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I’ve been back and forth in my head as to whether or not to write this post. Some of this info may be nothing new to some of you, some of it may be really helpful. Take it or leave it. Either way, here it is.
Decorating can be expensive. And I do it cheaper than most.
Sometimes, DIY projects cost more money than I thought they would. Its still cheaper than paying someone else to do it or buying something new, but sometimes I just spend more money on it than I thought I would or I look back at what I spent and am like, “Wow, maybe I should have waited on that one.” Seriously, it seems like I can’t go to the Home Depot once a week without spending $75 on projects.
That may not sound like a lot to you, but to this frugal gal, it is.
And it adds up.
I have learned to be resourceful and find money.
You see, I go out to my backyard and start digging, hoping to find mason jars full of cash that someone before me forgot they had buried.
Ok. I lied.
I don’t do that, but I know of a place where that is rumored to be true.
And no, I won’t tell you where.
Here’s how I find money to pay for all my DIY projects.
And occasionally to feed my family. I mean really, projects or my family eating?
Its a clear decision.
Projects!
I’m joking.
1. Sell items on Craigslist
I keep Craigslist in business. Seriously. I sell anything that my family no longer uses on Craigslist. When the kid outgrows clothes, they go on Craigslist, when I get tired of those candles sconces, they go on Craigslist, when I switched out my living room chairs, they went on Craigslist. People on Craigslist probably know my phone number by heart now. Which is scary. Y’all if something happens to me, find out who viewed my Craigslist postings last.
- Clean out your closets
This may be a no-brainer to some folks, but go through your closets. Get rid of what you haven’t worn in a while. Go through your kids closet. If it doesn’t fit, don’t keep it! Group all the same sized items together and list them on Craigslist. I typically ask $1 – $3 per piece of clothing and give a discount if they buy it all. Usually, someone ends up buying it all. Its out of my way and its money in my pocket.
- Get rid of decorative pieces as your style changes
Once I get tired of decorative accessories, I first ask myself if I can make it over in some way that I would still like it. If the answer to that is no, then it goes on Craigslist. I always ask a little more than what I’m willing to take for it, because people will want to bargain with you.
- Go through your garage and craft room
If you are a DIY-er or crafter like me, you may have random things laying around that at one point, you thought you must have for a project, but now you don’t really need it or like it anymore. Maybe you are like me and have 15 bottles of old glass jugs that resemble moonshine bottles and you really don’t need all 15. Put them on Craigslist. Those jugs I thought no one would want, sold in a day.
- Sell your old furniture as you buy new
When I purchased my new Ikea wingback chairs you may have noticed in my home tour, I knew in order to pay for them, I would need to sell the chairs that were presently in my living room. I sold one to a friend and one on Craigslist. Selling the old chairs paid for more than half of my new chairs.
- Be sure to renew your listings on Craigslist
There are thousands of new posts on Craigslist every day. If you don’t renew your postings, they will get lost in oblivion. Once you post to Craigslist, go into your account and hit that renew button beside your listings every couple of days. This simply moves your post back to the top of the category you are selling in.
2. Sell items on Local Facebook Yard Sale Groups
Did you know that many areas have local yard sale groups on Facebook? Yep. I’m a member of four different yard sale groups in my area that have thousands of members. I post on there regularly. Those people know me well now too. To find the yard sale groups in your area, just do a search for them. Type in something like “Chicago yard sale” or be more specific and type in an area or suburb around you. You may have to hit the “Request to Join” button in the right corner of the page.
- When you put an item on Craigslist, put it on your Facebook Yard Sale Groups as well
A huge timesaver and great way to get your items out there in more than one place is by listing them on Craigslist as well as on Facebook. Every time you renew a listing on Craigslist, go to the Facebook yard sale groups and “bump” your items back to the top, by simply commenting on them. I usually just write “bump” as my comment or “Still available.”
- Make sure you follow the rules of the Facebook groups
Many groups will typically have rules that are pinned to the top, they will usually tell you how many times you are allowed to bump a post or how to go about selling an item on there. Also, if you have your item listed in more than one group, list it as cross-posted, so others will know it is listed elsewhere as well.
3. Yard Sales
I keep an ongoing pile of items I no longer want. Some of the larger items or ones I think would sell on Craigslist or Facebook get listed there, but if they don’t sell, they stay in the pile until its time for the yearly shindig that we call a yard sale. And if they don’t sell at the yard sale, its off to Goodwill with them.
How do you find money?
Liked this one? See these too then!
Three Things That Could Cut Your Electric Bill in Half – don’t miss these simple ideas to save you a little green!
15 Days to a Clutter-Free Home & Some Extra Cash– declutter and make a little money in the process!
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