Springtime is here!

It suddenly feels like Spring here, and with that, transitions come. Some of them take the form of me wanting to stock up on canning jars. I also want our family to go through our warmer weather clothes and clean some out. Some of the Spring changes can mean budget benefits!

Spring cleaning: Thank you to the person who recently used my link here to cash in on their books at Cash For Books! I have loved this service, and we use our library so much that we don't feel the need to hold on to as many books. In larger areas, you library card will often work in more than one county, so check out the neighboring counties if you are looking for something not available in yours. I don't receive any information on referrals, but I do get credit when you use the links from this page to cash in on your things, and you get the same amount. It costs you nothing and helps me out, so thank you! SecondSpin is another great option that I have linked here. That's the place to go with your CDs, DVDs, and BluRay discs.

As the warmer summer months approach, maybe you spend more time outside and can drop or suspend a gym membership for walking local trails, or more time with kids outside and less time paying for indoor play options. There are several cities near us that offer free concerts in the parks and free camps for kids at the parks. Most cities don't require residency to take part, so check out the surrounding areas, as well.

Garage sales: I love shopping them and cannot be bothered to have one. However, a little planning and discipline can save you money even at these. Have an idea of the things you'll use before you go shopping at garage sales. Know the sizes you need and what you already have (as I learned that lesson the hard way in a big way one year). If you're shopping for yourself, don't be afraid to ask if you can try things on, when feasible and safe. Last year, I got brand new items for our entire family, and it was well worth my time. If you're strapped for time, ask around or check Craig's List or the paper for neighborhood sales, so you spend less time driving and more on the task at hand. Also, know what things cost new. Canning jars are a prime example. They sometimes go for more used than you can get them new. Also, if I use larger canning jars for the things I use for gifts, not only do I pay more for the jar, but more for the ingredient and it makes fewer gifts. In the case of garage-saling, ingorance is not bliss for the shopper . . . at least not for long :)

Garage sale for things that you can use to make gifts. I'm not suggesting you buy a dusty, charcoaled candle-holder for a gift. However, there are some nice things you can often find at garage sales that will help with gift-giving, which is a year-round planning event for me. Baskets are one of those things - they are cheap, and if you do canning or just like to assemble a basket of goodies for gifts, this is a good place to get them. I've gotten fabulous yarn from people who lost interest before they used up their supplies. My mother has the uncanny ability to find all sorts of supplies for cross-stitch, needlepoint, knitting, crochet, quilting and more . . . shop for your interests.

Tools can be great finds in some areas, or if you run across an estate sale - this becomes gifts if you use them to make things for gifts - wood cutting boards are my favorites to receive! Cedar grilling planks are another item that isn't complicated, but feels gourmet to those who use them!

Canning jars can be a good deal or a bad one, so proceed with caution if you are a canner - canned items go over better than most other items I've made and given as gifts - people just love them, and they make for a good summer outing to get local berries, etc. Do canning with friends to make it social and enjoy it together. Use them yourself, or if you end up with extras, you have gifts - there's lots of information on line about canning and it's not complicated to learn.

If you hold garage sales, send fliers around your neighborhood and list what advertizing you plan to do. If you're paying for advertizing anyway, it will cost you know more, but get you more pull for customers. If you're a bit more ambitious, as for feedback from neighbors and put together a map of the sales for people coming through. A piece of paper can be very exciting in some cases ;)

If, like me, you cannot be bothered to hold a garage sale, you have other outlets for your Spring cleaning. I take our adult-sized clothes to Turn Style consignment, as well as our home items. We get paid only when they sell, but it's something we've been satisfied with for years. We take our children's items to Once Upon a Child - they pay upfront, although a bit less than Turn Style. I'd rather not have the risk, and prefer to be done with it, so we do that. They also take all sorts of toys, books (for almost nothing) and more. Even if individual items don't go for a lot, they frequently add up to a satisfying number, especially if you weren't using them in the first place.

After you've gone through sources like Cash For Books, Second Spin, Gamestop, the secondhand shops, etc. take any applicable items to Half Price books, where they also take video games and many other random items - puzzles, game stuff, etc. Whatever's left, make a list and donate it - you'll save on taxes next year, or drop them off at a shelter or church or goodwill or the library, etc. You'll put less in the landfill and the items will get used by people who have less.

This may sound like a lot of work, but if you do one step at a time, it goes suprisingly quickly. It also just feels good to get things out of the house and you will no longer have to maintain it by having space for it, dusting it, etc.

Hope you're enjoying the warmer weather and that you share your "ah hah" ideas with me, as well. If even one of these things works for you, I hope you get a "free lunch" out of it :)