We own lots of stuff. Everyone but the most committed minimalist will have cash hiding around their house. Here’s how to find the hidden cash in your home.
Take a quick glance around the room and try to remember the moment you made the purchase for those items. Think of the value and how much of your time you had to trade at work so you could have that item in your home.
This isn’t a slight at your possessions or your lifestyle, but I bet it’s safe to assume that you have more than you really need. The stuff in our homes just seem to pile up over time. We don’t like throwing away items because we have this voice telling us “we can use that someday” or “I spent too much on that so it stays”.
If you’re tired of the clutter and want to earn a few bucks in the process of cutting down, then consider this as the first step toward simpler living.
The Hidden Cash
Hidden throughout your house are many items that have retained their value (you know this to some extent). You would be surprised at what you may find if you spent an afternoon rounding up items you no longer have a need or care for in the effort to sell or barter them.
I can personally identify a handful of items I haven’t used in well over three months that could net me a couple hundred extra dollars, including a sought-after mechanical keyboard, high-quality headphones, and movies that have since been added to Netflix.
A To-Do List To Find Your Hidden Cash
Here’s what I want you to do:
- Set a time this month when you (and the family) will go through each of the rooms, as a group, and begin plucking items that haven’t been touched in the last few months.
- Place a few boxes in the living room to organize each type of item, such as electronics, clothes, and the like. These boxes will be what’s going on sale.
- Determine how you plan to sell or barter these items which may be through a yard sale or using an online platform like Ebay.
While you’re sifting through all these items that no longer have a place in your home be sure to take some time to thoroughly research their value.
For example, you may come across old documents that have become collectibles because of their association with a famous individual or major event. In this case you wouldn’t want to set this piece out on the yard sale table; you would want to use a reputable platform like the Raab Collection, which specializes in the buying and selling of these types of items.
Compare To Equivalents Online
Cross reference the products you feel may have retained value using a variety of sources from Ebay, niche websites, Amazon, and online store affiliates like Google Shopping.
Now that you have these items priced, it’s time to get them sold.
- You could set up an account an individually list them on Ebay or Amazon; in this case you will need to consider taking great pictures of the item, writing detailed descriptions, and how you will handle the shipping. Overall, this will allow you to access the greatest amount of interested parties, though you may sit on the items for a while, which defeats some of the purpose of getting rid of them since you may change your mind later on.
- You could hold a yard sale; with this you are attracting the locals and it’s easier to advertise, considering you can place signs and take out small ads in your local paper. You will need to deal with the weather and timing but otherwise it’s an easy way to get rid of this stuff because at the end of the day if it doesn’t sell you can greatly reduce the prices or drop off the remaining items to a local charity.
- You could barter your items using local boards or online ones such as Craigslist; with this you still get rid of the item you no longer need but also get something that does have value. In this case it’ll be good to brush up on your skills in bartering but otherwise you’d be amazed at what people want and are willing to trade – often times you can trade up the item so you gain a greater deal out of the exchange.
The point I’m making is that there’s all this stuff hidden throughout your house that you probably don’t need anymore. Some of it has surprisingly great value like our example – you never know until you start digging.
Jack says
Good points, all.
We clean out out house annually and put easily resalable items on eBay or Craigslist. The rest go to charity for a tax deduction.
Living in a small space with a growing family required a laser focus on optimizing space. The additional income is a nice bonus.
LeisureFreak Tommy says
Great tips and a good reminder to me to get busy. I know I have things that I don’t use or need that can be sold. Funny how we accumulate things even living frugally and later interest or passions change and we forget to clean house for profit.