A mother-of-two who earned hundreds of dollars by decluttering her home and selling junk on Gumtree has shared her top tips for turning spring cleaning into cash.
Belinda Scott, a stay-at-home mum from southern Queensland, says she was able to make $400 in a single weekend simply by going through her unwanted junk.
The 29-year-old blogger says she was compelled to declutter and spring clean her home and found a few random items in her wardrobe and cabinets which she advertised and sold within two days.
Blogger and mother-of-two Belinda Scott (pictured) says she was able to make $400 in one weekend from selling unwanted junk on Gumtree
The 29-year-old says a quick spring clean was all she needed to do to find which items in her home she didn’t need
‘Go through your wardrobe, your cabinets, your home – sort out what you don’t use anymore or what you don’t really love and pass it on,’ Belinda writes on her blog Modern Wife Life 31.
‘You can make some extra cash and at this time of the year extra money is a good thing to have – we always find the end of the year is the most expensive.’
Belinda says most people develop needless emotional attachments to items they don’t need – and recommends using the six-month rule for anything you are thinking of selling.
‘If I haven’t used, worn or even picked up in an item in around 6 months, I really have a good think about it – unless it’s a seasonal item, I usually sell it,’ she said.
‘You can make some extra cash and at this time of the year extra money is a good thing to have – we always find the end of the year is the most expensive,’ Belinda said
Belinda says most people develop needless emotional attachments to items they don’t need – and recommends using the six-month rule for anything you are thinking of selling
‘I am trying to become less emotionally attached to items as well and let go of the guilt and expectation that I ‘should be keeping’ items just because they were given to me.’
And if you are on the fence about getting rid of a beloved household item, Belinda suggests calling in a ‘support person’ who can provide neutral commentary and a more ruthless attitude to pawning off items.
When using online buy-swap-sell sites to earn cash for your unwanted junk, the young mother offered a few pointers to make the most out of it.
Firstly, Belinda advises sellers to take clear photos and be descriptive as you can when advertising the item online.
‘This includes sizing, measurements and you must state any flaws,’ she adds.
When using online buy-swap-sell sites to earn cash for your unwanted junk, the young mother offered a few pointers to make the most out of it
Firstly, Belinda advises sellers to take clear photos and be descriptive as you can when advertising the item online (stock image)
The nifty Gumtree user also recommends putting around $3 to $5 extra on top of your asking price to leave room for negotiation, that way you can ensure you receive the right amount for your item
The nifty Gumtree user also recommends putting around $3 to $5 extra on top of your asking price to leave room for negotiation, that way you can ensure you receive the right amount for your item.
She also says it is best to advertise on multiple sites and local groups and warns to never hold items as online buyers can be notoriously unreliable.
Lastly, Belinda says sellers – particularly female ones – should always be wary of the undesirable characters you may come across when meeting strangers from the internet.
‘I don’t normally give out my address until I know for sure the person is a serious buyer and I usually only have people come when my partner Trent is home or I let someone (my sister, Trent etc) know that a person is coming to purchase an item,’ she said.
‘I also don’t let people in my home, I meet them on the drive way with the item or even better is to meet in a public place.’