Declutter and Make Money (9 Ways to Turn Trash Into Cash!)

Last Updated on August 22, 2024 by Rebecca Lake

Need to make some extra money fast? Decluttering your home is a great way to make a little money while freeing up space!

Having kids (and all their associated stuff) means your home may not always be picture-perfect. And sometimes, the “stuff” can get downright overwhelming. That’s when the urge to declutter your home kicks into high gear.

Taking time to clear out the mess can pay off in more ways than one if you clean up your home and pocket some cash while doing it. So today, I’m sharing my best tips to help you declutter and make money!

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Why Declutter Your Home?

There are some good reasons to make decluttering your home a priority.

It’s easier to get organized and create a calmer vibe around the house
A decluttered home is easier to keep clean and maintain (and your cleaning routine can take less time)
Decluttering means there’s less stuff to keep track of (and it cuts down on the number of times your kids ask, “Mom, have you seen….”)
You can save money when you commit to not buying more stuff to clutter up your home

As a single mom who homeschools and runs multiple businesses from home, I have to be organized. Otherwise, nothing would ever get done around this place. A commitment to a clutter-free life means I have one less thing to worry about.

Clutter can leave you completely stressed out and who needs that? Not me and probably not you either.

And there’s one more good reason to declutter your home–it could put some money in your pocket if you have some valuable items to unload!

9 Smart Ways to Declutter and Make Money

The first step in decluttering is deciding what to get rid of. The next step is figuring out how to turn it into cash.

Here are my favorite ways to declutter and make money from your stuff.

1. Round up returns

If you have items you bought but never wore or used you might be able to return them to get your money back.

You’ll need to check the store’s return policies, since some stores require a receipt for cash returns or have limits on how long you can return things. If you can’t get cash, you might be able to get a store credit that you could use toward a future purchase.

Pro tip: Use a calendar app to track purchase dates and return windows for items you buy that you may need to take back.

2. Use an app

Decluttering apps help you turn your unwanted items into cash. The Decluttr app, for example, is a quick and easy way to sell all kinds of tech, including:

Cell phones
iPads and tablets
Gaming consoles
Laptops
Apple devices

You can also sell media here, including kids’ books, textbooks, DVDs, and CDs.

It’s free to download the Declutter app and start making money. You tell the app what you have to sell and you get an estimated value of what it’s worth.

If the value works for you, you pack up your items and ship them to Decluttr’s warehouse. Once your items arrive, Declutter pays you the next day.

3. Try consignment shops or antique stores

Consignment shops and antique stores are a great way to declutter and make money with minimal effort.

You can take your items to a consignment shop or antique store and display them for sale. You set the prices for items and if someone buys something from you, the consignment shop or antique store gets a cut.

Selling stuff for cash this way is low effort since you just need to drop off your stuff. We visited an antique store just the other day and found people selling all kinds of times, including:

Jewelry
Vintage clothes and toys
Vinyl albums and musical instruments
China and flatware
Glassware (including some cool uranium glass that glowed green under a black light!)
Tools
Books
Handmade items
Furniture and home decor

Check out local consignment shops and antique stores near you to see what kind of items they’ll display and what you might pay in fees to use their space.

4. List your clutter on eBay

If you’ve mainly used eBay for buying things in the past, listing things to sell is easy.

The key to successful selling on eBay is taking good photos of your items and using keywords in your descriptions so they show up in search results. As far as pricing goes, I always prefer Buy It Now but if you have something you think can fetch a decent price, you could try the auction format instead.

Just be sure to read the rules so you know what you can and can’t sell on the platform. For example, you can’t sell gift cards, anything that’s considered hazardous or used clothing here (new, unworn clothes are okay).

5. Sell on Etsy

Etsy is my daughter’s go-to shopping spot for all anime and fandom-related. (And she runs an Etsy shop, too). But it’s also a good place to make some money the next time you declutter your house.

For example, you might have some vintage items that someone else might love. Or some craft supplies or party supplies that you never got around to using.

Selling on Etsy is just like selling on eBay or any other online platform. You have to create an account and set up your profile. From there, you can start filling out your shop with items.

6. Sell clutter locally

If you don’t want to deal with shipping items, you can always go old school and sell your clutter locally.

Here are some of my favorite ways to make money selling stuff in your local area:

Facebook Marketplace
Facebook bargain groups
Craigslist
5miles (this app lets you post things for sale locally)
OfferUp

All of these are great options if you want to declutter your house and make some cash while doing it. If the idea of selling stuff locally to strangers makes you nervous, pick a safe spot for making the sale.

For example, we live in a small town where everybody knows everybody so a lot of people drop off and pick up at the Walmart. But your local police department may also let you make sales in the parking lot so you feel safer doing it.

7. Have a yard sale

A yard sale is another profitable way to declutter and make money. I found out the hard way that there are secrets to making your yard sale a success.

Plan ahead, don’t wait until the last minute to spread the word
Advertise with signs, flyers, word of mouth and social media, and ask friends and family to tell people about your upcoming yard sale
Price your items fairly and realistically (visit some yard sales in your area to get an idea of what sellers charge and what buyers are willing to pay)
Display your items in an appealing way
Be polite and open to negotiating–remember, buyers are looking for bargains!

