How to Turn Your Old Beat-Up Car Into a Car Donation Tax Deduction

If you're thinking about donating a car to a charity you may want to keep the following tips in mind. A car donation tax deduction can benefit not only you and the charity but a person in need also.

Charities have the option of using donated vehicles for their own use, for providing transportation for volunteers or for charity-related activities such as picking up supplies etc. But more often they will already have enough vehicles and they will sell the auto, truck, RV, airplane or other vehicle from their car lot or through dealers to raise funds for their charity. If the charity uses a dealer they've contracted with, the charity may only receive $50 or less from the dealer when the vehicle is sold.

Changes in the laws limit the amount the donor can receive for a used car donation to the actual price that the charity sells the car or truck for.

If the charity or car donation program is not familiar to you, you may want to make sure the charity is eligible from the IRS to receive tax deductible contributions. Request a copy of the charity's letter of determination from the IRS. This letter verifies the charity's tax exempt status.

Make sure that the charity or car donation center gives you an itemized detailed receipt for your car donation. Keep it in a safe place and file it with your tax return. Non-cash donations can be an unwanted red flag for an IRS audit so make sure you document the value of the car and keep good detailed records.

If you discover that your old used car is worth more than $500 then you as the donor must fill out Section A of the IRS Form 8283 and file it with your income tax return. Make sure you get a written acknowledgement along with the receipt from the charity because you'll be required to do so.

If the charity turns around and sells the car instead of using it for transportation then the charity must give the donor certification that the car was sold at what is called "arms length" between parties who are unrelated. And after the sale report the sale price of the car to you within at least 30 days. The donor's car donation tax deduction will be only for the amount that the charity sold your car for. And if the charity doesn't sell the car and elects to keep it, then it must give you, the donor, a written receipt for the vehicle within 30 days of the date of the sale.

The charitable car donation organization might also be required to provide certification to the donor showing how it plans to make use of or improve or repair the car or other vehicle and also that it promises it won't sell or transfer the car to another person or company.

In the US, the federal government imposes penalties on charities that provide fraudulent acknowledgments or documentation to donors.

If the car, truck or vehicle you plan to donate is worth $5,000 or more, then an independent appraisal is required and you must fill out Section B of IRS Form 8283. You ma have to get advice from your CPA or accountant on how to handle this.

If you think or know your car or truck or other vehicle is worth less than $5,000, you can use the Kelley Blue Book or a little guide book from the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) to figure out the market value. You can find these guides online or at your local public library. You must use the correct figures for the mileage, date and exact condition of your car - document this as much as possible. Choosing the highest figure listed in the guide for your car model and year without taking into consideration any of the other options and factors will not make the IRS very happy.

Take several current pictures of the car or truck and save all your vehicle receipts for new tires, repair work, or any necessary upgrades to help prove its value.

It's important to remember, that you as the donor, not the charitable organization, are responsible for determining the value the car. It is you who will pay any penalties if the IRS challenges your figures through an audit.

There are many reputable lesser-known as well as the more well-known charities such as Target, Purple Heart, Kidney Foundation, Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries. Centers are located in every state including Massachusetts, California, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut etc. Some of the charities in some states seem more active in pursuing the donations than others and you'll find more ads.

These are just a few of the best tips you should know about if you plan on donating a car, truck, RV, airplane, boat or other vehicle. Armed with these facts you can start to make an educated decision about whether you want to go ahead and donate a vehicle and get a nice car donation tax deduction.

Merits of Havingc In the modern era of having everything at the touch of a fingertip, a diet plan has become a trend to reduce weight. Having a healthy diet food is important to have proper and controlled diet. Basically it's necessary to stick to a particular diet chart when on a diet. Diet chart is a plan to meet up with proper nutritional requirements. Healthy diet food is the key to having a prosperous lifestyle and staying away from diseases. It is difficult to achieve a healthy lifestyle if we do not consume healthy food.

