Time For A Clearout

Whether you are moving house or your current home is bursting at the seams, having a good clearout can make things more manageable.

However a good clearout isn’t always a case of “just throwing things away”. Here we discuss the options involved when sorting your trash from treasure.

Pre Clearout

Take time to sort through your items. A clearout won’t be a 10 minute job, but spending time sorting will help you realise which things you genuinely want to keep and which items are just wasting space.

Unwanted Items

If your pile of unwanted items is increasing, there are a few options of what to do with the items you no longer require but are too good to throw away.

Sell on ebay: Many people use selling sites like ebay to sell their good quality items. You will need an account to sell but these are quite straight forward to set up. When selling you have the option to set your items as “buy now” or set a minimum selling price for the items and hold an auction in which potential buyers have time to bid.

Sell on Facebook: There are increasingly more “For Sale” sites on Facebook – often set to towns/cities e.g. “For Sale in Brighton”. You only need a Facebook account to sell via these groups although you may have to ask to join the selling group before you can post. No card details are stored on the group which may suit some people. Sellers in the Facebook groups simply upload photos of the items for sale and add prices and buyers either inbox the seller privately or comment underneath the photos. Money transfers take place upon collection.

Freegle: If you just want to get rid of your items, there are Freegle sites where sellers post the items they are “freegling” (giving away for free). As well as standalone Freegle sites there are also Freegle Facebook groups. As with the “For Sale In..” Facebook groups, these Freegle sites are often set to location.

Donate to Charity: Charity shops are always grateful for donations. Taking your items to a charity shop of your choice will not only give you space in your home, but will also raise money for a good cause. Some charity shops even have furniture shops for larger items and electrical goods and some may even be able to collect from your property.

Antique Auctions/Specialist Shops: If you have items that you don’t want anymore BUT they may be worth something, why not contact antique auctions and specialist shops to value your items? Although you want to get rid of things, it would be heartbreaking to give something away for a few pounds if it was worth much more.

Boot Sales: With lots of outdoor boot sales during good weather and indoor boot sales and table top sales available during bad weather/winter months, why not try and raise a few pounds selling at a boot sale? These can be a great opportunity for children to raise some money. Most boot sales charge to have a stall so bear this in mind when deciding whether a boot sale is the right choice for you. If you have time, visit a few boot sales prior to choosing a venue – some are very busy each week while others are much smaller and you risk not making money to cover your costs.

Upcycling: If you are creative, some of the things you may be getting rid of could actually be given a new lease of life. Read our blog post about Upcycling – Crate Inspiration.