March is usually when I start to feel the drive to spring clean. While the temperatures are still brisk in March, the weather is usually cooperative, at least in my neck of the woods, for clearing out clutter. If you are like many people in this country, you not only are ready to clear out the clutter in your home, but you are also open to making a little money in the process.
As you clean out your closets, attics, basements and storage areas in your home make several piles. One pile will consist of items that can be sold at a garage or rummage sale, one pile of items that can be donated to Good Will or other charity shops and one pile of items that are more valuable and that can be sold at an online auction or toy show. Each of these piles will have value for you. The garage sale and auction piles will have cash values, while the donation pile will have tax savings value.
when selecting items for your auction pile look for collectibles, such as Brio trains and other toys. Make sure you do not damage these items when putting them aside. Also make sure you label the pile as auction or special sale so that anyone helping you does not throw them away or put them into the wrong pile. This mistake can impact your profit margin.
When you are ready to start getting rid of items you will want to create an inventory of the items you have available. This inventory will include a description of the item, its estimated value and where it will be sold or donated. You will also want to leave a fourth column to the right where you can write in the actual price that you got for the item.
