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Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you find some helpful hints for organizing your time and space. My passions are to help you make home a refuge instead of a crisis center, and to help you function in peace rather than chaos - at home or at work. I have switched my main blog to 1-2-3 ... Get Organized on WordPress, so please visit me there.



Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Helping Your Kids Turn Their Clutter into Cash

              
All four of our girls will be leaving our home sometime during the summer. Three will be going back to family and one will be going off to college. Two have already been going through their things, organizing them and getting rid of things they no longer want. Women after my own heart! Speaking of kids decluttering, that's our topic for today.

Does your child have too many toys or gadgets, but is requesting something new? Here's a way to motivate him to declutter as well as move him toward his goal: help him sell outgrown toys, books, etc. and put that money toward his desired toy or gadget. 

Some ideas:

- Help your child have a yard sale to get rid of unwanted items.

- Consign her toys at local consignment shops or StorkBrokers. Both of these will charge a fee, StorkBrokers' being 6%.

- If you're eBay savvy, you can sell your child's stuff there. Without too much trouble, you can also sell on Amazon, too. Both will charge a commission. 


- You can also place ads on Craig's List or in your local newspaper. Be careful to follow all the safety suggestions for Craig's List.

- Your child can swap his items with another child at places like Zwaggle, Swap It Now, or thredUp.

There are multiple benefits to this concept:
- Your child's room is decluttered.
- Your child is learning the concept of earning and saving for something she wants.
- Once your child's room is decluttered, introduce the concept of one item in, one item out. If something new comes into his room, he must get rid of one item in exchange.
- Who knows, you may have helped generate the entrepreneurial spirit in your child! 

Alternatively, you could reward your child with the new item if she successfully declutters and donates her unwanted items to charity. 

More on toy decluttering/selling: 

Garage Sale Tips to Get Rid of that Clutter

Helping Your Child Declutter Toys Before Christmas

Three Steps to Organizing Your Child's Room