A few times a year, the time comes to do a full house clean. Not the quick blitz around with the vacuum and duster, either. You know the one I mean – the one where everything gets moved, and anyone with a dust mite allergy spends three days sneezing. It’s no one’s favorite task, but it needs to be done to keep the house from becoming a tip.
There are various ways it can be made more enjoyable, of course. In no small part, the clearing out of storage – which needs to be done so you can put other stuff into storage – can be like a game. Or an archaeological dig, depending on how long it is since you last did this. And like an archaeological dig, clearing out your storage can be surprisingly rewarding.
You Never Know What You Might Find
Clearing out storage after it has been left for a while is many things. Dusty, primarily, but it is also a fascinating journey through a relatively recent past you had nonetheless forgotten. How many of us, in full flow on a shopping trip, buy holiday things we’ll “need later”, and then find that we don’t use them? So they stay in storage until you go to clear them out – and realize that you really could do with them.
One Person’s Trash…
Clearing out cupboards is usually a precursor to a trip to the tip. However, you shouldn’t be too hasty about throwing out everything you don’t need or want to keep. Things in storage are often forgotten, and that can include things that may have a great deal of value to some people. And no, I don’t just mean the boring sentimental kind of value. I mean cash. Look out for possible antiques in there – it may be a long shot, but this is where people tend to find valuable items.
Marking Your Card
Remember last Christmas, when you took part in three different Secret Santa games and ended up with gift cards from all of them? You smiled, said thanks, and then stuck them in a drawer. We may not use gift cards at the time we get them – because we still usually have to add to their value. But you can sell them at Cards2Cash or similar. This can raise a very useful nest egg right when you need it most.
You Used To Collect Records, Now They Collect Dust
It’s 2016 – still – and by now we’re all either streaming or downloading anything we want to listen to. Even if you’re into the oldies, they all have their back catalogs online now. Holding on to your old vinyl records is pretty much just vanity. That’s why they’re not next to your stereo; they’re in storage.
But record collectors will pay unbelievable amounts of money for a rarity. Let’s face it – after a certain period of time, they’re all rare. Check out what you’ve got in there. Surprising prices can be found for an original from a band who have recently reformed. Ride that nostalgia wave all the way to the bank!