Since April is both National Financial Literacy Month (the perfect time to spring clean your finances) and the unofficial start for spring cleaning, we've put together 8 tips to help you do both. Plus, each one can help you earn some extra cash or add money to your budget.
- Sell Unused/Unwanted Items Online
This can include old electronics, video games, household items, collectibles, and more. Try sites like eBay and OfferUp for most items, or Cash4Books to sell novels collecting dust. You might not get back what you paid, but you'll de-clutter your home and put some money in your pocket.
- Repurpose Old Clothes, Shoes, and Bags
Whether you've changed your style or things just don't fit anymore, selling your clothes on consignment sites such as ThreadUp, Tradesy, Swap, or Poshmark can earn you some cash and clean out your closet. Or simply look for consignment shops in your area.
- Sterilize Your Auto Insurance Policy
Take a long look at your current auto insurance policy and make sure it still meets your needs. Do you have too much or not enough coverage? One Nevada Insurance Services can do the shopping for you and get you no-cost quotes from at least three providers.
- Cash-in on Unused Gift Cards
If you have a pile of gift cards that never seem to get used, trade them in for cash. Sites such as CardCash, GiftCash, ClipKard, Gameflip, and CardSell have positive reviews and offer cash for some cards.
- Make a Donation
Giving your unused clothes, electronics, and household items to a local charity can help you clean out your home and provide income for a local non-profit. Look for organizations in your community that accept physical donations in exchange for tax receipts.
One Nevada Tip: Hang onto your donation receipts. You can use those on next year's taxes.
- Dust Off Your Subscriptions (and toss those you don't use)
Do you love Netflix, Amazon Prime, your monthly clothing subscription, or a bespoke box packed with monthly wonders? You're not alone. The average American household spends $273 a month on subscriptions according to ZDNet. But why spend money and take up precious space on something you don't use or enjoy? Give your subscriptions a full review. Look for accounts that you do and don't use. Don't forget about your annual subscriptions as well.
To locate your subscriptions, scour your checking and credit card statements. To turn off a subscription, login to your account online, turn off the account, and delete your financial information (checking or credit card info). This will ensure you are not charged again until you turn the service back on.
- Clean Up Your Wireless Bill
Wireless service providers are continually changing their plans and offers. Every April, take a look at what you're spending and what you're getting. Call your provider and ask them if you could save money on a different plan.
- Do Some Cloud Cleaning
The cloud has made saving photos, music, and more a lot easier. Most families can get away with the no-cost space options. But if you require more room for your files, consider deleting unneeded files or buying a physical hard drive. A $55, 2-terabyte hard drive is more budget-friendly than $5 per month for cloud space after just one year.