Springtime means spring cleaning.
But too often we have too much stuff and we don't know where to begin.
Katie Brennaman didn't know what to do with all the toys and clutter in her home's attic.
"I think I was feeling overwhelmed because it is all in one small space," she said.
The room was filled with a decade's worth of toys and memories.
"I have four children, and they are spanned out over 12 years," Brennaman said.
So Brennaman turned to decluttering expert Rose Lounsbury, a Dayton, Ohio mom and author of the book "Less."
"We're not just dealing with stuff, we are dealing with stuff tied in with memories of our kids, or someone who passed on," Lounsbury said.
She said you should keep a few memories, but clear out the rest.
"You'll say oh my gosh we have 47 coffee mugs here," she said as an example. "But only two people in this house drink coffee, we don't need this many here."
Set up piles, sell what's valuable
So the two women got to work.
As Brennaman's son Zac carried down the junk, Lounsbury put up signs to show where it would all go.
"We want to make a sign or sticky note saying, these are the donations," she said.
Then she made a pile of items to sell.
At that point, you can try an app like Poshmark, Mercari, ThredUp, or a consignment shop.
Consignment shop owner Merra Cordier said spring is a great time to unload unwanted items
"You know, around the springtime people just wanting to refresh their home," Cordier said.
If you are selling items online, you can keep the ball rolling by staying organized when you sell items on online marketplaces.
Carrie Higgins, of the blog Making Lemonade, suggested using her online sales tracker.
"That way you know, who exactly is picking it up, and how much you negotiated the price for," Higgins said.
Back at Katie Brennaman’s home, her cluttered attic room was turned into a study in just two hours.
Brennaman was thrilled.
Rose Lounsbury's last tip: Don't try to do it all in one day.
That way you don't burn out and you don't waste your money.
________________________
"Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps").
Follow John:
- Facebook:John Matarese Money
- Instagram: @johnmataresemoney
- Twitter: @JohnMatarese
For more consumer news and money-saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com
