Pre-holiday cleaning - save money and stress!

Today, we started the pre-holiday cleanout.  It's like Spring Cleaning but better in terms of economic benefit.

We enlist the help of our daughter, and we go through our stuff in waves.  She tells us what she doesn't want (and we occasionally slip things out that she hasn't used in a while).  We all find things we don't need that are just taking up space.

Tomorrow, I will head to some of my favorite places to dropp stuff off & we'll get a little money for it.  The coolest part is that secondhand places really need stuff before the holidays - especially Toys at Once Upon A Child.  Telling our daughter that she is making room for present to come minimizes the whining and enables us to get them there when they actually need things and will pay a bit more for them.

After we get the money for these items, we can use them toward gifts or everyday expenses, which all seem to go up over the holidays.  There's less stress even with a little extra.  The other benefit is that you have less stuff to maintain in the midst of the holiday bustle, and you don't have as hard a time putting things away after gift openings (which are craziest with kids, I think).  I know, that's a good problem to have, but relief is even better!

Try it this year, even if it's only with a few things.  If you don't want ot go to the secondhand shops, check out some of the online sources.  Cash for books, Second Spin, and Swagbucks all offer trade-in and turned in items and give you something in return - they are all linked on this page. 

Another good option, in my opinion, is Best Buy - they have an option to sell back a used cell phone, video game, etc.  You get a gift card to Best Buy in exchange.  My theory is that those gift cards don't cost them the full value, so you might get a bit more.  There's always gift shopping opportunities there, I think.  Plus, they carry such practical things as ink for printers, batteries, etc.