Monday Q&A | Extra-Curricular Activities, Donations, and Cheap Music
Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Before I answer some questions, I wanted to tell you that a post from my archives is up on BlogHer today. I'm so honored that they wanted to publish something that I wrote. 🙂
Now, onto some questions.
Hello! I am a new reader so I apologize if you have covered this...are your kids in any extra-curricular activities (gymnastics, dance, baseball, soccer, etc.)?? If they are, how do you budget for these, as they are seasonal and also registration, shirts, and equipment require different amounts of money? We have four children and they are all into something different at any given time of the year.
-April
At this point, our kids aren't involved in any formal extra-curricular activities, though that certainly could change in the future. Joshua's starting to be interested in maybe playing a sport, and the girls all want to take string lessons too (after they get a good start in piano!). I also think that Zoe might like to take some dance classes later too, as she seems to have a natural knack for moving to music.
Anyways, I would deal with irregular activity expenses the same way that I deal with other irregular expenses like Christmas, and vacation. We handle expenses such as those by figuring out how much we'll need for the year, dividing that number by 12, and saving that amount each month. For instance, we know we need about $480 to cover Christmas expenses, so we put $40 a month into our Christmas savings account. A Capital One 360 account is a great tool for this...I really cannot recommend their savings accounts highly enough!
My question is about getting rid of stuff. When I've got something to discard, I often debate whether I should be a generous giver and just donate it (usually Goodwill - I've not tried freecycle) or a good steward and sell it (garage sale or consignment store). Any thoughts?
Also, as a Thrift Shop shopper, could you give some guidance on what is too bad to donate to a thrift store? I don't want to make excess work for the employees (volunteers) in sorting when I should have just thrown something out in the first place. For example, I've got running shoes that have enough miles that the insoles are shot for serious runners, but they still look pretty good on the exterior and would be fine for casual shoes. Or how about a shirt with a small bleach spot or stain?
-Gretchen
Sell or Donate?
When I get rid of stuff, I either sell it, give it directly to someone, Freecycle it, donate it to Goodwill (usually in that order of preference!).
If an item is in sale-able shape, I usually make an effort at selling it. If the consignment store won't take the item or it doesn't sell, then I just opt to give it away. I lack the patience to do much Ebay and Craigslist selling, though I have had more success on Craigslist than on Ebay.
Honestly, though, most of the stuff I have to get rid of isn't usually in consignment-store condition, so I don't end up selling very much. The vast majority of the time, I opt to donate my excess stuff.
I definitely don't think that it's wrong to sell everything you can or wrong to donate everything you can...I think both are good options.
When is it too bad to donate?
I've wondered this sometimes myself, actually, and I've thought about talking to a Goodwill employee to see what their guidelines are. I don't want to donate something only to have them throw it away. At least, I don't want to do that if I could think of an alternate use for the item.
I personally kind of go by the sort of merchandise I see for sale at Goodwill. It seems like when it comes to clothing, they can sell most anything that isn't damaged (holes, tears, stains), so I'd say that you could donate your shoes, but maybe not the shirt (you could cut it up and use it as a rag if it's a knit shirt...I LOVE my old t-shirt rags). When it comes to furniture, they do sell pieces that are somewhat damaged, but they don't sell chipped dishes or broken toys.
I'll let you all know if I manage to glean any good info from my local Goodwill employees.
Since I'm pretty new to following your blog I've been reading some older posts... I just read a day in the life of frugal girl. You mention listening to music while you eat your meals. Do you have a frugal way to get music CDs?
I have checked CDs out from the library and burned my own copy. And like you I do a LOT of thrift store shopping, and there are always tons of cassettes and CDs for sale, so many that I rarely take the time to look through them. On the few occasions that I've dug through the piles, I have picked out music that I think I would like only to find out I don't. Though they only cost a couple of dollars, I so dislike paying for something that I will never use. As I write to you about this I'm beginning to feel a little better. I've probably bought 10 CD that I don't like, didn't keep, unfortunately thrift stores usually have no return policies. I do have 3 that I LOVE. So if I think about it as spending $20 for 3 CDs that's probably still better than retail. But I get a thrill out of dirt cheap not just better than retail.
-Linda
Most of the CDs that we listen to during breakfast are from the library. I'm trying to expose my children to plenty of classical music, so most of our breakfast far is baroque, classical, or romantic music from the library (the library system here always has plenty of that sort of things available). We also get some jazz, pop, and Christian music from the library. (oh, and a LITTLE bit of country...my kids like some Shania Twain songs. Although, I think she falls under the pop category most of the time!).
