Spring cleaning ideas that will actually save you some money

I have a little built in closet in my room that I hardly get the chance to use. I mean, I would really love to, but I haven’t had the chance to sort it out yet.

One day soon, I’ll just be brave and do it. You must be wondering why I’m talking about bravery here. Well… how can I say this?

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You see, this little closet is stuffed with boxes of stuff. So isn’t that an easy job to just take out and organise the stuff? No. It’s not as easy as you think. The reason for that is that these boxes are still holding the stuff they held 10 years ago when I moved to this house! Did you say gross? I don’t blame you.

No, I’m not a hoarder. Well, at least I don’t think I am.

I’ve been thinking about them over these years and I’m now thinking that I really don’t need what’s in them if I’ve been doing without them for 10 whole years!

What do you think? Wonder what goodies I’ll find when I finally open up these boxes. Well, before I even open them, let me state for the record now that whatever I find in them will be either donated to charity or sold. Please bear witness.

It’s time for a spring clean

Here are some ideas for helping you save (or make) some money as you do your spring clean this year.

• Do a clear out of each room in your home and gather the things you no longer want or need. You can then decide to have a garage/car boot sale and make some money from the possessions you no longer need but which are taking up space. What do you do with the items that weren’t sold? No, do not put it back in the house. Drive straight to a charity shop and drop it off as a donation. Count that as your good deed for the day. Clever, I know.
• When cleaning windows, pay special attention to the frames, any woodwork, and also any type of rubber. These are a breeding ground for mould and mildew which is sometimes very difficult to remove. Clean it now and save from replacing them later one when they look too unsightly. Read this post about other ways to maintain your home throughout the year.
• I heard recently about cleaning your light bulbs when you do spring cleaning! Have you ever done this? I personally have never done it. But the reason behind doing it sounds plausible to me. The fact is, the more the lightbulbs in and around your home are covered with dust and grease, the duller they appear, and the more likely you are to switch on other lights to compensate. You may even change the bulb as it isn’t giving much light. You don’t want to do that as to whether switching other lights on or removing good bulbs, is a complete waste of money. Would you agree?
• Organise your kitchen cupboards by doing some stock rotation ie, bringing nearer to the fruit those food items whose shelf life is shorter. This means that you are more likely to use them first. The ones with a longer shelf life should be stored closer to the back. How is this a saving you ask? Well, you don’t want to end up with a lot of (or any) food that has passed its use by and best before dates. And if you don’t use them, it means you will be throwing them out and thereby losing money. Super tip here: this is how supermarkets stock their shelves too. The fresher items are stored behind the ones whose dates/freshness is longer. Have a look for yourself and you will see.
• Give your fridge/freezer a thorough clean. In doing this, you will get rid of any old food that no one wants. Not only that, any ice that has accumulated will be got rid of. This allows your appliance to run more efficiently too. See how we saved hundreds when we defrosted the fridge recently.
• In your spring cleaning, don’t forget to pull away beds, dressing tables, portable closets etc. I’ve always found me some money that I (or someone else) had lost there and couldn’t bother to retrieve. That goes straight into saving.

By the way, if you don’t find any money this year, there will always be next year. Don’t make my mistake of packing away boxes for so long too. Although, on a brighter note, you may end up with some vintage items for sale when you finally get to rediscover them.

Let me know how you get on with your spring cleaning and also how you made or saved some money. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter too. Look out for a freebie or two on a Sunday.

This post was proofread by Grammarly