Tag: donating clothing

The Big Benefits of Online Shopping

Posted on by Jordank

Geared up for a shopping trip with the kids this weekend? According to the HowStuffWorks website, you may want to rethink your idea.

Online shopping, especially for kids’ apparel, may be your best bet. The website also explains that one day of the week in particular is the best for online deals for children’s clothing—citing a survey of more than 100 retailers, HowStuffWorks indicated Wednesday as the best day for online deals for kids’ clothing, with discounts of up to 40 percent.

While you avoid transportation costs and save time, online shopping for kids comes with its own drawbacks. You won’t be able to have your child try on the clothing, and you may not be able to make returns with free shipping.

To avoid returns, HowStuffWorks recommends zeroing in on one or two retailers to gain a good sense of the sizing, its uniformity and quality of the apparel.

In addition, you can rely on retailers’ online reviews for an overview of sizing and quality. For example, if 20 reviews about quality rank it four out of five stars and only one of those reviews is negative, you can typically trust the majority. Within the reviews, you usually can spot problems with the company’s return policy as well.

Zappos is among the retailers that pays for shipping both ways, which can save you plenty of money if you have hard-to-fit or finicky youngsters. And, you can check with RetailMeNot for special shipping deals and coupon codes.

Don’t forget that there are agencies to help consumers. If you think a return policy is too restrictive or if the company didn’t follow its own policies, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or Better Business Bureau.

Once you’ve safely and economically made your purchases, it’s time to think about what items your children no longer need or have outgrown. Gather them up and give us a call. Your donation will help our veterans!

Get Your Style On for Fall!

Posted on by Jordank

There’s a crispness in the air, leaves are beginning to change and the summer sky is giving way to fluffy fall clouds. What does all of this mean? It’s time to conduct the semi-annual closet shift—swapping out the summer wardrobe for warmer fall/winter clothes.

But don’t just trade one pile of clothes for another. Changing seasons can be a great time to purge those lightly-used or not-at-all used items from your closets. Face it, if you haven’t worn those coral printed crops or that Hawaiian shirt the entire season (and perhaps even for seasons before), it’s time to clear some space for clothing you will wear.

In Real Simple, Rebecca Daly offer six helpful tips to help you purge those items from your closet*:

  • The old bag you used to love, but now just takes up space on your closet shelf! When cleaning closets it can be easy to focus on clothes alone, but don’t neglect to review the other items that take up space—like those bulky bags you no longer use.
  • Old undergarments. Another closet item or dresser drawer item that tends to be overlooked is undergarments. If you’re not wearing them, throw them out—or, if there’s still useful life in them—add them to your donate pile.
  • Stained clothing. So your favorite white beach cover-up somehow has become stained with unidentifiable spots. If you’ve washed and dried the item, those spots aren’t going away! It’s time to toss!
  • Well-worn old sweaters. We all have them. Piles of sweaters that are full of pills, snags or stretched beyond recognition. Put them in the discard pile!
  • Shoes that have taken their last steps. They may have been beloved at one time, but if the heels are worn off, the toes are scuffed or they simply don’t fit quite right and you rarely wear them, it’s time for them to go.
  • Those old jeans that just don’t have the right look or fit anymore. If they’re baggy, holey, or following a style trend that has seen its day, it’s time to part with them, regardless of how well-loved they once were.

There! Doesn’t that feel better? Once you’ve gone through your closets and drawers to declutter and dismiss, you’ll have room to welcome the new fashions and trends that will keep your spirits up over the fall and winter months.

*Oh, and by the way, as you’re doing your fall closet clean-up, keep us in mind. We’ll come and pick up your gently-used items and find them new homes—benefiting our veterans in the process!