I haven't bought any music at the thrift store before, so I don't have any advice there, though my readers might. I know that some people have a great time buying records there, though. If you own a record player and like using records, you can get lots of music for almost nothing at a thrift store.
If you really love owning CDs, I would suggest checking out half.com. They have a HUGE selection of music CDs available for purchase, and many only cost $.75 plus shipping. A while back, I wrote a post about half.com that explains how it works and why I love it so much, so you might find that helpful.
If you don't mind not owning a CD, I think MP3 downloads are a GREAT option. Usually you pay about $.99 per song, and because you can buy songs individually, you don't have to purchase a whole album's worth of songs in order to get the one track you really love. I also appreciate that MP3s don't take up any space (no clutter!) and that there is nothing to dispose of once you're tired of the music. Plus, MP3s don't crack or scratch and they don't wear out either.
I would caution against obtaining music illegally, either by downloading it from sites that provide it illegally or by burning it from library CDs or from a friend's CDs. This is a violation of the law, and though it certainly could save you money, I cannot advocate the practice. From the rest of your email, I gather that you are a believer, and I would urge you to consider whether you really think that burning music from library CDs is an activity that honors God. Whenever I am tempted to do something unscrupulous in order to save some money, I remind myself that God is not going to be honored by dishonest behavior on my part and that I can hardly expect him to bless it either. I so understand that temptation (oh, do I ever!), but I hope that you will reconsider, and I hope that the other options I've laid out here will be helpful to you.
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Readers, as always, I'd love to get your input on these topics. I'm especially interested to know if any of you have more specific information about donation guidelines for thrift stores.
I can help a little with the thrift store donation question, I spent about 14 months as a manager of a store at one time. We got some very strange donations at times. First, do not donate any sort of firearm or explosive, I very much wish we were kidding but the store was once closed for a few hours because someone donated a grenade, it wasn't active but unless it's VERY obviously fake don't donate it (especially not anonymously) because we would rather be safe then dead. Dead animals also not so much (we received a cage with a dead bird still inside once). Non working electronics are better recycled because thrift stores will throw them out if they don't sell rather then recycle them. If it's broken enough that it should be in the trash don't send it, but if it's missing pieces that's fine. As for clothing, if it's been washed go ahead and donate it. If things were unsellable they would either go out of the country and be sold there or be used as rags for industrial plants, rag paper etc.
People donate the strangest things... from antique clothing (like Victorian) to fencing foils to diamond earrings. I no longer work there but I shop thrift stores all the time. 🙂
I may be wrong, but I think that places like Goodwill, The Salvation Army and others that take clothing donations don't just throw away the clothing that they can't sell in their stores, or donate to people in need. These "un-wearables" or "un-usables" are bagged and either given or sold to outfits who use them for other purposes, like making rag rugs, or other sellable items out of rags, or the cloth is recycled in other ways. I don't think this means that you should give them clothes that are obviously stained, torn or have holes (those should be thrown away), but that if you're not sure, it might still be OK to donate it.
You can also check to see if there is a large recycling outfit in your area. We have one here that will take just about everything, including old shoes, clothes, plastics, cell phones, appliances, etc. that other places might not or won't take; they see that it gets recycled properly.
I like the idea of budgeting for your kids' extra curricular activities through ING. Sounds like an excellent plan . . .thanks for sharing and congrats on the blogher post.
I agree with Laura--Goodwill has ways to use stained/ripped/damaged clothing.
I used to sell my kids' clothes, but then I got to thinking....they were almost all hand-me-downs that blessed us immensely, and so I decided that, rather than trying to resell the clothes, instead I would pass them on and bless others. I do understand selling them and being a good steward of your money, and I don't think it's wrong to do so. This is just the route I'm taking these days. And it's sure fun to be able to bless others!
I agree with you Michelle about how fun it is to bless others---I just donated several pairs of pants that my son never really liked/outgrew quickly and I was so happy to give them to our favorite kids' non-profit, Eastside Baby Corner in Issaquah, WA (Seattle area) which gives clothes/supplies etc. away to needy families for free. It's rare to have boys clothes for his age (8) still in good condition (no holes in the knees, barely worn!) so I'm sure I could have sold them at a consignment store. But it really felt good to pass them on, assuming that most of the donations EBC receives are for little ones and yet they still need stuff for bigger kids. We also donated his too-small bike which we purchased used last summer. We probably could have sold it for $10 but instead, my son is excited that a younger boy whose family can't afford a bike is going to get his old one and have a lot of fun on it!
