Declutter Your Home and Make Money

Do you need to declutter your home? You do if things get hopelessly lost in your house. Or you have duplicate items because you forgot you already had one. Or you have stacks of books and magazines you're going to read one day. Or especially if you still have your prom dress from high school!

If this sounds like you, it's not only costing you money, but you could make money with some of that clutter.

Declutter and save

Clutter costs money. You might have thought it only looked bad or got in your way but the problem goes much deeper. When you can't find something in your home, you go out and buy another. This is unnecessary spending and costs you money.

Spending time searching and digging through piles to find something you know you have, costs you money by wasting your time. After all, time is money. By having an organized home, avoid these two money wasters.

Declutter and make money

You have treasure in your house. You just can't see it. You can't see it, but it's there hiding under the bed, in closets and living in piles. There are people that would love to have your treasure, you just have to find it and get it to them.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of eBay and Craig's List. These are two popular online sites where you can sell your treasure. If you don't want to go online, check your local classifieds. Find free magazines where you can list your items for sale at most convenient stores. These are easy to list in and easy to sell.

Clear your clutter

Now that you know you can save and make money with your clutter, let's get to it. First, realize that you have a problem with clutter and resolve to fix it. Second, realize that you didn't get into this situation overnight and you won't get out of it overnight.

Clearing the clutter and organizing your life takes time, but you can do it. Follow these steps and organize your life in no time.

Step 1 - Pick the area that needs the most attention

This area can be the room that is in the worst shape, one that will give you the most sense of accomplishment, one that visitors see first, or one that you think has the most valuable treasure in it.

Step 2 - Pile it up!

Decluttering is really simple. Make four piles. Pile number one is stuff you need to keep. Pile number two is worthless, broken or terribly outdated (the prom dress). Pile number three is stuff you don't want or need but is still worth something. Pile number four is for your treasure you can sell.

Step 3 - Set your timer

Get a timer (you probably have one somewhere) and set it for 15 minutes. Start with one corner of the room and declutter for 15 minutes. If you want to keep going after the timer goes off, that's fine.

But know that you only have to declutter for 15 minutes at a time. This makes the chore bearable and you won't mind doing it. Try to have 15-minute decluttering sessions per day.

Step 4 - Take action

When the timer goes off, put the stuff in pile number one where it belongs. Throw away the stuff in pile number two. Put the stuff in pile number three in boxes or garbage bags and drop it off at a charity store the very next time you leave the house.

Keep pile number four, the treasure pile, until you have enough to sell. When you have some downtime at night, begin searching online to see what your treasure is worth. Search eBay and see what the going price is for your old set of dishes, your yarn stash, or the prom dress.

Once you know what your treasure is worth, list it and sell it. If it doesn't sell, donate it to a Goodwill store.

Now that you know you can save and make money with your clutter, take action. Determine that you're going to do it and follow through. You'll be surprised at the time and money you'll save with an organized home and how much money you can make when you declutter.