The idea of stuffing your old things into black garbage bags and then throwing them into the trash makes you uncomfortable. As much as it feels good to declutter a messy space, you don’t want all of those items to sit in a landfill and rot. You’re hoping for a better solution. What can you do?
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Sell Them
Those items might not be emotionally valuable to you anymore, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t financially valuable. Instead of shoving them into the garbage, you should see if you can make a profit off of them.
So, what can you sell?
Old Appliances
If you have an old refrigerator or dryer sitting in your garage, you should bring it to a scrap metal yard. They recycle ferrous metal objects like refrigerators, dryers, washing machines and other household appliances, and they pay for them too.
Electronics
You can’t throw your electronics in the trash because they contain hazardous materials. But don’t worry, you can safely recycle your e-waste at this scrap yard in Toronto and get paid for your contribution. The choice is financially savvy and environmentally conscious at the same time.
Just About Everything Else
You can sell just about anything online: clothes, shoes, books, jewelry, board games, exercise equipment, gaming equipment, vinyl records, dishware, childhood toys, and more. All you have to do is find the right online marketplace to sell your items and wait patiently for people to make their bids. When it comes to your valuables, you try finding a trustworthy jewelry store where the experts will do an appraisal of your items and give you a good price.
Donate Them
If you’re feeling generous — or you’re not having an easy time making sales — then consider donating your items to a charitable organization or cause. There are plenty of people that will see your “trash” as treasure. How can you start?
Old Clothes
You’ve followed the lessons of Marie Kondo closely, and you’ve trimmed down your wardrobe. As long as the clothes are clean and in fairly good condition, you can donate them to thrift stores or charities like Covenant House, Dress for Success, or Sistering.
Old Furniture
You can donate your old furniture to charities like Habitat for Humanity or The Furniture Bank. These organizations offer pick-up services for large pieces that aren’t easy to transport on your own, like couches, dressers, and dining room tables. The thrift store Value Village accepts small pieces like chairs, nightstands, bookcases, and cabinets.
Old Books
Community centers, daycares, senior homes, prisons, schools, libraries, and charities are always looking for donations of gently used books.
You can also build a little free library in your front yard and fill it with a variety of books that you think people will want to pick up and bring home. Little libraries are good ways to encourage your community to reuse books and share the joys of reading.
Decluttering is the perfect activity to do right now. It’s an easy way to occupy yourself when you’ve run out of things to do in isolation and you want to feel productive. A cleaner space will make you feel better.
And, as you can see, you can really benefit from getting rid of your old things. You can sell some of them and make a quick buck, and you can donate the rest to a worthy cause.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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