The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

  • Home
  • To Know
  • To Do
  • To Ponder
  • Obituaries
  • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More
    • Share your story
    • Submit an Event
    • Contact

Westside Story – Highest & Best Use

May 12, 2013 By Joe Boyle

Photo & Story – Joseph Boyle

About 5 years ago, we built what we refer to as our garden house.  We kept putting stuff inside to store out of the weather, but we never took anything out to be disposed of.

After 5 years, we could hardly walk around inside our garden house.  It reminded me of the famous old time radio show, which featured Fibber McGee and Molly’s closet.

We backed my truck up to the garden house front door and started making some hard choices.  It is difficult for most of us to get rid of stuff.  We work hard for our money and once we have spent it on something, we hate to let it go.  Then there is the, “I better hang on to this.  I might need it someday syndrome.”

After making some tough choices, we started making three piles of material possessions.  #1 Keep.  #2 Donate.  #3 Dump.

I will give you an example.  I found a brand new automatic electric paint roller gun still sealed up inside the original box.  It seemed like a good item to purchase at the time, but now 30 years had passed and I had not ever opened the box.  I predicted that there would be no change in the use profile during the next 30 years.  Based on that, I moved to what I like to call, “The highest and best use theory.” I donated it to Goodwill Industries.  They can make better use of it than I will.  They have an Internet store too.

So I took my truckload of goodies down to Goodwill located at 6002 Mount Tacoma Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98499.  Phone: 253-983-0040.

Goodwill_Lakewood

Goodwill makes it easy to donate.  They have a drive through like at Starbucks.

You drive over a black cord, which rings a bell like in the olden days when we drove into a service station for gasoline, tire check, oil check and windshield clean and a set of free glassware with a fill up all for 17 cents a gallon.  Actually, that is another story.

Once the Goodwill bell goes off, a clerk comes out to assist you with downloading your stuff.

They gave me a receipt for my taxes and a coupon for 30 percent off the purchase of any item in the store.

Clutching my coupon, I paid a visit inside the Goodwill Store.

Wow, the store is neat and clean.  The used merchandise is organized and all looks reusable.  It is not just a pile of junk like I was used to seeing in the past.  The clerks are friendly and helpful.

Some customers search for treasures; expensive items that are priced at the Goodwill economically pleasing level.

I gave my coupon to a shopper.  She seemed pleased.  My wife was pleased too.  She did not want me saving 30 percent on an item and then storing it in our newly cleaned out garden house for the next 30 years.

What my wife fails to understand is that if I got a really good deal on something at Goodwill and then stored it in our garden house, it would make a very nice donation to Goodwill some years down the road.  Tax deductible too.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

About Joe Boyle

Joe’s life is divided into 3 chapters. Chapter I: 25+ years in business including Estate Planning with New York Life, Revenue Officer with the U.S. Treasury Department, Sales Representative and gas main Extension King with Washington Natural Gas Company, Real Estate Broker, investor, developer, and property manager. Chapter II: 25 years in public service as a Pierce County Deputy Sheriff between the ages of 45 and 70. Chapter III: Began with an April Fool’s Day 2013 retirement and involves The Arts including Writing, Comedy, and the Blues. Currently Joe is a creator on Westside Story, The Benny's & Joey’s Quiz with Publisher Ben Sclair and Double Take with author / columnist Susanne Bacon. Joe has performed as an actor locally and done stand-up comedy in Seattle, Tacoma, New Jersey, and Las Vegas.

Comments

  1. Mary Hammond says

    May 13, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    Joe, I’m glad to see that in your retirement, you have discovered the joys of Goodwill giving; but I’m sorry you didn’t take the time (it does take time and patience!) to discover the somewhat addictive joys of Goodwill shopping. Since I retired, I have a little more time, and a little less money. I love going to Goodwill – especially Tuesday, Sr. Citizens’ Discount Day – and searching for gently-worn “designer brand” clothing at bargain basement prices. I usually also check the dishes, cookware, and basket shelves, where I sometimes find useful items. Also, Goodwill and Value Village have tons of gently-used books at very reasonable prices. A hint about taking tax deductions for charitable giving to Goodwill or Value Village: before I take a load to donate, I photograph the items (in groups – 5 pr. jeans, 10 pr. sox, etc.)for documentation. Then in iPhoto, I save that group of photos as “Goodwill donation 2013-5-13” and print a collage of thumbprint-size photos, to which I assign fair market value prices at tax time, using a Goodwill or Salvation Army price list available online. These donations throughout the year really add up, and are worth itemizing. Back to sorting my clutter . . . .

Top Stories

  • Letter: Do the citizens of Tacoma have to leave Tacoma to be safe?
    Letter: Do the citizens of Tacoma have to leave Tacoma to be safe?
  • Forbidden City opens in old Lieu’s Chinese restaurant space in Parkland
    Forbidden City opens in old Lieu’s Chinese restaurant space in Parkland
  • Special Operations units conduct training at JBLM and two locations in Idaho Jan. 25-Feb. 4
    Special Operations units conduct training at JBLM and two locations in Idaho Jan. 25-Feb. 4
  • Statements from Tacoma City Council, Tacoma Police Union on Events at South 9th St. and Pacific Ave.
    Statements from Tacoma City Council, Tacoma Police Union on Events at South 9th St. and Pacific Ave.
  • Obituary Notices - January 27, 2021
    Obituary Notices - January 27, 2021

Become a better informed citizen.

Join over 30,000 readers each month and get real-local news and information direct to your inbox, Monday-Saturday.


Recent Comments

  • Donna Monroe on Lakewood seeks CBDG, HOME and Human Services input
  • Richard Dorsett on Jump Starting Creativity – Taking Off and Soaring
  • Susan on Letter: What’s Going On?
  • Karen on Mass COVID vaccination sites planned for Pierce County
  • John Arbeeny on Letter: Do the citizens of Tacoma have to leave Tacoma to be safe?

Contact Us

The Suburban Times
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98496

Ben Sclair, Publisher
253-312-1804

Stephen Neufeld, Marketing Executive
stephen@thesubtimes.com

Copyright © 2021 The Suburban Times • Log in • Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.