Turn Clutter into Cash: Winter Pre-Spring Cleaning Tips

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Turn your clutter into cash with winter pre-spring cleaning. Discover how to make extra money by selling your unused items from the comfort of your home.

Everything Holds Value, Even Clutter

Don’t underestimate the value of an item because what you may consider junk, another may consider a treasure.

It’s cold outside, especially if you live in Canada like us.

There’s no denying the winter temperatures were by far the coldest we’ve had in a long time.

Clear Clutter

Almost everyone is complaining about being stuck indoors and having nothing to do, so how about winter pre-spring cleaning around the house?

Yes, you read that right!

I always get emails or fans asking, “How can I make extra money to pay down debt?”.

Sometimes, the easiest and fastest answer is right in your home.

There’s no point sitting around the house this winter doing nothing if you have piles of potential cash in unused clutter around your home.

Make the most of your clutter and sell it for a nice profit to put into your emergency savings, or use the money you earn for whatever financial decisions are important to you.

How To Sort Clutter

How do you begin to clear out clutter? That’s easy.

Every successful clutter clear-out starts with a plan, so know what rooms you want to tackle, and as you riffle through the clutter, start to think about exactly what you plan to do with the items.

Another way people get organized with their clutter is to prepare boxes and label them in front of them, stating where they will send the items, i.e., garage sale and consignment.

You don’t have to go hard at it for hours on end either, especially if you have lots of clutter in your house to go through.

Like many people, especially if you are in a relationship or have kids, you probably have many things in your house that could scream extra money.

Put yourself to work, even for an hour every other day, to start clearing out the items you could sell and make some extra cash.

The best part is you get some exercise while doing it, too because when you move your body, it will thank you.

Cleaning is a great way to burn calories, so sorting through clutter is another form of cleaning, so make the best of it.

Don’t Extinct Your Clutter

Alright, I’m having a bit of a laugh with that one, but you know what I mean when some items are more nostalgic than useful.

However, many people do collect for those reasons.

They even made a TV program on HGTV once about collectors.

I remember seeing phenomenal rooms these dedicated people put together for items that meant the world to them.

One guy collected mustard and had a mustard room, so don’t throw out that unopened jar or condiments you might have from years ago that you found in the back of your pantry.

A collector might be out there waiting to scoop it up to display on their shelf.

Every dollar counts in the budget, and the longer you wait to sell something, the less money you might get for it, especially if they are school books that tend to go out of date as the next edition comes out or are technology-based.

Clutter can pile up fast, so if you can hardly move in your living space, then maybe it’s time to de-clutter and cash in on unused items.

Don’t forget all those unopened gifts from your wedding, birthday, or Christmas that still have tags, are sealed, and haven’t seen the light of day. That can all make you money.

If you haven’t used an item in 6 months to a year and it’s sitting around collecting dust in your attic, basement, closet, under the bed, etc., get rid of it before it becomes a home of unwanted creatures.

Below are some ways we have used to get rid of clutter in the winter and have seen others use to cash in on excess in their homes.

Facebook Auction/Buy and Sell/Marketplace

With millions of people on Facebook, why miss the opportunity to sell your clutter to people who are plugged into social media daily?

Most cities have a Facebook group that is a 24-hour auction where you can post pictures of items you want to auction off. 

You can post a starting bid under the photo and let the fans do the bidding.

Once the 24 hours are up, the fan with the highest bid wins the auction.

You then private message them the details for pick-up, and that’s it.

It’s an easy way to make money from your unwanted clutter.

Another cool site to check out is VarageSale, which lets you buy and sell items in your local area.

Kijiji/Craigslist

This is one of the most popular ways to make extra cash in the winter and, to be honest, all year long.

Place a free-for-sale ad on Kijiji or Craigslist and let the online directory do the work.

Make sure to include a photo and detailed description with contact information for potential buyers.

The last thing you want is to have people skim over your ad because you didn’t properly market your clutter the way you should be.

I don’t know many people who want to purchase something without at least seeing the product or a photo of it.

If you are a negotiator, get ready to use your negotiating skills because people like to throw numbers back and forth.

I’d always place your price about $5 above what you want in hopes of negotiating down to what you want.

There are many negotiating tactics, but if you want the clutter gone, get rid of it for a reasonable price, and don’t refuse reasonable offers. Gone.

eBay

I bought a few things from eBay while there, but I’ve never sold anything on eBay before. However, it’s a great way to get rid of your clutter.

I understand that as a seller on eBay in Canada, you will have some fees to pay, which fall into three categories:

• Insertion fees
• Upgrade fees
• Final value fees

Sell Your Clutter By Hosting A Garage Sale

Believe it or not, people have indoor winter garage sales in their garages to eliminate the excess clutter that is mounting up around the house.

If you have kids, you know exactly what I mean when I say you likely have more toys and things n’ stuff around the house that you could do without tripping over.

Having kids means clutter mounts easily after birthdays and all the holidays throughout the year, when they are given gifts.

If you are a parent who buys your children toys often, even if from Dollarama, you probably have bins full of clutter you would like to keep moving right out the door.

You know how it works with kids and toys.

The interest dies off quickly, so why wait, sell them, and make a profit?

Bundle up and head over to these shiver sales to find your bargains.

If you are a homeowner and your garage is oversized enough to host a garage sale in the winter.

Use the space, set up some tables, and invite the public via Kijiji , Facebook or other free classified ads to list your garage sale.

You don’t need to keep the garage door open if you have a side entrance, but if not, you can still brave the cold and see who turns up.

You never know.

Some people also keep the items in their homes on tables and invite the public inside to look around.

Consignment store

Check online or in the local Yellow Pages to see if any consignment stores in your area will sell your items for a fee or if you split the profits.

You may just as well sell the clutter to the consignment store for a fee just to get rid of it.

Friends/Family

Another popular way to sell clutter is to pass it through your friends and family first.

Passing clothes and other baby accessories down through the family is not new and is an excellent way for parents to save money and de-clutter.

It helps everyone to save money and get the clutter moving.

We pass along anything we can to our relatives, especially tools and garden supplies, which can be costly.

You’d be surprised what your friends and family have to sell, so don’t be shy if you need something or want to buy or sell; speak up.

You never know what they might say.

Hey, I’ve got a spare. I’ll sell it to you for $10, or even better, you can have it.

Cash In From The Heart

You don’t need money to feel better, although it won’t pay your bills.

You can be just as happy giving your clutter away because you may be the person on the other end who would also appreciate getting something for free.

Donate Your Clutter

If you decide to donate your items to charity or a second-hand thrift shop like Bibles for Missions, Value Village, Talize, or Salvation Army, you won’t make any cash this way.

You know that you are helping others who need the help or those looking to save money in their budget by purchasing gently used items at a fraction of the cost.

It’s like giving back to the community and keeping items out of landfills.

Freecycle

Another option is to list the item in your local Yahoo Free-cycle online group.

This means you are giving the item away for free, which lends itself to a community of people who help each other out for free.

So next time you complain about how cold our Canadian winters are, get off the couch, start going through the clutter in your house, and start rolling in the extra money.

Discussion: Have you sold items in the winter to eliminate clutter in your home?  

Related posts:

• How to handle when your spouse spends too much money
• How to save money while doing your hobbies
• Are you Supermarket loyal?
• Are skilled trades the better choice for Canadians?
• Would you upgrade your credit card for free?