Take your excess stuff and sell it to people looking for just what you have. When I was about to move I had a yard sell, posted items on Craigslist.org, and in the local newspaper. Ebay is another great place to sell things but it’s not as instant as selling locally.
Look through your house and see what you can get rid of today. We all have an extra this or that. It may be a pair of jeans you can’t wear anymore but still have the tags on it. It may be that designer purse that you never use or the shoes that are in great condition but don’t match any of your clothes.
Hot sellers are furniture, electronics, and books. Small pieces like night stands, storage units, beds (especially twin), and computer desks. Books, DVDs, and video players and games also sell well. Kids or baby items sell well too, especially gently used clothes.
With the price of metal going up you can get a great deal on your scrap jewelry as well as scrap metal that may be lying around. Take your unwanted jewelry to the neighborhood pawn shop and sell it for a small fortune. The local scrap metal companies are also pay high dollar for old iron beds, copper tubing, and many other types of metals.
As I said before, great places to sell your stuff include craigslist.org, the local newspaper, and online classifieds. The local newspaper may allow you to list your stuff for free or a very small amount. Craigslist.org is free and so are most of the other online classified ad services. Be sure that everything you plan to sell is clean and have all the pieces.
Having a yard sale is also a great way to sell off your stuff. It takes some time to get everything organized. You will need at least one table to display stuff, change in coins and small bills, and bright, readable signs to point people to your sale. Check with your city to see if you need a permit and your local newspaper to see if you can list your sale for free in the yard sale section.
Use caution when dealing with aggressive buyers and those that want to strike a deal on bulk items. They could take a lot for very little and you end up losing money in the long run. Your yard sale could be a booming success depending on the time of month and week. Weekends and the first of the month are better for yard sales as well as early in the day.
So if you are in need of cash look no further than your home and garage. You never know how much money you can rake in after selling a few items. This is also a great way for your kids to make money instead of begging you for it. They can even take some initiative and offer to clean out the neighbor’s garage for a very low price if they can keep the unwanted items. Who knows what kind of bonanza they will run into.
Rich Single Momma
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
I did the same thing when I moved. Not only do yard sales bring in a little cash relief, they are also a great perspective when making future purchases. For instance, if your $500 handbag just sold for $15 in a yard sale, is it really wise to buy another expensive handbag? My neighbor unloaded her $500 bag to me for $5. The lesson? Shop at Target, and only if you need something.