I tried the yard sale route once and didn’t follow any of those tips. I made a whopping $100 and ended up donating a ton of stuff to a local Habitat for Humanity resale store, womp womp.

8. Set up a booth at a flea market

As a kid we used to go to the flea market every. single. weekend. It was hot and involved lots of walking but there was always something to see (and some fun things to buy!)

If you have a local flea market or a farmer’s market in your area, you might try setting up a temporary booth to sell your clutter. You’ll need to check the fees and see if there are any prohibited items you can’t sell.

This could be a good way to spend a Saturday if you’re going home with cash in your pocket (and less stuff in your car).

9. Head to a pawn shop

Pawn shops buy all kinds of things for cash. You take your items in to get a valuation. The pawn shop makes an offer and if you’re happy with it, you walk out with cash and they get to sell your stuff to someone else.

What are the best things to sell at a pawn shop? Some of the things that bring the most money include:

Jewelry
Power tools and hand tools
Musical instruments and amplifiers
Lawn and garden equipment
Workout equipment and sporting goods
Recreational vehicles, like dirtbikes or ATVs
Designer handbags
Watches

If you’re not sure what you can sell, it’s worth making a trip to a pawn shop near you to find out how much cash your stuff might fetch.

Decluttering Tips to Get Organized

Decluttering takes time and you’ll need some patience to see it through. These tips can help you tackle the mess with less stress.

1. Make a plan

Some decluttering experts might say to jump right in so you can get past any initial hesitation. I disagree.

Here’s why. If you try to declutter your house without a game plan, you’re going to end up making an even bigger mess.

So come up with a plan of attack for decluttering before you start.

Specifically, decide:

Which area (or areas) of your home you want to declutter
What you’re going to do with the items you’re decluttering (i.e., trash, donate, or sell)

This can help you save time so you can declutter your house faster with fewer headaches.

2. Be realistic

I always start decluttering with good intentions and plenty of energy, then lose steam about halfway through.

Sound familiar?

If so, then you might need to hit the reset button mentally on what you can accomplish with decluttering.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and if you’re a busy mom, chances are you won’t be able to completely declutter your home in a day either.

So set some realistic expectations about what you can accomplish with the time you have. And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it all done right away.

3. Make a decluttering checklist

I love lists and having one is essential to declutter your house efficiently.

Make a list of the different areas of your home where clutter is creeping in. Then make a second list of action steps for cleaning up those areas.

If you notice the same areas getting junked up regularly, having a decluttering checklist to follow can help you get into a routine for tidying up.

This is also a good way to stay on task when you’re decluttering. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started decluttering one thing, only to get sidetracked by the mess somewhere else.

4. Prioritize

As busy moms, we just don’t always have time to do it all or at least not all at once.

So if you’ve put together your decluttering plan and checklist, the next step is prioritizing it.

Pick the spots that are bugging you the most. And then work on decluttering them one at a time.

For example, I prioritize the kitchen and living room ahead of the bedrooms since that’s where we spend the most time. But you might want to start with your kids’ rooms or the mudroom where everybody’s stuff seems to pile up.

It’s all about figuring out what you need to declutter first to feel more comfortable in your home as a family.

5. Ask for help

Getting the entire family on board with a decluttering plan is one of the best decluttering tips you can follow. Because even if your kids are small, they can still help.

For example, when my kids were little one thing I had them do was sort and group like toys. So all the cars would go in one pile, the My Little Ponies in another and so on.

Having similar items in one place saved me time when tidying up their rooms. If you’re hesitant to ask for help, look at this way. You’re not the only person living in your home so you shouldn’t be the only person responsible for it.

And if the fam needs some nudging, remind them that a clutter-free home is more comfortable for everyone at the end of the day.

6. Set a time limit

It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole once you start decluttering. But that’s a good way to end up exhausted and never wanting to declutter again.

Setting a time limit for decluttering can help you stay sane while you do it.

For example, if you’re planning to spend a Saturday going through the closets, then give yourself an hour for each one.

Or if you’re decluttering an entire room, break up the day into blocks of time. Block off an hour for each area of the room and stick to that limit.

Most importantly, take breaks!

7. Set up daily mini decluttering routines

Most of these decluttering tips are good if you’re planning a major home clean-out. But there are smaller things you can do every day to keep clutter from taking over.

For example, my morning routine includes sweeping the floor and wiping down my kids’ bathroom counters. (‘Cause that place is a straight-up swamp most of the time.)

Then at the end of the day, I fold all the throw blankets, clean off the kitchen counters and sweep again. These are little things but they help me feel like I’m staying on top of the mess.

So pick one or two things you can do each day to declutter, like sorting through the junk mail or wiping down the counters. Small things can add up when it comes to keeping your home clean and organized.

how to declutter your house and make money — Ways to Declutter and Make Money

Final Thoughts: Declutter and Make Money Today!

If you’ve put off decluttering now is a great time to look around the house and see what you might be able to get rid of. Chances are you’re sitting on at least a few things you could sell to make money. So put together your decluttering plan and pick a day to start–your wallet will thank you!

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