Get rid of your extra stuff!
What to do when you have too much stuff? This is a common problem that au pairs have when their year is up and the time comes to try to pack everything up to get it home. Sometimes, you may have just bought too much stuff; in other cases, you may have seasonal clothing that you will simply have no use for as you move onto your next destination, whether it’s a different part of the US or your home country. Here are some options to think about:
1. Contact your au pair friends and see if anyone wants/needs anything. Sometimes, you can help out your friends this way!
2. Send me a list of items you have that you want to get rid of, and I will post them here. Then, other au pairs can see what you have and maybe you can figure something out.
3. Check out consignment shops or charity shops in the area. Consignment shops will typically give you a small amount of money for the items you have, but they may not take everything that you bring–they will buy items based on demand for them. So if they don’t think they can sell it, they most likely won’t buy it. Charities will typically take items that are in good condition, but you won’t get any money back for the items you donate.
PLATO’S CLOSET is a consignment store chain that has two locations in Delaware. They buy “gently used,” name brand clothing to resell at a cheaper price. They will take a look at what you have and let you know if what you have is something that they can resell; if so, they will offer you a price for it. You can see some of the brands that they will buy here. Please note that they may not take everything, but it’s definitely worth a try.
Plato’s Closet is located in Pike Creek and in Dover. Here is more information about each location.
PIKE CREEK LOCATION: Pike Creek Shopping Center — 4754 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. 302-992-9798. Open Monday - Friday from 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
DOVER LOCATION: Dover Commons (next to the Dover Mall) — 1253 DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901. 302-346-4687. Open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00.
If you can’t resell your items and your friends don’t want them, consider donating to a charity organization that will resell them cheaply or give them to people in need.
One place you can drop off items for donation is Goodwill. There are several dropoff locations in the area. Donation hours in Delaware are Monday through Friday 9:00 to 19:30, Saturday 9:00 to 17:30, Sunday 12:00 to 16:30.
BEAR: Fox Run Shopping Center, Rt 40 & Rt 72. 302-834-6780
DOVER: Gateway West Shopping Center, Rt. 8 & Saulsbury Rd. 302-678-4602. Rodney Village Shopping Center, Rt. 13 South. 302-674-9071.
MIDDLETOWN: Middletown Square Shopping Center, 801 N Broad St. 302-376-6258.
NEWARK: 311 Newark Shopping Center, E Main St. 302-453-1430.
ELKTON, MD: 208 S Bridge St, Elkton, MD. 21921. 410-620-1281. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:00 to 20:00, Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00.
The Salvation Army also takes donations and has a couple of locations in the area as well.
SMYRNA: 16 W Mount Vernon Street, 19977
NEWARK: 245 Elkton Road, 19711
Many churches also take charitable clothing donations, and there are seasonal charities that will take them as well. If you or your host family belong to a church or civic organization, they may be able to help you also.
Remember that airlines will charge you for checked baggage and this is a cost that you are responsible for. Shipping items–especially overseas–can be quite expensive. So consider not only helping yourself, but helping others, too.
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