Decluttering

Pixabay

Last week, just in time for our weekend at the beach, I got a check in the mail. It was a small check—perhaps just big enough for breakfast at the diner—but the payoff it represented was substantial. 

The check was from Decluttr, an app that paid me for the CDs and DVDs I no longer wanted. Not only did I get rid of stuff that was just taking up space, but I got paid for it.

If you’ve been reading this column for a while you know I usually don’t write about apps because no matter how I do it, it always sounds like a sales pitch. But there's definitely a place in the STYLE strategy arsenal for anything that makes it easier to get rid of things that are just taking up space.

For Type A organizers, this task is easy. The trash can works every time.

I love stuff folks, on the other hand, need a nudge to part with things. And sometimes, cold, hard cash is just that nudge. Similarly, for cram and jammers and I know I put it somewhere organizers, cash for stuff might be just the ticket to tackling that junk drawer or overstuffed bin.

If you can use the self-scanner at the grocery checkout, you can use Decluttr. Download the app onto your phone and scan the barcodes of the items you want to get rid of. As you scan each item, the app gives you a price for it. When you’re finished, check out, box it up and send it to them. There are no shipping charges, and Decluttr promises to pay the full amount they quote or you get your stuff back for free.

Before you get too excited, I should warn you that unless you have some big ticket tech items to get rid of, you’ll probably earn less than you spend in one trip to the grocery store. Some of my CDs earned a whopping 17¢, but into the box they went because that meant they were going out of my house.

Have some non-tech/audio things you want to get rid of, but can't bear to toss into the trash? Less is More Organizers has compiled a list of places that accept stuff from bras to computer monitors. 

For more on reusing, repurposing and recycling, check out my post, "New Life for Old Things." And, by all means, share your successes in the comments below!

Organization Extra: What to Do with Empty Prescription Bottles...and other Good Stuff

Photo: Orchid via Morguefile

Earlier this week, I wrote about the junk in my car trunk (stop by tomorrow to read about the junk in another author's trunk :-) If I'm to be honest, there's good stuff in bags in other places in my house, too. Toys and clothes that haven't yet made it to the consignment store. Stuffed animals in good condition that my daughter has outgrown, but I don't know where to send.

And those empty amber prescription bottles.

I figured there had to be a place to recycle them, but had no idea where that might be, so when I found this list at Less is More Organizers, I had to share. Some of the information is specific to the Chicago area, but the stuffed animal information and the prescription bottle information works for anyone willing to clean donations and ship them.

I still haven't found a home for that decorative hat box... but I have a few ideas. I will get the junk out of my trunk!