Healthy diet may be followed for reducing weight or gaining proper weight. Also in case of certain health problems such as hypertension and diabetes, doctors recommend a diet plan. Diet food is mostly comprised of:

We may as well define the healthy foods into three categories:
 

A balanced healthy diet food must contain food from all the above three sources in a harmonious way. It helps in maintaining a proper and smooth lifestyle if we stick to healthy food. Many people follow a particular diet for a small period of time and then leave it. It's important to note that healthy diet foods must be consumed continuously to maintain a fit body.

Most people think healthy diet food is quite bad in taste and there is no variety available to eat from. Weight loss food is quite savoury and has lots of items as well. Oily and junk food is not a part of healthy food. These food items are likely to cause many diseases and hazardous illnesses. For having a healthy diet one needs to avoid them. People who enjoy unhealthy diet food are likely to suffer from dangerous diseases such as cancer, hyper-tension, heart diseases and diabetes.

 

One must consume the correct amount of calories as calculated according to the diet plan. Each food item carries particular calories. It's necessary to consult a nutritional expert regarding the amount of calories a particular food item provides. Consuming healthy food is one way to stay away from illnesses and staying fit. It is the key element for staying fit!!!

Revealed - 7 Reasons to Eat Colorful Healthy Foods For Healthy Weight Loss

In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, a healthy way of eating foods is required. The more you add nutrient-dense foods into your daily diet, the more success you will have with leading a healthy lifestyle. Eating junk food all the time is what made you become fat. When you return to eating traditional and natural foods, you restore your health. When the body is healthy, it can perform its own miracles.

Most people think that the way to eat better for weight loss is through bland salads and products that say Fat Free on their labels. Nothing could be further from the truth, and that is why so many people struggle with their weight. All you really need to know is that the more colorful your plate looks, the healthier it is for you to consume.

Healthy foods can be classified by their color energy, which organizes their nutritional effects, taste, and actions of their properties and common healing qualities. The following list is of food categorized by color and the reasons why each group helps a person to lose weight in a healthy way.

Colorful Healthy Foods #1. Red Foods = Protein

Red foods such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries, tomatoes, watermelon are a great source of protein. Protein is essential for weight loss because it builds muscle, and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. What happens when you try to lose weight without eating protein? You get a sickly look like you are not getting enough nutrition. Red foods are also provide lots of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Colorful Healthy Foods #2. Orange Foods = Detoxification

Eating lots of apricots, peaches, oranges, mango, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, squash, orange/yellow peppers will help detoxify the body and help you maintain good vision, bone and tooth development. This is because they help rid your body of toxins. Orange foods also make the skin healthy so when you lose weight in a healthy way, you will not wind up with a sagging look.

Colorful Healthy Foods #3. Yellow Foods = Power

When you lack energy in your diet, it can lead to poor memory, lack of concentration, tension, irritability, digestive problems and a lack of proper nutrient absorption. Add yellow foods into your diet, such as lemons, bananas, grapefruits, rice, corn, and eggs. Energy from these foods is essential for weight loss because a busy person burns calories a lot faster than someone too sedentary to get off the couch and move around.

Colorful Healthy Foods #4. Green Foods= Well Being

Green foods such as asparagus, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, zucchini, green peppers, green apples, pears, avocados, green grapes, kiwi and limes, contain the most powerful combination of nutrients in any grain, herb or food source. Not only do they maintain your energy all day long, but they will also create a sense of well-being. This means you will experience an optimum balance for total health, so you will not feel hunger cravings as much.

Colorful Healthy Foods #5. Blue And Purple Foods = Improved Circulation

These foods are considered high in anti-cancer properties, and are helpful for the voice, and the organs and glands of the neck. These foods also contain nutrients that help improve circulation after eating, so they work best when added to any meal that is high in fat which causes the body to become sluggish because blood flow slows. Blueberries, plums, grapes are all great examples.

