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CynthiaWVirginia -> RE: I need some opinions, please (12/7/2015 1:31:14 PM)
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Another thing that's fun to donate...used bicycles. I would advertise in trading journals, look for them on freecycle dot com, find out who will donate bikes their kids grew out of or got tired of. As long as they have nothing more wrong with them than a flat tire (inner tube replacement things for bike tires are dirt cheap at Walmart).
I've been able to pick up perfect used bicycles (so okay, ONE had a flat tire) for $15. I've spent more money than that on a nice large makeup kit for a teenager (Angel Tree gift).
I used to donate basket balls, circular sleds, fishing poles that were around $10-12 (along with some hooks, bobbers, and sinkers), baseballs, mitts, bats, etc. for boys. I'd get something once per month and put it away to donate all at once for Christmas. I'd catch some especially good sales at Magic Mart. Buying stuff for girls was easy and more fun.
Christmas worthy crayons? Get the hugest box, and then buy several smaller boxes of crayons to go with it, for the same kid, ones that have glitter in them or are perfumed or are glow in the dark. Buy a ream (500 sheets) of plain white paper from some office supply shop and/or spend $6 on a GOOD quality coloring book.
Too bad it's not easier to find out what the kids want, like we do our Angel Trees here in WV. (I don't know if other states do the same thing.) The kid is helped to fill out a modest wish list (and not for something like a new car for their parents, etc.). If a kid had seen a beautiful blanket with Pokemon on it or Barbie or whatever, it would be nice if the kid could get exactly what they wanted. One time (my budget was $15-20 for each kid), on one girl's list she had half a dozen things...and instead of getting just one I went bargain shopping in every store at the mall and found the size of Barbie shoes she wanted (on a great half price sale!) and had enough left over to pick up two of the Barbie dolls she had also wanted (those were on sale too, lol).
I've had to pass kids by when someone encourages them to write down that they want a $300+ gaming system and several $70 games to go with it. When all the other angels have been plucked from the tree and the toys bought, these others remain and collect dust. It wouldn't be fair for one poor kid to get a $2 gift (crayons from the Dollar Tree and a cheap coloring book) while another poor kid gets almost half a thousand dollars worth of presents from Santa.
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