I love doing my taxes. Seriously. I can’t wait until January when I get all my W-2′s and 1099′s and X38′s (OK, I made that one up) so I can get back money owed to me in the form of state and Federal tax refunds. It’s not a ton of cash but squeezing every last dime out of Uncle Sam is one of my favorite pastimes. And it should be yours, too.

One of the best ways to minimize your taxable income and maximize your refund is through charitable donations. It’s even better when those donations are not in the form of cash.

Spring cleaning is great, but it’s not a cash cow. Look around your home for things you no longer want or need because you still have two days to donate unwanted items to charity.

The tax code is a minefield, and I am by now means an authority. But here are a couple general guidelines about charitable donations from the tax experts at H&R Block:

• You can deduct your contributions to charitable (non-profit) organizations only if you itemize your deductions.
• You can’t deduct the value of your time or services spent on charitable work, but you can deduct mileage or vehicle expenses if you use your car for charitable purposes.
• Your deduction for charitable contributions generally is limited to 50% of your adjusted gross income.

Due to the fact that time is of the essence now, the first thing you want to do is find your local Salvation Army or Goodwill donation center and get their hours. Then you’ll want to look for clothes and housewares that you wish to donate. Catalog it all (in case you are audited by the IRS) and determine the value of each item. There are a number of websites that can help in this regard. I like the charitable donation valuation calculator at Bankrate.com.

Your local public library is also eager to accept donations of books (in good condition), CD’s, DVD’s and records. Because I have switched most of my music to MP3 format and rarely watch my DVD collection anymore, I’ve given away a lot of this physical media to my local library. I have less clutter in my home, have contributed to my local community and will see greater tax savings.

You’ll need a receipt for your donated items, but don’t expect the charity to provide you with confirmation of their value. Typically you’ll get a blank receipt that you’ll need to fill out yourself. I like to staple this receipt to my own list of donated items. For especially valuable items (e.g. designer suits, electronics) I like to take a digital photo of what was donated as well.

The IRS has more tips for deducting charitable contributions on its website at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106990,00.html.

Now’s the time to hit your attics and basements, get rid of that stuff and boost your tax refund in the process. And file your return as soon as possible to get the cash you want to pay down your debt.