Colorful Healthy Foods #6. No Color Food = Meal Replacement

Whenever you are in doubt, help yourself to a soy-based protein shake. This is how I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and have kept if off for over 15 years. Sometimes you need a break from traditional food, specifically to get the kind of nutrition that can only come from soy. Adding colorful fruits into a shake will help accelerate weight loss and good health even more. Want an added special bonus tip? Drinking one cup of green tea burns off almost 100 calories and speeds up metabolism at the same time!

Colorful Healthy Foods #7. Beige and Tan Foods = Danger

Last but certainly not least is the food color group you want to stay away from whenever possible. If you look at your plate and see nothing but browns, tans and beiges, chances are good that you are not getting the best nutrition possible and it will slow down your weight loss. Stay away from cookies, cakes, burgers, hot dogs, pies, donuts...you know, all the stuff that made you fat. Eating these foods in moderation is OK, but more often than not you should be replacing them with colorful foods.

 

Eating has different purposes but the bottom line is that the more colorful ealthy Foods are in your diet, the better chance you will have at keeping yourself healthy and at an ideal weight. Living a healthy lifestyle and developing the mindset that goes aslong with it are the compenents of weight loss that most people never grasp. Instead of struggling with diet fads and magic pills, pay more attention to the colors on your plate and you will find yourself well on your way to weight loss success.

Unhealthy Healthy Food

How can a food be both healthy and unhealthy at the same time?

There are dozens of articles about healthy food on the internet. Each list is a little different, but by and large, they all list foods that are reputed to have health-giving benefits.

If a food is rich in beneficial nutrients, how can it be unhealthy?

Joe had high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, adult-onset asthma, was borderline diabetic and significantly overweight. He was a yo-yo dieter and with each diet, he gained rather than lost weight. To say he was frustrated is an understatement.

Healthy foods like lettuce, onions, tomatoes, lemons and green peppers were part of Joe's daily diet. But when he was tested for food sensitivities these very same healthy foods showed up on his list of unsafe foods. So regardless of the fact that these are normally considered healthy, for Joe, they were not. In fact when he eliminated his sensitive foods and followed a rotation diet, in less than four months, he lost 85 pounds, 16 inches on his waist and was able to stop taking his prescription medications.

Kim had chronic headaches. She was conscious about eating a healthy diet and loved carrots and peaches, which she ate frequently. Various allergy and sensitivity tests had not identified the cause of her headaches. Then she had the ALCAT Test for food and chemical sensitivities and much to her surprise, carrots and peaches showed up on her unsafe foods list. When she followed her rotation diet of safe foods, she lost 11 pounds after the first month and after five months, she was headache free.

Corrin had stomach aches and itchy skin daily as well as headaches and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) frequently, even though she ate a healthy diet and exercised regularly. She was aware of certain foods to which she was allergic and avoided those foods. Healthy foods like blueberries, cranberries and artichokes were some of her favorites and she ate them often. Even though she was conscious about eating healthfully, her symptoms persisted. When she was tested for food sensitivities the results showed that her favorite blueberries, cranberries and artichokes were among her sensitive foods. After four weeks of avoiding her intolerant foods and following a rotation diet, her symptoms were gone.

Dan's daughter was hyperactive and had been diagnosed with ADHD. She'd been on medication for 5 years. Testing for food sensitivities showed intolerance to beef, apples, grapes and lemon. Within 24 hours after her sensitive foods were eliminated from her diet, she was much calmer. She eventually was weaned off her medication.

Every one of these people was found to have food sensitivities or intolerance to healthy foods. Even though these foods are rich in nutrients and are generally considered healthy, they were not healthy for Joe, Kim, Corrin and Dan's daughter. They were their unhealthy healthy foods.

Note: This is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have health problems, consult your physician.

How to Donate a Car in San Diego

Californians donate more cars than the people from any other state, and San Diego leads the list for top vehicle donation cities in California. While there are certainly plenty of great charities that accept cars nationwide, if you live in San Diego or Orange County you may want to help people closer to home, in your own city. Here's a list of charities either based in San Diego or devoted to San Diego that also accept auto donations.

