8 Spring Cleaning Ideas For Less Clutter & More Cash

By Andrea Woroch

Spring has finally sprung and with it, the powerful desire to de-clutter your life. Spring cleaning doesn’t just help you get organized, it can save or make you money, too.

1. Coupons
If you spent the early months of 2012 clipping coupons in resolve to save more money, you likely have overwhelming stacks of vouchers spread through kitchen drawers that go unredeemed. Clean up that coupon clutter with the mobile app fromCouponSherpa.com, where you can easily browse for paperless coupons on-the-go and even download digital grocery deals directly to your store loyalty card so you never miss a discount.

2. Wardrobe
Spring is a great time to reorganize your wardrobe as winter clothes can be swapped with warm weather essentials. It’s also a good time to unload the unworn stuff. Since we tend to wear only 20% of our wardrobe 80% of time, you likely have clothes that can go. Try putting away items at one end of the closet after each time their worn so that at the end of the month you will have a visual reference of what you can part with.

Though donating is great, consider selling the designer stuff at a local consignment shop for extra cash or check out online consignors like CovetShop.com.

3. Wallet
Unwanted gift cards add unnecessary bulge to your wallet. Instead of spending them just to spend, consider selling those gift cards for cash via GiftCardGranny.com, a website that allows you to choose the highest offer from a variety of reputable resellers.

4. Bookshelf
Swap, sell or donate used books and consider investing in an e-reader to reduce book clutter altogether. For online trading, try sites like BookMooch or Swap.com so you never have to pay for a new read again.

5. Linen Closet
Donate or toss extra linens that haven’t seen the light of day — let alone adorned your bed — since you first stowed them. Same goes for towels and rags.

6. Pantry
Take an innovative approach to cleaning out your pantry by actually using the items with Gojee.com, an interactive website that instantly creates recipes based on items you have in your kitchen.

7. Home Goods
If you have closets or a garage full of unwanted home decor, accessories and furniture, it’s time to host a yard sale. Prepare ahead and post advertisements in both the local newspaper and online at Craigslist for the best turn out. Otherwise, consider donating to organizations like Goodwill which will vet you a tax deduction — just make sure to hold onto your receipts.

8. Filing Cabinet
Sift through your filing cabinet and recycle or shred unnecessary documents. Create a digital archive of important documents to serve as a backup for hard copies. Smartphone scanning apps like TurboScan and CamScannner turn paper documents into digital files instantly.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. She is available to write guest posts or articles, or contribute to stories about savvy shopping and saving methods. As a nationally recognized media source, Andrea has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. To view recent interviews or for more savings tips visit AndreaWoroch.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.