I tend to go the consignment route most often so that I am in a sense exchanging their current clothes that no longer fit for ones that do. I also sometimes participate in yard sales/consignment sales and donate the money. Sometimes I may use the money for a vacation/debt payment/RAK/etc. Sometimes, I donate my items outright. I think any and all of these options is still being a good steward. I think donating something is still a way to be a good steward of what we have been given, so it bothers me to see them pitted against each other (i.e. you can either donate it or be a good steward and sell it).
I like try to sell things at consignment shops first...unless I know someone who needs the item and then I give it to them. But most of the time, I don't know what people need so I ask around. I have NO patience for Ebay either.
And with music, usually I'm straight iTunes. I also buy CDs from Half Price Bookstore. There is one in Texas, where my parents live. Although there are none in Cali and they don't ship books or music.
I agree with Laura; the thrift stores in my area do sell off clothing for recycling/reuse that is too damaged to sell. It really depends on the thrift store about what type of "stuff" they take - especially with regard to household goods. Furniture and larger items take up a lot of space, and sometimes smaller thrift stores stop accepting donations of larger items because they run out of space! It's really worth a call in advance to the store.
If the thrift store won't take some household item, I would try the Craig's List Curb Alert, where you put your unwanted item on the curb and post it online - it has worked really well for friends who live in more populated areas and is more effective than just sticking it in on the curb with a FREE sign. Or, in my rural town, there is the Last Chance Flea Market at the municipal transfer station... we don't have trash pick-up, so you have to take your trash and recycling to the transfer station. The idea behind the Last Chance Flea Market is to not throw away something you don't want, but that someone else might want - we've picked up a handsaw, a planter, pottery, and a Mason jar there and have dropped off a room humidifier, a fireplace poker set, and some light fixtures.
I read somewhere that goodwill stores will recycle (for money) old clothes and things they can't sell. Since they also need money to run the stores, I feel much better about donating some jeans that are ripped, or something like that since I heard that. Now, instead of throwing things out that I'm sure aren't sell-able, I just donate them because I figure they can use it either way.
Last month I did a 21-day financial fast. One of the things I gave up was downloading music and my music subscription at Rhapsody. I made due with my own music collection, which I have plenty of and put together some nice playlists. I didn't realize it was wrong to make copies of cds you get from the library. I thought as long as you did sell the copied cds it was okay. I haven't been to my local library in a good while, but I'll keep it in mind. God knows I don't want to be guilty of violating copyright laws.
Someone can feel free to correct me on this if I'm wrong, but I'm quite certain that copying library music breaks copyright laws. It's just like borrowing a CD from a friend, copying the music, and returning it to the friend, and I know that breaks copyright laws.
It is wrong to sell music you've copied, but that is not the only way to break copyright laws.
A financial fast sounds like a great idea and I bet it was very eye-opening!
Yes, it does break copyright laws. The same applies to computer software that is not specifically noted as being "shareware".
This has turned into a really interesting discussion today! 🙂
I know a little about copyright laws. In the case of music a good rule of thumb is: if you bought or were legitimately given the music, you can have it in multiple formats but you can't pass on a copy (unless you get rid of all your copies). So if you bought the iTune, you can burn it to a disk to play on your stereo, but you can't then give the disk to a friend.
For new music, there was a free service that was profiled on NPR on ... Wednesday I think ... where you input music you like and the website lists other music you might also like. IIRC you can play the music from your computer as well. The service is free to the user and the music is legit - the service pays the royalties out of advertising. I'm sorry I didn't catch the name of the service.
Yup, this jives with what I've heard too. If my husband buys an MP3, he can load it onto his player and my son's, but he can't load it onto my friend's MP3 player.
Was the site you heard about called Pandora? We love Pandora!
[goes to check] Yup - Pandora. Thanks for supplying the name.
It's Pandora . . . I love Pandora too! And really most of the music that I listen to is on it! (I haven't paid for the membership--so I do sometimes use my free 40 hours/month up and have to go on a Pandora fast for a few days.) If you find a song you just love (and you will), you can buy it to add to your collection, and you can have multiple stations that. . . well. . . play music that you like. I have several set up for my different moods. ("Mellow," "Children's Folk," "Upbeat pop," "The Carolina Chocolate Drops," and on and on.)
As far as thrift stores go--I hate to bust your bubble but the ones where I live throw out a lot. I went by to get some boxes last time I was moving, and a worker just offered me a box of 20 or so coffee mugs (that were perfectly good) before tossing them into the dumpster. :'( I understand that they can't just fill up their shelves with coffee mugs, but they were throwing out shoes that didn't look to bad to wear and ties with small stains and other things that could have been recycled or upcycled and it did make me sad. . . Oh, and this was a store that benefits our local homeless shelter. You'd think that they could just do a bin of "damaged goods" and make them super cheap. I'd dig through!
