Mrs. Green blogs at Little Green Blog where she writes about green tech, natural health and parenting. She's passionate about doing her bit for the environment but doesn't always succeed!
I don't know about you, but I tend to start the beginning of each new year with some vague goal of 'getting my house in order'. Top of the list is decluttering. I know I have an inner minimalist waiting to be given the light of day but I think my decluttering mission has been going on for 5 years now!
I'm also on a 'pay of debts' mission – aren't we all? And as I love a good declutter and I love to make money I thought I'd share some top ways to combine two of my favourite tasks!
CLOTHES
Hands up who has a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear? Anything still with the labels attached? Any items that are the wrong size?
I'm fortunate enough to have a second hand dress agency nearby. I take in my clothes, the owner puts them on the rails for 8 weeks and I go in to collect my money at the end of the stint. She keeps half and I get half – it's a win-win! There are online services if you have nothing local to you.
Ebay can be great for selling bundles of clothes; especially children’s. I personally find listing on eBay a procrastination job but once items are up there it's a great buzz to see how many people are watching your items and to get a bidding war at the end. Remember to weigh things before you list them and take into account eBay listing fees and paypal fees so you're not out of pocket if your items sell for a low price.
ELECTRONICS
Electronics are one of the most common Christmas presents – tablets, smart phones, cameras and a myriad of other 'essential' gadgets that we can no longer live without.
The average person in the UK updates their mobile handset every 18 months and millions of unused phones are hiding in drawers and cupboards across the land.
The thing is, you can make money and save previous resources by recycling your mobile phone. Top Dollar Mobile were rated “Best Overall”, from a selection of phone recycling websites offering the highest prices, in the February 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. They send you a FREEPOST envelope so there's nothing to do but dust off your handsets and start earning money!
TOYS
I find the second hand toy market a bit depressing. We spend a fortune on flashing pieces of plastic ready to turn our kids into geniuses and a few weeks later the toys are worth nothing.
But it's such a waste to throw them out so why not let your children hold a garage sale or take them to a car boot sale? It's a great way for them to earn a bit of pocket money, meet new people, learn to haggle and practice giving and receiving money!
BOOKS
My favourite place for selling books is Amazon. It's so straight forward and there are no fees until you actually sell something. You need to find the ISBN, describe the condition of the book and submit it! It stays there for ages and if you're savvy and keep checking in to make sure you're offering at the lowest price, you can usually make quite a bit of money.
Another site is Green Metropolis. While the market isn't as large as Amazon it's straight forward to use and I've had a lot of success.
Selling books on these sites is better if you're not in a hurry for space. If you want to get rid of them quickly you might be better with a car boot sale, or selling as a bundle on eBay.
What about you? How do you declutter your home and make money?
I need to do a lot of this, especially clothes and toys this year! The dress agency sounds fab! Going to have to find an online one! (Or eBay it all!)
I was wondering where to recycle my phone, thanks.
Unfortunately, there are no second-hand shops near my place, but I'll try to find a web site where i can sell my clothes. Thank you for the idea! And when my daughter is ready to give them away, I'll offer her the idea of a garage sale.