Make Money From Your Junk

You can make money from your junk.  Don’t doubt that for a minute.  Just take a few minutes and browse the internet the next time you’re tempted to throw out something from your attic that you thought was absolutely worthless.  And, before we go any further, please understand that I don’t mean to say that your items are really “junk” and I am the last person to offend anyone when it comes to saving things.  I have some items that most people put in the garbage before allowing it into their home.  Whoever came up with the saying that one person’s junk is someone else’s treasure knew what they were talking about.  For many seniors who are struggling with their finances, this could be a dream come true.  And, if money is not an issue, at the very least, this can be a very exciting hobby.

There's something that you're about to throw out that someone will pay you for.  You can make money from your junk.

One of our favorite things to do is to browse in an antique store.  For those of you who share this little hobby, you know that not all antique stores are created equal.  Some are very refined with price tags to match and some stores (or booths in an antique mall) look like the owner just emptied out their garage and put some price tags on each item.  The modern version of this, however, can be found on the internet and, for those who decide to display their collection of items for sale, the world is their marketplace.  Think about that for a minute and you start to see some possibilities that will get you to look twice at that old collection of soda bottles or collectible glasses that you got at a fast-food restaurant.  It really is amazing that you can be showing your wares to someone in their home halfway across the country or even on another continent. It makes me absolutely convinced that you can get money from your junk and have a lot of fun doing it.

Obviously not everything will command the value you thought, but there are also some things that might bring in more money than you ever thought possible.  And, when you think about it, what do you have to lose?  My wife may be one of the least mercenary people on this planet, but she is building an eBay empire.  Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration.  She’s sold a dozen items that were thrust upon her by our daughter who didn’t want them anymore and suggested they go to Goodwill.  That was the intent until she did a search and saw that someone was selling the same item for almost a hundred dollars. That got her curious and the rest, as they say, is history.  She is having a lot of fun looking through our boxes of “junk” downstairs and testing the market with a quick browse on the internet to see what prices are being generated for these things that would have been hauled to a thrift store or made their way to the dump.  It’s an interesting hobby and, if you spend a little time doing the research, you’ll become convinced that you can make money from your junk.  If nothing else, it will bring back some memories with all the stuff you see online.  It may even get those competitive juices flowing because you might wonder why that couldn’t be you making a few dollars here and there for very little work.  The bottom line is that everything has value.  From old newspaper articles and photographs to old records and toys.  Take a look at some of the memories people are selling and it might get you started on a new hobby that can generate some extra cash.  It’s not unlike walking through town and finding a twenty-dollar bill on the sidewalk.  You’d stop and pick it up, wouldn’t you?  There’s something about finding money that never gets old.  A walk through your basement or attic might yield a couple hundred dollars so what’s wrong with that.  You might be very surprised at how excited you get when you make a sale.  My wife was amazed when she got an offer less than a day after she put something up for sale.  My daughter and I joke that we’re going to come home and find out she sold the living room furniture.  Believe me, you can make money from your junk, and you can have a lot of fun doing it.

Old newspapers are quite popular.

So, if you need extra money, this is not a bad option.  If you don’t need money, this hobby can be a lot of fun.  Some people donate their revenue to charity and, when you can place an actual value on something, it’s a lot easier to deduct on your taxes.  Plus, you’ll be helping out a good cause.  Why not give it a try?  You might be on your way to an eBay empire!  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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