How to Make Extra Money Spring Cleaning and Decluttering

If you have somehow not heard of Marie Kondo, you are about to. One of Time magazine’s “100 most influential people” in 2015, this gorgeous and charismatic Japanese organising consultant (yes, that’s a real job) has swept to fame as the creator of the KonMari method of tidying.

Her four books, which include The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, have sold more than 2 million copies, and been published in at least 30 countries.

As spring is in the air, and the first few daffodils are turning their faces to the sun, we thought we would take some inspiration from Marie on how tidying up can make you money.

That’s right! Not only will you have a pristine environment in which to relax in, but you can make extra money too, and with our practical tips, it’ll be easy as pie!

How to Make Extra Money Tidying Up

First things first, set aside a day to do your decluttering, and hold yourself to it. We’re all prone to procrastinating, and need a certain amount of time to prepare yourself for such tasks mentally, but eventually you just have to get on with it. It is never as much trouble as you feared.

When you declutter your personal space, you realise you have plenty of possessions you have just been hanging on to.

Dig out the unworn shoes, the tops which don’t fit, that present from an ex-boyfriend you never liked, and the books you have no intention of ever reading.

Listing these items on eBay, or taking them along to a local car boot sale, is a really easy way to make extra money.

You might want to write yourself a list of criteria for what you’re throwing out to make the decision making process easier. If it doesn’t meet your criteria, be ruthless and get rid of it.

Once you have decluttered your spare room or garage, you will be amazed about how much more spacious your home starts to feel.

If you no longer need all that room to yourself, why not think about renting it out? Getting a housemate is a great way to make extra money, and you might well end up with a new friend too.

If you aren’t ready to take that kind of plunge (or like to have your home to yourself), you can always offer your friends a little bit of your storage space.

Strike the right balance on price, and not only can they can save money on the cost of commercial storage, but you can make money as well.

If you are unsure how much space you’re prepared to give up, why not temporarily demarcate the area with chalk or a length of string? See if you can work around it for a week, and still live comfortably, and if you can, you will know it’s not space you need.

If, like Marie Kondo, you have a flair for organising, tidying, and spring cleaning, why not offer your services to others?

You can make money by picking up a few hours of extra work each week, advertising on Gumtree, or even by putting a notice on the board in your local corner shop.

There are always plenty of people who are time poor or who hate to clean, so you might well be their angel in disguise.

It is a really easy way to earn extra money, you can dictate your pay rate and working hours, and if you later decide it is not really your thing, you have no ongoing commitment.

It is important to make sure your advert is clear and to the point, and get a friend to proofread it for you so you can be confident it contains no typos or silly errors.

For creative types with great communication skills, Marie Kondo might well provide inspiration in other ways.

Think about starting your own organisational blog, filming video blogs, or offering tips online. You can most likely do this from your smartphone, so there’s no real investment required.

What’s important is the ideas you have for communicating with your audience, and that they want to engage with you.

If you can build up an adequately sized online following, companies will pay you to promote their products, and you will get plenty of freebies too.

Although this way to earn extra money requires more effort than those suggestions listed above, it can be far more rewarding, and the potential income stream is significantly larger as well.

Spin-off products might include books or your own TV series, and even your own cleaning product line! Have a look at our article, on how to start a business with no money, to learn what you need to get started.

Spring is a time for fresh starts, and when you spring clean your finances and home; it brings a sense of wellbeing to your mind as well as to the physical space around you.

Your Turn…

Make the most of this zen feeling to think how you can make extra money, and to put your ideas into practice. What will you get rid of first? How much space will it open up? What might you do with that space? Get thinking, get organising, and get richer!

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