had a wait for an empty tub to be available. In the Iowa City location, the wait tends to be around 15-20 mins, and they let you wander the store and call you over the speaker when it’s your turn. The Coralville location is much busier; the wait tends to be more like 30-60 mins, and you can’t leave your spot in line, so prepare accordingly.
At Stuff, your account makes money when your item is sold. You can check your account balance online once you open an account. This is also true for KidWorks, a kids consignment shop on the south side. KidWorks also has a partner shop right behind it, HouseWorks (for home items). I have not consigned with them yet, but it could be worth a stop if you have too much to dump at Stuff. The Second Act is over near the KidWorks, HouseWorks, and Iowa City Stuff location, and is an adult clothing consignment shop. I am not familiar with their consigning process, but it could be worth a stop while you are in the direction (all on the south side, near Terry Trueblood, Big Grove, and the Waterfront Hy-Vee).
Once Upon A Child (children's clothing and toys) and Plato's Closet (adult/juniors clothing), both in Coralville, though they are more selective in the items they choose.
Please comment on this blog post if you know of any more consignment options that I have missed.
Donate
For items that don’t seem suitable for The Shelter House, consider donating at one of several Goodwill locations, or the Crowded Closet thrift shop right next to the Iowa City Stuff Etc location. Some things are better off in your trash, and that’s ok, too. Better to get them out of your house than hang on to the guilt of not being able to repurpose absolutely everything.
Iowa City also has a great Buy Nothing group presence on Facebook. There are various groups for each neighborhood, so join one and enjoy! Someone literally gave away a gallon of milk on my Buy Nothing group yesterday. There are sometimes hidden gems in there too, like nice furniture or a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (that I didn't dibs fast enough... ugh).
Tomorrow we’re back to some fun stuff… organizing! Get all your empty bins and boxes out and ready!
The Shelter House IMP Event Pickup
I ask that you first consider which of those items might be suitable for donation to The Shelter House in Iowa City and sign up for a time slot to have them picked up from your front porch. You can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0444A4AD2FA2FF2-shelter
We also have an IMP Facebook event and Evite floating around where you can find the above link, and post about how your process is going!
The items that The Shelter House has requested most recently include:
CLOTHING
- Jackets
- Rain jackets
- Gloves
- Hoodies and sweatshirts
- Men’s/Women’s sweatpants
- Leggings
- T-shirts
- Flannel shirts
- Tennis shoes
- Jeans sizes 30-38
- White socks
- Boxers and underwear (new only)
- Umbrellas
- Adult backpacks
- Wash cloths
- Towels
- Body wash
- Shaving cream/razors
- Travel size shampoo/conditioner
- Twin size sheets/blankets
- Pillows
- Chapstick
- Cleaning supplies
- Toilet paper
- Can openers
Selling
Nothing novel here. Craigslist or Facebook marketplace if you want to sell items. Consider resale items that require shipping (like Ebay or various clothing shops) only if you are tech savvy enough to actually follow through with it. Be selective about how many items you try to sell, as it’s a lot of logistics to field inquiries, set up pickup times, mail things, etc. You don’t want to burn out and have random stuff sitting in your garage that still needs to be sold.
Consignment
I love Stuff Etc. They have locations in Iowa City and Coralville. You can walk in and open a consignment account whenever you’d like (though they do not accept consignment on Sundays). Note that both locations have a separate consignor area with its own entrance doors, so don’t go to their regular checkout. Currently (October 2020), they allow you to consign one tub of items a day, and up to five large items that don’t fit in the tub. The tub is theirs – you move your stuff into their tubs and head out. Because of the influx of business they’re getting, they will look through your items quickly with you as you or they fill up your tub.
Every time I have gone lately, both locations have had a wait for an empty tub to be available. In the Iowa City location, the wait tends to be around 15-20 mins, and they let you wander the store and call you over the speaker when it’s your turn. The Coralville location is much busier; the wait tends to be more like 30-60 mins, and you can’t leave your spot in line, so prepare accordingly.
At Stuff, your account makes money when your item is sold. You can check your account balance online once you open an account. This is also true for KidWorks, a kids consignment shop on the south side. KidWorks also has a partner shop right behind it, HouseWorks (for home items). I have not consigned with them yet, but it could be worth a stop if you have too much to dump at Stuff. The Second Act is over near the KidWorks, HouseWorks, and Iowa City Stuff location, and is an adult clothing consignment shop. I am not familiar with their consigning process, but it could be worth a stop while you are in the direction (all on the south side, near Terry Trueblood, Big Grove, and the Waterfront Hy-Vee).
Once Upon A Child (children's clothing and toys) and Plato's Closet (adult/juniors clothing), both in Coralville, though they are more selective in the items they choose.
Please comment on this blog post if you know of any more consignment options that I have missed.
Donate
For items that don’t seem suitable for The Shelter House, consider donating at one of several Goodwill locations, or the Crowded Closet thrift shop right next to the Iowa City Stuff Etc location. Some things are better off in your trash, and that’s ok, too. Better to get them out of your house than hang on to the guilt of not being able to repurpose absolutely everything.
Iowa City also has a great Buy Nothing group presence on Facebook. There are various groups for each neighborhood, so join one and enjoy! Someone literally gave away a gallon of milk on my Buy Nothing group yesterday. There are sometimes hidden gems in there too, like nice furniture or a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (that I didn't dibs fast enough... ugh).
Tomorrow we’re back to some fun stuff… organizing! Get all your empty bins and boxes out and ready!
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