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There was a time in my life where shopping was a second nature of mine. This was the time when I have five credit cards in my wallet and I can just literally swipe one or two on anything I lay my eyes on. This was also the time when my credit is already swallowing me alive and I can’t seem to get out. Good thing that time is over and I’m not looking back.
During that time, I have accumulated a good amount of clothes, shoes and accessories. My closet is no longer enough to cater those purchases of mine. Even worst, some were not even used while some are just utilized once. When I was arranging my closet then I realize there are even price tags attached to it and the notion that I can no longer used these items. My solution! Declutter.
But before we jump into decluttering, let us define what clutter is. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, clutter is a large amount of things that are not arranged or a disordered collection of things. Well to be fair, I was quite organized with it. From this definition, decluttering then is removing unnecessary items, simplifying or getting rid of items. Since I am in that process, might as well make money out of it. Remember that ad that says, ibenta mo na? And I did just that.
Here's my simple 5 step declutter process.
Process 1. Sort. Declutter starts with sorting your things. In here you group similar items like dresses, shorts, skirts, shirts, accessories and more. This is a fairly simple process and your room might be a mess. Don’t worry you are decluttering and that’s good my friend.
Process 2: Decide. After sorting your collection, it is time to decide if this is something you can let go. Now there are some individuals who are quite sentimental with things like you can’t let go of this because you bought it during your 18th birthday or the like. However, you also need to ask yourself if you are going to use it in the near future. If you cannot foresee yourself using it then might as well not keep it. Instead of it collecting dust in your closet, you can turn that item into cash. The process of deciding can take time. But that’s normal. There are indeed items that are pretty hard to let go. Then again, envision if you can still use it or might as well make money from it.
Process 3. Price. After deciding which ones to sell, decide on the price. This is pretty much your call. There is no standard value for a specific item. There are many elements that you need to consider when doing so. That is the number of use and the quality of the item. If you are going to sell a brand new item, then you can perhaps lower the price from its original tag by 10%. However, if you are going to sell an item that has been used many times with signs of wear and tear, you can opt to lower the percentage by as much as 70%. Again, this is your call. But just don’t overprice your item. Think of a reasonable tag that would go well with it.
Process 4. Sell. After noting the price tag, then it is time to sell the item. If you want to do a garage sale, simply set a specific date and inform your neighbours about it. I’m sure they would be pretty excited to rummage your items. On another note, you can sell it online. There are already many simple e-commerce platforms that you can use and of course there’s Facebook. Should you want to sell it online, make sure you get to take a picture of the items first so your prospect consumers can see the item. This will help them decide to buy it. Make sure you get to beautify the item, clean it up, put a decor here or there to make it visually appealing.
Process 5. Market. Your products will not be noticed if you don’t market it. Tell your neighbours you are doing a garage sale. Or if you are selling it online, inform your friends to check out your album. Share the pictures of your product, message them individually or post a status of such. I’m sure with the number of friends that you have, this will get a lot of attention.
So just how much did I make by decluttering my closet? Here’s a breakdown:
5 Dresses – 2500
2 Shoes – 1200
4 Skirts – 900
1 Necklace – 300
Total: 4,900
In here, I got a fix rate for my dresses, shoes and skirts. Most of the items were only used once while there are two that were not used at all.
The process of decluttering is a win-win situation. You not only free up your space with a large amount of items that you will never use at all and you can earn as well! Getting 4,900 in the process is not bad at all. I am certain there are also items in your house that are of good quality that you can sell. You will not only clean up your space but you can also get money from it. I highly recommend decluttering today.
P.S. To those doing the 52 Week Money Challenge and 52 Week Money Challenge Version 2, it is Week 40 already! Did you deposit the next amount yet?
P.P.S Want to know more about investing, savings, stock market and more, check out my reference here. You can download free ebooks and resources too.