TURN YOUR JUNK INTO CASH

 

With the weather starting to warm up it feels like a great time for emptying out the closets, purging the kids’ toys, and reorganizing the attic.

 

{This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links.}

 

Why not make money spring cleaning?

 

Side hustling is a great way to bring extra cash in to pay off debts faster.

We have continued to side hustle so that we can give ourselves a bigger buffer, go on more vacations, and build up our emergency fund. It was one of the things we learned from getting out of debt.

 

If you’re in debt and not able to make even the minimum payments on your credit card bills, start now and make money spring cleaning.

Chances are if you’re in debt, you like buying things. I bet you have a ton of things in your home you don’t need or use.

 

You NEED to keep the electricity on, you DON’T need more pairs of shoes. Not yet at least.

 

 

 

START: MAKE MONEY SPRING CLEANING

 

Go through your entire house and separate everything into these 3 categories.

 

KEEP

 

This category includes items that have sentimental value to essential appliances and things in between.

My husband said it the best when I was going through my “stuff”. If you haven’t used it more than a few times in a year you don’t need it.

My mom is convinced that once she dumps something out she’ll need it and therefore the majority of her crap stuff is in the “keep” pile.

 

You have to learn to let things go. Unless what you’re keeping is something that will increase significantly in value (not likely), having the money now is the better option.

 

SELL

 

My husband has bought and sold things most of his life so he understands the “market” and what sells.

People will give away their barely used stuff for free even when they have a ton of debt. This view of disposable income is why their cash pile is also very small.

Then there are others who think everything they own is worth its weight in gold because they were suckers and bought everything brand new and overpriced. Sorry if that describes you, but it’s the truth.

On Facebook I always see used prom dresses for several hundred dollars. Just because you paid $800 for a dress it doesn’t mean someone else will buy it even at $300. And if you don’t sell it fast, eventually the style will be outdated and you’re out $800 for a dress that was probably only worn once. Rich people do not do this. If you want to be rich you have to start thinking like a rich person.

 

The things we buy new have expiration dates or are cheaper than if we bought used.

 

Use your best judgement when separating your items. Things that sell well are sports equipment, records, garden tools, used clothes that are brand name or in good shape, baby toys, furniture, handbags, knick knacks, etc.

 

 

 

DONATE

 

We are always donating items, both used and new. You can also use this as a tax write off.

A month before paying off our credit card debt my husband found the book Total Money Makeover Workbook by Dave Ramsey. If I wrote my own book this would be it. I don’t buy books because I would rather get them for free at the library, but if I had read this book 5 years ago I would have been much better off financially. It is worth every penny for anyone trying to get out of debt.

 

 

 

One of the things I took away from the book that I think is important is “when you have more you can give more“.

Yes, you want to go on vacations and buy those heels you’ve been eyeing, but think about it this way. Sacrifice a lot now and you can have it all the rest of your life.

 

If you’re in a lot of debt your donate pile should be very small. You are spring cleaning to make money right now, not to give it away.

We donate to the Goodwill, Alliance for Lupus, ASPCA , veterans, and other organizations. The reason we can donate a lot of new and used things now is because we are in a much better financial situation and can afford to.

 

BONUS CATEGORY: DUMP

I know I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t include this category so here it is.

Going through your stuff there are bound to be things that you don’t need, aren’t worth selling or in any condition to donate.

Every time I do the yearly “purge” I end up dumping out some items that I look at and think why did I save this junk lol. Dump it faster than a bad date and enjoy the extra room you’ll have in your house.

 

 

Once you’re done spring cleaning it’s time to make the money.

 

There are multiple places we sell to make extra income. Some are online and some are in person.

If you’ve never sold your stuff before I recommend Facebook, consignment shops, and having your own garage sale to get your feet wet. The nice thing about having a successful garage sale is that you can potentially sell everything in one or two days and get cash on the spot.

Each venue has their pros and cons, which I discussed briefly in this post.

 

Spring cleaning to make money is great because it allows you to get organized and stay on top of your finances. Huh? You ask.

Our house was in such disarray for awhile that I ended up paying a bill twice. Papers were everywhere and it was hard to keep track. I obviously got the money back, but it was a waste of a check I didn’t have to send.

 

After you make money spring cleaning put it into one of your multiple bank accounts and enjoy all your hard work.

We’ve already gone through our closets and donated 3 bags of clothes and one set aside for selling. Next is spring cleaning the attic.

 

 

 

 

How are you going to make money spring cleaning?