I am moving. After the initial excitement of moving to a new community, (of course, it is a Camden) and a huge apartment home, came the dread of packing. This will be my fifth move since 2011. Between moving from a roommate situation, to being by myself, to moving in with my fiancé, I have acquired a lot of stuff. Our main focus for moving this time around is to purge as much as possible before going into a huge new space. There are many ways to get rid of your unwanted items other than throwing them away in the trash. This time around, we have become quite a creative duo. 1. List items on eBay. I have sold things for years on eBay to make a little bit of extra cash. We decided that some of our valuable items we could turn a pretty high profit on by listing them. Keep in mind, eBay does charge listing fees, and takes a cut of whatever you make off of each item. That being said, if you have high dollar items, you will not lose as much money on fees. The items we sold were collectables which have a huge cult following, and have a high demand because they are rare. If you have an item that you can find on the shelf at any store, it may not be worth listing on eBay.
2. Host a blog sale. Aside from my duties as Camden blogger, I also have my own personal blog. I have a bit of a makeup collecting habit, which has landed me in a situation where I have more than I can store. The items that are brand new and sealed I was able to sell on my blog and receive PayPal payments for. If you do not have a blog, try listing items on Facebook yard sale groups, or even just on your general Facebook page. You would be surprised what people will buy.
3. Donate to Goodwill. Our society has become one where we buy things in excess, and have way more than we need. I went through my clothing, shoes, and accessories and donated them to the local Goodwill. Any time that you donate items, you can also get a tax receipt and claim them on your taxes. This is a great way to give back to the community, and also get a little extra back at tax time.
4. Donate to friends and family. I have an older sister who loves when I give her my clothes and shoes. I let her pick through the items and take what she wants. This helps her out so she is not spending more on clothes, but still has something basically new. I also have given up old kitchen items, movies, and even pieces of furniture to friends and family. Again, we have become people who buy more than we need, and cabinet space in an apartment is vital. We need as much space for essentials that we can get.
5. Sell items on MyCamden.com. The internal Camden pages are perfect for selling items. Your neighbors are so close, and can easily pick things up. I have successfully given away a microwave and some shelves simply by listing them on MyCamden. Even if things you think may be trash, someone will love. MyCamden is the new “dumpster diving”, without the risk of bugs.
I am still packing and purging for my move, but after using these methods, I will have reduced my boxes by a third. Speaking of boxes, you can save a bunch of money on your move by asking local businesses for free boxes. Most of the time boxes from shipments get thrown away, but by asking to have them, you will help reduce the amount of trash, and repurpose a box in the process. I am excited to move to a new place, and maybe buy some new things with the money saved