Spring is right around the corner! And with that comes the annual spring cleaning. Some of us dread this time of year, but others really enjoy it. That’s because it is a great time to take stock of what you have and actually still use. And for the rest of that stuff, it’s time to get rid of it. It is the stuff in the latter category that can really help you save, and possibly even make some money this spring.

Repurpose or Refinish

When you first start your spring cleaning process, it’s best to take stock of everything you have first. The easiest part is figuring out what you do still like and use, and therefore, want to keep. Those items are automatically off the table. It’s all of the other items that need a new purpose, or a new home. Because having too much clutter makes us less productive, and sometimes, even reduces our level of overall happiness. And nobody wants that!

Some of the best items to take a look at first, are the bigger items in your home. Things such as:

Artwork

Bed Frames

Chairs

Couches

Desks

Entertainment Centers

Lamps

Tables

Take a thorough stock of these to see what you might be able to reuse somewhere else. Or, if you really just don’t like the style anymore, or it has become worn, consider repurposing or refinishing it instead. This is a great way to save some serious money because these types of big ticket items are more expensive to replace with new products.

This is where you get to let your creative juices flow and redesign your space. If you can move furniture around within a room, or move it to a entirely different room in your house, it may just be more functional. Which means that you might end up using it more than you were previously. Or, if you just don’t like the look of it anymore, then figure out a creative way to change it so that it fits your new style.

This is one of my favorite things to do to help us save money and change the feel of our home. Sometimes, it even feels like a whole new house by the time I’m done with it! And I didn’t have to spend anything, or much at all, to create the awesome change.

Sell

The next category I like to hit are things I want to sell. These are usually slightly lower ticket items that we just aren’t using anymore. Or the kids might have completely outgrown them. Because, let’s face it, that happens a lot! Especially when you have multiple children of vastly different ages.

RELATED: 5 Tips For Successfully Selling Used Items From Your Home

The majority of these types of items fall into the following categories:

Backpacks

Board Games

Clothes

Lunchboxes

Purses

Shoes

Smaller Electronics

Sports Equipment

Toys

First things first, though, is to go through everything and see if any of the items might be viable hand-me-downs. If so, that is what I always try to do before I sell anything. Because that ends up saving me a lot more money in the long run.

After I’ve gone through the probable hand-me-down options, then it is time to get busy selling the rest of the stuff. Some of my favorite places to sell things are:

RELATED: How Children’s Consignment Sales Can Help Stretch Your Budget

There might be a lot of other great options in your area, so you just have to see what works best for you and what you are selling.

Donate

There have been quite a few times that I have had items up for sale and they just didn’t sell. Or the consignment stores wanted nothing to do with them because they weren’t styles or sizes they were looking for. So when that happens, I move on to donations.

Donating your items may not make you as much in tax write-offs as they used to, with the new higher standard deduction. But, you just never know how the year is going to shape up and it’s still better than keeping your old stuff lying around the house. Plus, by donating items you are helping others in need that may not be able to afford the price tag of new items. So I call donating a win-win, whether it results in a tax write-off for me or not.

Depending upon what types of items you are donating, you might have to take them to different stores. Some great examples are:

Disabled American Veterans Charity – large and small appliances, clothes, furniture

– large and small appliances, clothes, furniture Goodwill – clothes, shoes, accessories, kitchenware, small furniture, toys, games, baby gear

– clothes, shoes, accessories, kitchenware, small furniture, toys, games, baby gear Habitat ReStore – some furniture, all household building products, large and small appliances

– some furniture, all household building products, large and small appliances Interact – clothes, shoes, accessories, baby gear

– clothes, shoes, accessories, baby gear Cause for Paws – clothing, shoes, accessories, small furniture

– clothing, shoes, accessories, small furniture Rescue Missions – pretty much any and everything

There may be some really fantastic non-profit’s near you that aren’t listed here, so do a local search of your own area first.

Spring Cleaning for the Win!

Overall, spring is the time to get clean and organized. And by jumping head first into your spring cleaning, you can really declutter and maybe even save yourself some serious money. You might even be able to make a little bit of money on your old stuff too!

Just remember to first go through your larger ticket items to see what you can reuse, repurpose or refinish. Then move on to the smaller items to see what you might be able to sell. Once you’ve finished going through those items, it’s time to see what can be donated.

And after all of that is said and done, you should have a much cleaner space and possibly fatter wallet.

What are some of the best ways you have found to save, or maybe even make, money by spring cleaning?