DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter is growing, and she just put all of her too-tight shoes in a bag to give away. Some of them have hardly been worn. I know she didn’t mean to ignore them, but she doesn’t wear dress shoes often and she has been in a growth spurt for almost the whole year. I don’t want to dump the shoes, but my friends can be snobby about accepting used shoes for their kids. What can I do with them other than taking them to Goodwill? -- Old Shoes
DEAR OLD SHOES: There are plenty of people who will appreciate the slightly worn shoes that you have. If you simply want to give them away, consider taking them to a local house of worship. Many churches give away clothing and shoes to those in need. Goodwill and the Salvation Army do accept items and will give you a tax deduction voucher for them, which helps at tax time.
You can also sell them online. Consider eBay or Poshmark, among many other online resellers. It takes effort on your part to set yourself up as a vendor, but it could be worth it, especially as your daughter continues to grow.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)