How much are your donated items really worth?   

One of those tedious tax tasks is putting a dollar value on your donated items.

Tip #1:  Did you know there is a free online tool you can use - just log in and pick your item(s) and condition from the extensive list, and the value is calculated and totaled for you. I used it, and it generated a much higher deductible value than I had originally calculated for my 2009 donations. Another great feature is that you can add donations at any time during the year, save, and have a running total ready to use at tax time. If you wish, you can even import your figures into TurboTax.

Tip #2:  Take a group picture of your donations using a digital camera, and let that be your documentation.  It’s a quick way to turn a tedious task into a fast and simple process.

Contributed by….
Maura Raffensperger
"Your Chief Simplicity Officer"
http://orgrx.blogspot.com/