Two things caught my eye here -
1) If you are in a higher income bracket (people who make money still like to be frugal!), there is additional value in donating items you no longer need - if you document it properly (photographs + receipt from Goodwill), you can write it off on your taxes (if you itemize).
2) So many of the blogs I read advocate things that are somewhat shady or even completely illegal as ways to "be frugal", and it's so refreshing to see you saying "Being frugal is not more important than being honest".
So thanks.
WilliamB-I believe you are talking about Pandora. It's a free website where you can listen to music instantly. There's an iphone application too. On a computer, you choose music you like and it creates lists you can listen to instantly. I love it and it's free!
If you have old, stained or otherwise ruined T-shirts and happen to know someone that paints, you might consider giving the T-shirts to them to cut up and use as painting rags. Or you could donate them to a painting studio or some place that offers art classes. I oil paint and my aunt gives painting lessons, and I know that rags are always, always appreciated!
in responce to Gretchens question, one of the thrift stores I frequent has a sign posted that reads" if you wouldn't give it to family or friends-DON'T give it to a thrift store.
most of my clothing comes from thrift stores in the first place so when I've worn it out it's really worn out and goes in the garbage.
Two things that homeless shelters will take if the thrift store doesn't, usually. Wearable winter clothes (jackets and boots) and shoes. People who are dependent on the charity system to stay alive are always in need of these, and blankets. So if you have running shoes that aren't runnable, or a jacket with a small snag or a torn lining that still has a usable zipper, ask the homeless shelter if they can use them. When I worked with a big non-profit that helped people move from the streets to their own jobs and apartments, we had shoe banks, with everything from beat up running shoes to office-type footwear. Women's sleepwear may be needed at a shelter for abused women, as well.
We are music lovers and we subscribe to Zune Pass. For $14.99 a month you can stream and download as many tracks as you want, and they have a HUGE library. 10 songs a month are yours to keep forever. I don't think you have to have a Zune player, but we do (instead of an IPod). The Zune software is free, you download it to your computer and then you can utilize the service. We save a lot this way because DH is a musician and he's always wanting to hear tons of obscure bands, and we had no way of doing that before without buying the tracks. Now he can listen to his heart's desire.
1. I have had great luck getting rid of things on freecycle. Often times I am amazed at the things people will take, lots of crafters, etc. out there that use things for other than their intended purpose.
2. Great music suggestions... one other I love is the NPR podcast "All Songs Considered". It's a great way to hear new artists and find new music that you might want to buy - like a little preview!
Another frugal music choice: secondspin.com. Register with the site and they send you free shipping coupons often
Regarding the thrift store question, Goodwill does take clothing that's unwearable and recycles the fibers or donates them to animal shelters. Nike has a recycling program for athletic shoes that are too worn to donate. Check their website - it's called Reuse a Shoe.
I try and sell things first because that's where my garage sale shopping money comes from. I usually have a garage sale or add on to someone I know that's having one. Then the left overs go to the consignment shop and they donate any of my items that don't sell.
For free music, it's hard to beat Pandora. I've also heard good things about a service called Rhapsody as well; for $10/mo. you can download songs and keep them for as long as you pay for the service. Unlike Pandora, this lets you choose your songs.
In Belgium Trainers/sport shoes are recycled to make tennis courts, as such they are gratefully accepted at the local recycling center (they also gratefully accept old oil from the deep fryer)
for music - I really have to say I'm totally gek about the online radio channel - Jango Music. We have hooked up one of the pc's to the sound system so we have channeled music which we never seem to tire of (as you can with play lists ) and the music is free!
HELLO
I AM A FATHER OF TOW BOYS, I AM A FATHER FIGURE FOR MY NEPHEW TOO, MY THREE BOYS NEED AN EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITY. ZOHEL IS 4 YEARS OLD, ALEXANDER IS 5 YEARS OLD, YAHIR M IS A 1 YEAR OLD. MY WIFE GLORIA IS A HOMEMAKER SHE ALSO ATTENDS TO ESL CLASSES WHILE I CARE FOR THE BOYS. AS NOW I AM ON CALL AT WORK THERE NO EXTRA INCOME COMING IN, TO HAVE MY THREE BOYS IN ANY EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. IF ANY ONE CAN REFERRAL ME TO A LOW COST OR FREE EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. I LOVE MY BOYS AND I WILL LOVE TO FIND A PROGRAM WHERE THEY COULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY AND HAVE FUN AS WELL AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.