I moved from a 4000 square foot home in Colorado to a small condo in Hawaii last year. I only moved small items and limited amounts of clothing to Hawaii. I left my home in Colorado staged for real estate showings with most of my furniture and with a full garage. Due to work schedules and a the timing of closing on my home, I was not able to make it back to clear the home out before the new buyers took possession. I had very nice neighbors clear it out for me. I let them keep whatever they wanted in exchange for taking the rest to the local charity thrift store donation drop off. I have never donated more than $1000 in clothing or household items in the past. I estimate that I left about $15 thousand dollars (thrift store value) worth of stuff in the house. They did not get receipts. I have no concrete way to prove what was donated.
1. Can I estimate the value?
2. Can I enter all as one line item?
3. Will a sudden spike in my charitable giving likely trigger an audit?
