How Spring Cleaning Can Help Save $$ On Your Next Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pixabay

You wouldn’t know it if you live in the Northeast right now, but Spring has sprung. If you’re like most people, the Vernal Equinox triggers a primal urge to get out of the cave and shake off the cabin fever that the long, cold winter has brought.  It has also been known to elicit the time-tested tradition known as spring cleaning.

Unless you are something of a hoarder, spring cleaning is the time of year to begin sprucing up the place and lightening the load.  It usually starts by bringing out the rake to tidy up the yard the broom to sweep out the garage and the mop and bucket to begin the task of sponging off the patio.

Not surprisingly, during this cleanup, it isn’t unusual to find all manner of seldom used toys, squirreled away tools and disused patio furniture that has seen better days.  As with all unwanted possessions, this is the point in the process where you have to make one of 4 decisions:

      1.      Keep It

      2.       Sell It

      3.      Donate

      4.      Toss It

Packrat or Wheeler Dealer

If you’re a packrat, your first urge is to store the unwanted items for later use.  If this is the case, ask yourself two simple questions. “When was the last time you used the item and when can you realistically assume you might have need of it again?”  If the answer is, “I don’t know,” then you are falling into the hoarder trap.  Moreover, this is a trap that can rear its ugly head to bite you the next time you decide to move, since the more stuff you have, the more it will cost to move.

Image courtesy of flickr

If, on the other hand, you are a wheeler-dealer, you recognize an opportunity when you see it.  In order to capitalize on it, you need to decide whether the items you have identified are showroom shiny or shopworn.  If they are dented and discolored, have pieces missing or look as though they have been used by your dog as a chew toy, they probably aren’t going to fetch much if anything on the resale market.  This leaves you with two options: toss them or donate them. 

Donations, while being a humanitarian gesture, can also save you a tidy sum come tax time.  This can be a wonderful way to get rid of that old clunker that’s been taking up space in the garage. Most charities will be only too happy to tow away that old car or boat.  Just make sure you get a receipt from the charity.  On the other hand, if your donation is beyond restoring, it’s probably best to arrange to have it hauled to the local scrap yard.

If you have items of lesser value in less than perfect condition and you have a lot of them, this is what yard sales and flea markets are all about.  Remember the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  One way to find out which is which is to run an ad in the local paper and/or online that provide the time and place you wish to have your yard sale.  Buy a few yard sale signs from the stationary store to help steer potential customers from the main road to your front door.    While you may have to give up a weekend or two to unload all those unwanted possessions, you could also reap a pretty penny by doing so.  It’s also a great way to help pay for your next move.

Second Bite Out of the Apple

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Depending on the value and condition of the items you intend to sell, you might consider Craigslist to unload them for top dollar.  In the past, I have sold everything from used computers and camera equipment to used cars and second-hand washers this way.  As a rule, you will get a better price by selling items this way than via the yard sale approach.  That being said, if an item doesn’t sell online, putting it for sale at a yard sale or flea market is always a possibility.  If the item is a used car or boat, consider parking it in a high-traffic area with a for sale sign in the window.  Just make sure you have permission to park there, or you could come back to find your vehicle has been towed.

If your move is imminent and you still haven’t unloaded all that you had hoped, then it’s time for what I like to call the friends and family brigade.  As opposed to simply trundling all the flotsam and jetsam to the curb, text, call or email family and friends to tell them about any unsold items.  You’d be surprised at how fast most of the remainder will get snapped up.  Depending on how you word the offer, your family and friends may even rebroadcast the offer to their friends and coworkers as well.  It's amazing how networking can help you clear the decks in short order.  Speaking of networking, posting unwanted items for free on your social nets is another way to get these possessions out of your hair in a hurry.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Eventually, you will be left with the items that no one wants to take off your hands.  This is the time you need to decide how best to dispose of these leftovers.  While the curb is usually the first thought on most people’s minds, if you have a local recycling center nearby, going green is not all that hard to do.  You’d be surprised at what can be recycled today.  As well as cans, cardboard, plastic, and glass, many recycling plants will be glad to take off your hands everything from rechargeable batteries and defunct electronics to sheet metal and wires.

Speaking of batteries, they should never be tossed in the trash.  The heavy metals and exotic chemicals contained in them can leach into the groundwater for years to come.  Better to take them to the local hazardous waste disposal facility, along with half-empty paint cans, unused solvents and cleaning agents, used motor oil, fluorescent light bulbs (including CFL bulbs), caulking, swimming pool and garden chemicals.  Check with your local facility for a complete list of what they will dispose of for you.  The environment will thank you.

Whether you are planning a move now or in the future, spring cleaning is a great way to spruce up and spring forward to making your next move more manageable and cost-effective.

With over 4,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.