All the charities listed on this page are 501(c)(3) certified by the IRS. That means that you can make a tax-deductible donation to them. Of course, tax deductions are very complex and everyone's situation is unique so you should check with your CPA or tax preparer before you actually file the paperwork for your tax deduction with the IRS. There were some new IRS rules for car donations set up in 2005, and while a car donation can still give you a good tax deduction, the IRS scrutinizes vehicle donation tax deductions more than they used to. You can learn a lot more about the specifics of the car donation rules by downloading a free pdf version of IRS Publication 4303: A Donor's Guide To Car Donations from the IRS website.

The San Diego charities listed here have also all been reviewed by the website Charity Navigator. This is an internationally recognized website that rates charities based on a star system of one to four stars. All the charities listed here have gotten the top rating of four stars. This means you can be sure that your donation is going to a charity that is a highly effective and uses every dime that they get in the best possible way.

San Diego Humane Society and SPCA

If you are an animal lover, this may be where you want your car to go. The good news is that your car does not even have to run for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA to take it, and they will also handle every step of the process for your car donation, from pickup and towing to filling out the IRS forms for you. Their car donation program is run through Charitable Auto ResourceS (CARS).

American Melanoma Foundation

The AMF is a member of the National Council On Skin Cancer Prevention, but their focus is on funding research to treat melanoma and other kinds of skin cancer, and on creating programs that raise awareness about proper sun protection and early detection of skin cancers. They have a lot of programs for children, but they also have some highly regarded support programs for people who already have the disease.

Cal-Diego Paralyzed Veterans Association 

 

This charity supports Armed Forces Veterans and others who have suffered from a spinal injury or a spinal disease like multiple sclerosis. You can donate your car to them through either Donate Car USA or Action Donation Services. Both of those companies are nationally run car donation houses that will sell your car at auction and donate the proceeds of the sale to Cal-Diego PVA.

I Love Making Healthy Food Choices - 5 Reasons Why I Like Making Healthy Food Choices

Making healthy food choices doesn't come naturally. As a matter of fact everywhere you turn there are ads and commercials extolling the benefits of eating unhealthy. That is the American lifestyle, live, work and eat as fast as you can. "Damn the consequences, Full speed ahead!

The consequences can vary from bad to worse. For me it was a trip down the highway with the sirens blaring, the lights flashing and the paramedic feeding me nitroglycerin. That trip was not fun, as a matter of fact, it was down right scary. But it did get my attention!

Being a young man of sixty five I wasn't ready to pilot a rocking chair just waiting to die. I wanted to live, be productive and enjoy life. So I decided that if I wanted to live - I'm working on Methuselah's record - I needed to make some changes in my life.

The first area I needed to change was what I put in my mouth. They say you are what you eat. Eat junk and you will have an unhealthy body. Anyway, change for me doesn't come easy unless I have good reasons for that change. So here's a list of the reasons I came up with to make healthy food choices.

1}Say Goodby To All The Chemicals

Read the label of that food you are about to serve your family. Look at all the preservatives that are used to keep it from spoiling and better yet look at all those ingredients you can't even pronounce let alone know what they are.

If they are putting sawdust in your food why do they need to change it's name to something you don't understand. You don't suppose they don't want you to know they're putting sawdust in your food do you?

That is one reason I am all for making healthy food choices. All the different preservatives and chemicals that are contained in processed foods couldn't possibly be good for you.

2)I Want To Savor The Flavor

One of the biggest reasons for making healthy food choices for myself is the flavor. I like to taste food! I like the robust flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables. The reason so many vegetable dishes are served with the vegetables swimming in mushroom soup or cheese sauce is that there is no taste to the canned vegetables. You need something to add flavor.

Try some fresh green beans. They are loaded with flavor, delicious to savor and best of all they are loaded with good for you nutrients.

Take an acorn squash, wash it and stick it in the microwave for two to three minutes. When the skin is soft, split in two, scrape out the seeds, add a little butter to each half and you have a food that is so good for you and the best part is it tastes fantastic.

