• Yard sales (or perhaps people in your area refer to them as tag sales, rummage sales or garage sales) are a tried and true method to cashing in on your unwanted items. As my children have gotten older, they enjoy making crafts or coffee and lemonade to sell. In the past, we have used the proceeds from the sale for a family activity or purchase. By doing that, we do not need to keep track of how much each person earns and the children have incentive to find items to sell.

• Craiglist is much like an online yard sale. I have noticed this service works the best if you are in a larger city, but it is well worth trying this free option.

• Ebay has changed a lot over the years and seems to be ideal for vintage pieces, collectibles, and boutique items at discounts.

• Consignment stores are invaluable to a growing family. I recently wrote about how I shop for free at my local consignment shop. Once or twice a year, there is a huge consignment sale in our town where a large number of families will meet in a gym or meeting hall to buy and sell from each other under one roof. You can check for one in your area at Kids Consignment Sales.
  

• There are numerous online auction and swap sites. I am not familiar with any of these to recommend them specifically, but there are certainly a variety available if this is the type of service you need.

• Consider an outdoor flea market. If you have visited the flea market before, gauge whether your items would be a good fit based on the other outdoor vendors. There will be a small fee to set up, but you will have a steady stream of customers.

Labels: cleaning, frugality, money makers, tips

# posted by Heather@justdoingmybest @ Sunday, April 26, 2009