Clutter is inevitable. Over the course of a lifetime, you accumulate possessions, not all of which you need. Some items reach the end of their functional lives, yet continue to gather dust in some dark corner of the attic. Other items function perfectly well, but they no longer carry meaning in your life. Getting rid of this clutter has emotional, physical and financial benefits. For starters, clutter can take a toll on your mental wellbeing; according to psychologists, clutter causes stress because the increased stimuli cause your brain to work overtime.
Physically, clutter can also be a nuisance – impeding your hallways, restricting your storage space and creating accessibility issues as you age.
In this post, however, let’s discuss the third advantage of decluttering: the financial benefit of getting rid of your excess stuff. Here are a few ways you can make money from all that extra clutter.
Find a Scrap Metal Yard
Most people know they should recycle their old metal, but few people know that you can actually make money doing so.
If you’re wondering, ‘How do I recycle scrap metal near me for money?’, the process is simple. Find a scrap yard that takes both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and arrange for the materials to be dropped off. Everyday metal items that you can recycle for money include:
- Cast iron cookware
- Old car parts
- Transformers
- Batteries
- Computers
- DVD players and VCRs
- Stoves and microwaves
- And plenty of other parts and appliances.
If you have a garage filled with metal, a scrap yard is your best bet for turning that clutter into dollars.
Talk to Your Local Used Bookstore
With the advent of e-readers, books have become – well – a collector’s item more than a necessity in most homes. It’s fun to proudly display a bookshelf stuffed with paperbacks. The problem occurs when those books start to spill over into other parts of the home.
If you have too many books cluttering the house, take a truck-full of them to your local used bookstore (or an online bookseller). They don’t typically offer much (generally around $2 per book depending on condition), but the money adds up. If you wheel 40 old books to a used bookstore, you’re looking at a payday of around $80. You can choose another way similarly Promote My Book to earn by book reviews.
List Gently Used Kids Toys, Furniture and Clothes
Kids grow up so fast. And as they age, they quickly grow out of all those costly clothes, toys and furniture pieces you bought for them.
While it’s tempting to toss these items, try listing them instead. The second-hand market for kids’ items is very popular right now, as cost-conscious parents look for ways around the sticker-shock of buying new. Several websites deal specifically with kids’ items; however, marketplaces like Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace also work well.
You can make money from your clutter in several other ways, too: selling old gift cards, pawning furniture and musical instruments and carting your old furniture to an auction house. Once you’re finished, your home will be cleaner, and your pocket will be fuller – a win-win.
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