20 Sources of Hidden Cash in Your Home
Did you know that you might have hidden cash in your home? It’s true! While you may not find actual dollar bills and coins, you could have other items of value just waiting to be cashed in. Take a look below at 20 sources of hidden cash in your home. You might be surprised to know how much cash you are sitting on!
This year was the “let’s see what we can get money for” year. We personally found SO many items in our house that we could sell and get cash for. To be honest, I never thought that people would want MY old junk.. the savings challenge really opened our eyes to the things that I would probably throw away (GASP!..how much money have I thrown away??) people were more than willing to take it off our hands. Lesson learned!
I decided to put together a list of items that helped us make some extra cash–hopefully it will help you too!
1. Gold.
This may seem obvious, but many people continue to sit on broken gold jewelry not realizing it can be traded for cash. Take your broken gold jewelry to a local jewelry store, have them weight it, and they will make you an offer in cash for it. Feel free to shop around for the best offer, as you will find offers vary from shop to shop.
2. Silver.
Silver jewelry may be obvious, as you can take silver jewelry (broken or not) to your local jeweler to get weighed for cash. But do you have more silver in your home you may not know about? Check flatware, tea sets, serving utensils, serving pieces, and decorative items for the sterling mark. Typically, the item will be stamped “925” if it is sterling. Heavier pieces can bring in a pretty penny.
3. Copper.
Decorative copper pieces, copper jewelry, and copper salvage such as pipes can all be sold at your local scrap yard or recycling center for cash. Simply gather these items, have them weighed, and you have some easy money in the hand.
4. Aluminum cans.
Don’t toss out your soda and beverage cans. Instead, crush them and keep them together in a bag. You can take them to your local scrap yard or recycling center and trade them in for cash. You won’t get a ton of money, but even a large bag can fetch a few dollars. It can be your fun money!
5. Wine corks.
Do you save all of your wine corks? If so, crafters want to buy them! You can sell your wine corks on sites such as eBay and Etsy for cash. Just save them, clean them, photograph them, and list them. Crafters are happy to take them off your hands.
6. Name brand kid’s clothing.
Mamas are always on the lookout for gently used kid’s clothing, especially if it is name brand. Take your gently worn kid’s clothing to your local consignment shop and get cash for it. Or, sell it on sites such as Ebay or Craigslist.
7. Children’s toys.
High quality toys such as Melissa and Doug do well when resold. Sell your gently used, quality brand kid’s toys on Ebay, Craigslist, and other social media outlets. A new mom would be happy to pay you cash for them.
8. Designer handbags.
While the bag may be out of season for you, it may be in season for someone else. Sell your gently used name brand handbags on eBay or at a local women’s consignment shop.
9. Video games.
Most video game shops and stores offer a buy and trade option. Take the video games you are no longer playing and sell them for cash at places like GameStop, eBay, and more. Or, trade them in for the game you have wanted to try.
10. Old glassware.
Do you have grandma’s old dishes in your garage? Or maybe you bought some old glassware at a yard sale because you liked the color? Vintage and depression era glass can sell for big bucks to the right collector. Check out the back of your glassware for any markings or signings, and then look up the item on eBay or get an appraisal at a local antique shop. Once you have a value in mind, find a collector via social media willing to buy it.
12. Old postcards.
Old post cards are still popular amongst collectors and can bring anywhere from a dollar each to hundreds of dollars each. If you have some old postcards or other paper souvenir items, head to a local antique shop to see if they may be interested in purchasing them.
13. Formal gowns.
Who wants to pay full price for a formal gown? Not too many people do. Take your gently used formal gown to a local consignment shop or second hand bridal shop who will be happy to take it off your hands.
14. Leftover construction supplies.
Did you recently remodel and have tile, flooring, carpeting, or wood scraps left? There are people who would love to buy it. Place an ad on Craigslist or social media selling pages. It is a great way to recoup some of your costs.
15. Electronics.
There are always people looking for second hand appliances. If you have a gently used appliance such as a microwave, fan, toaster, or DVD player that you aren’t using, sell it for cash. You can typically get about 30% of what you paid for it when sold on social media sale sites or a garage sale.
16. Leftover craft supplies.
If you have leftover yarn, fabric, beads, etc. you can sell them on Etsy to other artists looking for them. Just gather them up, take pictures, and post them!
17. Furniture.
Furniture consignment stores are always looking for gently used furniture pieces. You will also find a market for second hand furniture on Craigslist. If you have a piece you aren’t using, clean it up and sell it for cash.
18. Collectibles.
There is still a market for collectibles such as Barbies, baseball cards, old books, and coins. If you have any collectibles that you want to part with, a local antique shop or online auction site such as eBay is an ideal selling forum.
19. Tools.
Gently used tools still hol
d some value. Pawn shops will pay cash for gently used power tools, while smaller tools can be sold through your local newspaper or online sale site.
20. Plants.
You wouldn’t think of plants as being worth much, be to someone landscaping their yard they are! If you need to thin out your perennials, put the extra plants in yogurt containers or flower pots. Place an ad in the paper or on social media letting others know you have plant starts for sale. New gardeners or those wanting to fill in their yard will flock to them.
Do you have any of these items in your house? If so, you are sitting on cash! Why not part with them and see what you can get?
