Nick, come on down next summer and help me at my booth. I would love to have pictures of our busy time. With 4 people, it's not as bad, but we still have customers that have to help themselves to bags and inform other customers of how we do things. I'm lucky to have some really GREAT customers that will even help out sorting or anything else to help us thru a busy time. I don't take as many pictures of the farm and market as I know I should. I've often said that I would like a video of how our booth operates. I know we've had vendors sitting beside us tell us at the end of the day, "How do you do all that, you made me tired just watching" Last year, we had a newer vendor, a food stand, next to us and they would call out to see if we needed food, fix it for us and deliver it, then at the end of the day or a slow time they would tell us what we owed them. This was because we were so busy. So Nick or anyone else, when could I expect you? The really busy time starts in July thru mid-August. Believe me, I've had help that could not get up. I finally have had to hire people that are used to a busy BurgerKing or a busy Speedway to be able to work it fast enough. 4 of them, plus me and hubby during the peak times are needed and we still have customers that are not waited on fast enough.

Been checking back in on this thread with interest and hope the original poster lets us know how it might all be resolved. I have a few random thoughts that I hope doesn't put me in the grinch category: 1. Even though the mother is housed comfortably elsewhere and not in need of funds, the possessions left behind are still, in effect, hers. If she wishes that someone benefit from the sale of the things left behind, that "someone" is the person who should be doing the lion's share of the work to dispose of them in a meaningful way. If the OP is the one expected to take care of things, she should have carte blanch to handle it how she sees fit - possibly not taking the niece or brother into account. 2. Again, read up on the possible IRS pitfalls of going over the $500 non-cash donation threshhold. 3. How much time does one wish to spend going through and pricing things right down to the last Flintstone jelly glass everyone seems to have in the far reaches of kitchen cabinets? How much is that beloved family dish really worth to someone not in your family? 4. What charity is going to send a truck to pick up everything that doesn't sell? How many trips do you want to make to the dump or how many months of storage fees at a U Rent It place would you agree to? How much time do you want to devote dragging things back and forth to flea markets? 5. You need a few people to help with garage sales - someone to watch the cash box, and one or two more to see that items don't simply walk away while you're distracted. I'm not heartless when it comes to the disposal of other's things; but I've never had to do it while the owner was still living so that sense of "violation" never came into play. But since the responsibility of having to do these things fell to me and my brother on a couple of occasions, doing what was easiest and most expedient for us was the most basic consideration.

We have always kept a good tally of our deductions, and also tithe. We had been keeping those tallies for years, and giving as much as we could feel comfortable giving, and found out after the fact that we usually did not exceed the standard deduction. We don't hold a mortgage, and that could be why. Since finding that out (we have an accountant do our returns), I am more careful now on my timing for contributions, monies into an IRA, expenditures, capitol gains. I donate to charities/churches because I want to help them, but there is nothing wrong with also being able to use it to offset taxes if you can. I guess standard deductions are nice, but if you don't exceed them, even when you give generously, and others who don't give anything still get the same tax breaks......well, it sort of takes the hair off where fairness is concerned. I have been known to make phone calls to my accountant to ask "Is this a good time to buy capital equipment?", "Is this a good time to make a withdrawal from a deferred account?" It really helps to sit down at times other than tax time, to crunch your numbers after the fact and project what your tax liabilites will be or how you can plan deductions to your best tax benefits. Like you are doing, btw. But a lot of people don't. Always run your household finances, like it were a business.

The IRS has limits on values of items donated. It varies depending on the items. We received some 60% on appliances and I think furniture was 40% of new (on a graduated scale based on age). Frankly I let my accountant figure it out. If I were you, I'd call your accountant and ask for guidance. I'm assuming that you are upper income (or really generous) because you're making such a generous donation. For us, there were benefits to making a couple of contributions last year and this year due to our varying income levels. Your accountant might have some guidance to offer on this as well...but at least can give you a ballpark on a percentage of the new price of the items that will qualify for deduction. I am also hoping you know where they came from so you can arrive at the "new" price (what they cost when they were purchased in 2004). This is what the basis will be on.