In Budget Living

How to Turn Your Spring Cleaning Into Cash

Thrifty Tuesday | Post #15

Hello my lovelies! I’m currently taking a break from my latest audiobook binge session to sit down & share with you about how I recently earned some cash back from my spring cleaning escapades.

About a month ago, I posted a picture on Instagram depicting a huge stack of books I’d decided I didn’t need to keep anymore. I promised I’d follow up with the results of my decluttering, hence this post!

Without any further ado, here are some ways to earn cash while you are cleaning out your living areas:

GET RID OF YOUR BOOKS

Start off by inspecting your bookshelves for copies you no longer need. GASP. Impossible, right? Think again.

I got rid of around 50 books, and was willing to part with them because: 1. they weren’t favorites of mine, and for other reasons, including: 2. I had been able to secure a discounted Kindle version of the book, so if I did want to read it again I had a copy readily available; 2. I saw that my library had a copy of it in case I wanted to borrow it in the future; 3. I was honest with myself and decided I probably would never get around to reading the book or would just not read it a second time.

I have a bad habit of buying books I don’t really need or want, but which appear to be mildly interesting in subject matter. And they’re only a dollar, so what can it hurt… right? Wrong. I’m drastically changing this though, starting now. I don’t want to keep cluttering up my bookshelves with books I may or may not ever get to.

I am lucky, because in my hometown there’s a used bookstore which purchases used books, and in return you can get cash or store credit. So here’s a snapshot of all the books I turned in to them, out of which they accepted 10 and gave me $22. That’s pretty easy money! I donated the rest, but if you have the time feel free to sell them on Amazon or eBay, especially if they are in good condition.

I also can imagine that if I turned in books a few more times a year, I could get up to $100 or more. Just for cleaning out my bookshelves!

DON’T JUST DONATE THAT VINTAGE KITCHEN-WARE

Are there any old dishes you’re not using and want to get rid if? Maybe you’re like me & when you were first starting out, your mom bought some old Corningware baking dishes for you at garage sales & thrift stores. Figure out which brand you have & do some research to see if anyone is selling similar items on Etsy.

SELL YOUR GENTLY USED CLOTHING

This may not apply to everyone (most of the time it doesn’t even apply to me), but if you have any name-brand clothes still in good condition sitting around your home, try to sell them! You have two options: 1. take them in to a used clothing store which buys clothes (i.e. Buffalo Exchange), and 2. sell them online via a multitude of vendors (Etsy, Poshmark, ThredUp).

DON’T NEED CERTAIN FURNITURE PIECES ANYMORE?

Maybe you got rid of an entire bookshelf full of books & decided you didn’t need the shelving unit going forward. Sell your used furniture on Craigslist, or ask friends if they need anything you have & would like to buy it from you.

// Have you been spring cleaning lately? Did you get to sell anything & get some cash back for your efforts?