Spring cleaning isn’t just an opportunity to finally get a glimpse of your floor once more – it can actually be a great way to make money as well. Depending on what you find, you may be sitting on a goldmine. If you haven’t managed to really go through all of your belongings for a couple of years, use the promise of money as an incentive to get started.
Before you start your spring cleaning though, you need to realize a few things. If your apartment or home is cluttered and has been this way for years, you need to take drastic steps. If you haven’t used a particular item for over six months, then the odds of you needing it in the future are slim. You may be able to waive this rule of thumb for a few items of sentimental value, but don’t get carried away. What would you rather have, a clean apartment and some extra cash or a stack of old records collecting dust that you haven’t listened to since CDs arrived on the scene?
Start off by searching through your drawers. Keep an eye out for old receipts. You may find receipts that can help with your expenses and taxes, such as receipts that you can use for Flexible Spending Account claims or receipts that allow you to claim tax deductions. Maybe there’s a gift card or two hidden away at the back of a drawer that you’ve forgotten about. If you’re not interested in using the gift card, there are websites online that will buy your gift card from you at discounted rate so at least you get something more than if you just chucked it in the garbage.
For people who simply must have the latest model electronic gadgets, if you have older models laying around put them to good use. There are several things you can do with these gadgets. You can dispose of them by selling them online – try a site like ebay.com. If you’re not savvy enough or don’t care enough to sell them yourself, check out sites like gazelle.com. If a site like gazelle.com is looking for your particular gadget, all you need to do is ship it to them and they’ll send you a check. Donating electronics is also a great way to rack up some tax deductions.
You may be able to find lightly used designer clothing a new home at a resale or consignment store. If you haven’t worn a dress in two years, you’re better off exchanging it for cash or store credit so you can buy a new dress that you will wear. When selling clothing, you may be able to recoup around a quarter to a third of the original price. Handbags, however, tend to have a better resale value – you may be able to recover up to half of the original price.
Your jewelry box is also a great place to look for items that you can turn into cash. As of March 2011, gold prices have hit around $1,400 an ounce. Silver is around $40 an ounce and platinum is around $1,750 an ounce. You can sell your jewelry straight to a gold buying company on the internet.
This is from guest poster Kevin MacDougal. He writes for the whole life insurance website www.LifeCover.ca.