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Household Finances

Worthless new stuff

14 years ago

My soon to be ex has boxes of unopened, never used cosmetics. Does anyone have 400 bottles of nail polish? We have a 10x 12 closet with boxes piled 6 ft deep. Some used, mostly new. I assign value by weight, not quantity. If I have trouble easily lifting a box, I assume it's worth a lot. We are beyond individual counting. Could we donate them to a non- profit?

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Comments (7)

graywings123
14 years ago
Your local Goodwill will probably take them and give you a receipt and have you assign the value.

I would value them somewhere around 50 cents to $1 per bottle. Take photos of them before they leave your house, just in case you get audited.
marie_ndcal
14 years ago
You could also contact the Domestic Violence group in your area. It would help those women and young girls feel so much better. Also some churches have supplies to give either the homeless or low income people. I just donated a bunch of small soap/toothbrushes etc to my local church.
Also some youth group homes might take some.
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A burst of initial use, then never touched again, should donate: - Juice maker. Is this thing an intelligence test or a kitchen appliance? I hate Rubik's Cubes and I hate the juice maker. And it was pretty expensive. - Bread machine. There's a whole shelf of these sitting at the local Goodwill and I know why. - Pasta maker (electric). Not sure where it is. I think it ran away. - Food processor (mini). As useless as a fuzzy kitten. Used less frequently, but worth it because the results are so yummy: - Ice cream machine. The kids chant when Ice Cream Boy is brought out. - Deep fryer. Gets used for a week solid, then put away for a month until my arteries clear. When I'm 80 y/o, I will deep fry every meal. Used frequently: - Blender (countertop). For smoothies. - Blender (stick/immersion). For soups. - Food processor (full-size). Mine is at least 20 years old, but works fine. I sharpen the blades. - Toaster oven. Recently made a whole dinner in it, broiled salmon and pork shoulder, roast veggies. Toasty can do more than toast bread! I think I should use these, but usually forget about them as they live in the basement: - Slow cooker/crock pot. - Counter-top electric roaster. Don't have, don't miss: - Coffee maker. I use a stove-top espresso maker, or a French press. Would like, but just haven't gotten around to it: - Stand mixer. Like I need to eat more dough.
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jannie
14 years ago
I agree, a women's shelter seems the best place for cosmetic items. I used to sell Avon, and I had loads of "samples", you know, tiny lipsticks, single-use blush, shampoos,etc. I kept them in a box long after I stopped selling Avon. (Not a good thing for me, I'm not real friendly and don't have a huge network of friends to buy Avon, plus Avon constantly hasseled me to meet bigger and bigger goals.) I gave the box to a local women's shelter. The rep I handed it to was very happy, she said women and kids in shelters don't have a lot of "luxury" and beauty items, they even ask for donations of bath soap and kleenex. I felt so good about donating the Avon I even wrote the group a small donation check! Win-Win.
peegee
14 years ago
First time checking out this forum....be aware that not all shelters, etc, may want or even be allowed to accept opened/used items - check first!
peegee
14 years ago
Oops, sorry, meant to say first time in a long time.....
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
14 years ago
If nothing else, put them on craigslist( if you have it where you are) in the free section for curb pick up. They are worth something to someone.
jannie
14 years ago
Cavell said the cosmetics were unopened,unused. The Avon samples I donated were also sealed. I would never donate anything open or used. Cosmetics begin to degrade as soon as they're exposed to air, plus I'd worry about possible "tampering" if I bought or sold open stuff.

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