3}I Choose To Eat To Live Longer

Reports of obesity and all the health problems it causes are all over the news these days. From children to adults this problem is getting worse as people turn to fast food for their lunches and dinners.

Obesity puts a terrible strain on your heart, making it work twice as hard to function properly. Causing high blood pressure and all sorts of complications that cannot be reversed unless you lose that weight. Obesity is also directly related to diabetes, which is also on the rise here in America.

Eating healthy makes me feel better and have more energy. If you eat healthy, studies show that you can live longer and have less health issues than someone who does not.

I would like to live to enjoy my grandchildren and one day, their children. I know this is  possible so I choose to eat healthy to make sure I have as much time with them as possible. If eating healthy can make you live longer, I choose to eat to live longer.

4}I Choose To Eat To Be In Health

If making healthy food choices helps me to stay in vibrant health then I choose to make healthy food choices. All around me I can see the evidence of making bad food choices. You can too. Just go people watching at any mall or a busy street corner and you'll be overwhelmed at all the results of making bad food choices.

The great thing about making healthy food choices is that you can start anytime. Like right now! I didn't until that ambulance ride got my attention. Now I make healthy food choices every day. Every day it gets easier to make those choices, to say no to unhealthy food and to live a healthy life style.

5)I Want to Enjoy My Family

If Making healthy food choices allows me to live longer and be in healthy so that I can enjoy my family then I choose Healthy Food. I have eight children, eight grand children so far and a fantastic wife.

I want to be able to spend time, quality time with them all to let them know just how special they are and how I love them so much.

I want to be able to spend a lot of time with my wife. When you both work and you're taking care of the kids you don't get to spend a lot of quality time with your spouse. By making healthy food choice now I hope, The Lord Willing, I'll get to spend a lot of quality time with her.

Those are five reason that I choose to make healthy food choices. There are more reasons but you get the idea. Making healthy food choice is a matter of life and death. I choose life! I want to live! That is why I like making Healthy food choices!

Car Donation Charities in California

The act of donating a car to charity is one of the most rewarding things you can do. When you donate your car, you do more than just support a charity. You actually help to improve someone's life. To help a needy person, please donate a car to one of these respected charities in California.

Established in 1946 in Davis, California, Freedom From Hunger has been fighting chronic hunger and poverty in the world through innovative programs designed to help families achieve long term food security. Their programs are serving over 18 million people in some of the poorest countries in the world. They are both nongovernmental and nonsectarian and they have been given an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Teach for America works to ensure that children in low income areas get an excellent education. Less than half of the children in California are on grade level for reading and math, and it ranks 48th in academic performance. In the Bay Area, Teach for America has been providing great education for over 10 years. In Los Angeles, they have operating since 1990. Teach for America works to recruit leaders who work to expand educational opportunities in low income areas and then teach for two years in those areas.

The Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and a cure for neuromyelitis optica. NMO is a very rare disease that can affect the optic nerve and spinal cord. People with this horrible disease can develop vision loss, or weakness, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the arms and legs along with sensory disturbances and loss bladder and bowel control. Although there are some treatments available a lot more research is needed to find better ones and a cure.

A Home Away From Homelessness is dedicated to supporting and nurturing the needs of homeless and formerly homeless children and families in San Francisco and Marin. Their homes provide a physical, emotional and spiritual break for children along with educational, social and recreational opportunities.

Family Builders believes that every child has the right to grow up in a permanent, nurturing family regardless of the child's age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or medical, physical or emotional condition. Family Builders educates the community about the needs of waiting children, advocates on their behalf and places the children with permanent, secure families through adoption.

The car donation process is easy and the pickup is free. You can donate your car even it no longer runs or is in poor shape. You just need to have a title for your car and it needs to be where the tow truck can easily get to it. In return for your car donation, you will get a valuable tax deduction and a sense of pride knowing you have done a really good thing. For complete details on how to donate car, please call 1-866-4483487.