Save Money by Getting Rid of What You Don’t Need
Most people store things they don’t use all the time in their basements or garages. And they don’t realize how much this is really costing them.
Clutter. It sounds ominous, like something that we find annoying, but not really bad. A huge nuisance that we don’t want to deal with. Surely, it can’t be detrimental, other than its annoyance factor. But there are real costs to it that most people don’t realize.
Storage Costs for Clutter
How much stuff does the typical household store in the basement or garage? Of course there is the Christmas tree that isn’t really used except for a couple of weeks of the year and the decorations that go with that. But what else is being stored? If one were to look into the basements of many homes, it isn’t all that uncommon to find that half of the basement (or garage) is simply crowded with stuff. And many people hardly know what is there. It could be memorabilia, sports equipment that is hardly used, old clothes, and a myriad of other things.
How much space is taken up? This space actually costs! Not only is it space that can be used for other things, such as a bedroom or other development in many basements, but it is space that is actually being paid for. If a larger house or garage is need simply for storage, then that costs in terms of the increased housing price in the first place. Then there are maintenance costs, possible utilities for the space (heat or air conditioning), and the lost opportunity costs of using the money and space for better purposes.
Do Stored Items Really Have a Value?
Have a look at what is really stored and see if it is something that is truly goign to be used. If it is clothes (even in a closet) that is not being worn, but only there for it’s label value or because it was a gift, then it is only taking up space and is worthless. If it’s a tennis racket that hasn’t been used in four years, same thing. Seriously examine everything that is in storage. Is it needed? Can you get rid of it and not miss it? If someone had thrown it away eight months ago, would you notice today? These are questions that will tell if the item can easily be gotten rid of. And if it can, get rid of it!
How to Profit from Stored Junk
The most common way to get rid of excess items that are stored at home is to have a garage sale. These are easy to do and many cities have newspapers that will run advertising sections for garage sales. The fees on these are usually very small and the sale should pay for it and still raise a little bit of money. Gather all of the stuff you think you can get rid of and sell it! What doesn’t sell, give to charity. Some charities will give receipts for tax purposes, depending on what they are receiving. And if they don’t, you are still giving to a good cause. Make sure that the stuff being donated shouldn’t really be going into the garbage! If it should, then throw it there.
There are also online sites like eBay that many items could be sold on. It’s fairly simple to do and eBay has a free guide that will help you get started. Don’t be looking to make a living from your basement junk, though. That really doesn’t work in today’s online market place, although it may have five or ten years ago. [I know people who did that for years and got out of it because it stopped being profitable.]
Overall, examine the ways that you collect things. If things are accumulating in your home and you don’t need them or use them, then spending habits need to be examined. If this is no longer an issue, simply go through the current clutter and de-clutterize the home and save on space. And maybe you’ll raise a little extra to pay down debts or save for something really useful!
