Being in debt affects every area of your life.
I know.
I've been there.
It saps your energy and creativity.
There were days that I didn't even want to get out of bed.
Sometimes I just sat there doing nothing even though there were plenty of things I could have and should have been doing, because debt can make you feel hopeless.
You've done all the right things.
You've cut back on your expenses, you developed a spending allocation plan, and you're using the debt snowball method to pay off your debts.
By your calculations, it will still take years to get there.
Don't give up hope! It's time to get creative about paying off your debt.
Sometimes all you really need is a little shot in the arm.
Some extra cash to apply to your debts will often make a big difference in your timetable and a huge difference in your frame of mind.
One of the best ways to do this is to do some spring cleaning and earn some cash at the same time.
Spring Cleaning Yard Sale I've recently been in a de-cluttering mood.
I look at all of the "stuff" in my house and wonder how I ever ended up with so much of it.
Most people can identify with this.
You probably have some boxes of stuff stored in your garage - or even worse, you are paying to keep it in a storage facility! How long has it been since you've used anything you have stored away in those boxes? How long as it been since you've even opened those boxes to see what you have? It's probably time to do a little spring cleaning.
Dave Ramsey recently reported on his radio show that the average American household has a couple of thousand dollars worth of "junk" that could be turned into cash at a yard sale.
Remember the old adage: One man's trash is another man's treasure.
What to Sell I have had this battle with my family members.
To them, a yard sale means selling everything they don't want - including ripped up clothes and things that really belong in the dumpster instead of a yard sale.
If you've ever gone yard selling, I'm sure you've been to sales like that.
It's a waste of your time and a waste of theirs.
No one is going to buy that junk.
In fact, that's just what we call those - junk sales, not yard sales.
You can sell almost anything at a yard sale: books, CDs, DVDs, electronics, clothes.
Just make sure that you sort through everything and just throw away the items that aren't worth purchasing.
If you can put a couple of large items and some nicer items in the sale, that's even better.
It will draw more people in who might then be persuaded to buy some of your smaller items as well.
When to Sell A lot of people get their checks at the beginning of the month.
So, that's the best time to have a yard sale.
You'll want to keep an eye on the weather, of course.
Even if you can have a yard sale inside a garage, if the weather is bad, most people will stay home where it's comfortable and dry.
Try to avoid a holiday weekend, or even a weekend that your community has a major event planned.
This will really cut down on the traffic to your yard sale, and the goal is to have as many people as possible come out.
How to Price Items You don't want to over price your items.
Sure, people like to bargain and negotiate at a sale, but if your starting price is too high, you'll have a lot of people who will take a quick look and then leave.
Be sure to actually mark your items with the price.
If you don't want to mark each individual item you can have general pricing posted, such as "all books $1 each.
" Many people won't ask how much you want for an item unless they are really, really interested in buying it.
When it gets close to the end of your sale start offering bargains.
The goal isn't just to make money, but to actually get rid of the things you no longer want too.
Instead of saying everything is half off, offer things at a 2 for 1 deal.
For clothing, you can ask for $5 for a bag of clothing - as much as they can stuff in the bag.
How to Get Traffic Visibility is the key.
You want your signs to be big with large lettering.
If people can't read them while they are driving, they won't bother trying to find you.
Advertise in your local paper.
List your sale on Craigslist.
Make sure you have a lot of items that are clearly visible from the street, and make sure you look organized.
I don't know about you, but I will pass up a yard sale that looks like it's just a bunch of junk in boxes that I have to dig through.
Balloons can also make people notice you and want to stop to take a look.
Additional Items to Sell Often overlooked sources of sales are refreshments.
If it's a hot day, have an ice chest with bottled water and soda.
You can buy a 12 pack for $3.
50 and sell each can for $1.
Buy a variety bag of chips and offer the individual bags for sale.
Bake some cookies and offer them for 25 cents each.
With a well-organized and well-attended yard sale, you can easily generate several hundred or even a couple of thousand dollars in sales that you can then apply to your debt or put into an emergency fund.
It's a great way to earn some extra cash and clean up around your house at the same time.