Filed under: Fast Money
Spring weather means spring cleaning, which also means getting rid of a lot of clothes, books and toys you no longer need. Cleaning the house isn't always the most fun task, but think of it this way: The more you clean, the more you can find ways to earn money from the stuff taking up space in your closets and drawers.
Wouldn't a little financial motivation help you feel more excited about cleaning out your house -- and maybe even tackling the garage?
Take a look at these seven ways to make money from spring cleaning -- and then set aside some time to turn your messes into financial successes.
1. Sell Items in Facebook Garage Sale Groups
Having a garage sale is a time-tested way of earning cash from your old stuff, but hosting one also means giving up an entire weekend to sit outside and wait for people to stop by your house.
This spring, try a Facebook garage sale instead. Search Facebook for "garage sale group" or "yardsale group," and look for groups in your area. You'll probably find at least one public group of people who are interested in buying and selling items like clothes, books, baby gear and more.
Join the group, learn its rules and guidelines, and start listing your stuff. One contributor to The Penny Hoarder has made $600 selling leftover renovation supplies, baby clothing and other items in her local Facebook garage sale groups.
2. Get a Table at Your Local Flea Market
Prefer to sell your belongings face-to-face? Skip the yard sale and get a table at your local flea market. You'll probably have to pay a table fee and may have to buy a license, but you'll also put your wares directly in the path of interested buyers without having to go through the typical garage sale steps of advertising, putting up signs and crossing your fingers that people turn down your street.
If you want to learn more, check out this guide to selling at flea markets. Who knows -- maybe you'll like it so much that you'll start hitting up other people's garage sales to get even more stuff to sell at your flea market table!
3. Sell Your Clothes Through Online Consignment Stores
If you've got high-quality clothes that you want to exchange for high-quality cash, it's time to think consignment.
Take your brand-name or designer items to brick-and-mortar consignment stores, or save yourself the trip and sell them to online consignment retailers like Tradesy, Threadflip and Twice. These online consignment stores often give out free shipping kits to make it as easy as possible to send in your gently used clothes.
Some online consignment stores pay you in cash, and others pay in store credit that you can use for next season's fashions. Either way, you're turning your old stuff into something new.
4. Get the Best Price for Your Old Books
We already looked at using book reseller sites to get the best price for used textbooks, but you can also use many of these sites to resell fiction, nonfiction, comic books and more.
Check sites like BookScouter, eBay's Half.com and Amazon Trade-in to see who offers you the best deal. If you're selling comic books, ComicBookResources.com gives you values for different comics so you know how to set fair prices. As with online consignment stores, be aware that some reseller sites, such as Amazon, only pay in store credit or gift cards.
5. Turn Old Newspapers Into New Treasures
Recycling old newspapers is great, but making money off old newspapers is even better.
Try selling old newspapers to people who are looking for their "birthdate edition" on eBay or turning your old newspapers into jewelry. Here's an idea to get you started: find evocative words like "love" or "hope," cut them out and turn them into glass gem pendants.
6. Cut Out and Sell Magazine Ads
Got a stack of old magazines? Believe it or not, there are plenty of people willing to pay for old magazine ads -- up to $50 per ad on sites like eBay.
Cut out your full-page magazine ads and start listing them online to see how much you can earn. Make a little extra money by buying dollar-store frames and framing the ads before you sell them, so they're ready to be displayed in someone's home or office.
7. Raid Your Recycling Bin
Before you take your recycling bin out to the curb, check it for items you can recycle into money.
Collect empty wine bottles and corks to sell on eBay -- people buy them for crafting and jewelry making. Return bottles and cans for a deposit, and sign up with RecycleBank to earn rewards for all your recycling.
How much money do you think you can make during your spring cleaning this year?
