Feeling overwhelmed by clutter while your bank account needs a boost? You’re not alone. We recently partnered with decluttering expert Rachel Burditt (The Declutter Darling) for a 4-day challenge to help our community clear out their homes, finances and minds. Here’s what our community discovered about turning chaos into cash…
1. Slash those sneaky subscriptions
Our community members found creative ways to cut costs:
“My big win is Spotify Duo which is going to save us £7 per month. Might not sound much but it all adds up!”
– Alice
“I didn’t upgrade my iPhone and fall for the trap of renewing my phone contract for the first time ever! So that pockets me £50/month minimum.”
– Marium
“I’ve just changed to Smarty now. This will save me over £20 a month.”
– Caroline
Some unexpected wins:
“I noticed that I was charged twice for an annual subscription, and I managed to get in touch with them (it was not easy) and they just refunded me $400!”
– Leti
“I just did a gift card declutter… I went through them all today and managed to find £36.01 across all of them.”
– Amelia
Expert tip: Rachel says, “Decluttering your emails and subscriptions can help show you if you have any charges that you haven’t noticed, or monetary subscriptions that you’ve forgotten about.”
2. Tackle that debt
One community member shared her powerful debt-busting strategy: “I’ve created a spreadsheet with them all on. Listed by highest interest first and then noted what dates 0% ends. Any extra money that’s left at the end of month goes straight to the top one. I’ve cleared over £10k in a year.”
– Amelia
3. Turn your wardrobe into cash
Rachel’s top selling tips on Vinted:
- Add more than 1 photo of each item
- Show the entire item in the picture
- Photograph in good light, using hangers when possible
- List a few items often
- Enable bundle discounts
- Post on Sunday evenings for best results
Amelia also had a helpful tip about timing: “I also find that listing at the start of month after payday tends to get more sales… don’t bother in January as nothing sells!”
One seller’s impressive results: “I’ve become quite obsessed with Vinted over the past couple of years and have made over £450! I only allow myself to buy what I can afford from my Vinted balance i.e. what I sell, basically making it free! I now buy all my daughter’s clothes on Vinted and most of mine and have saved so much doing so.”
– Alice
For selling items in bulk, there’s Thrift+. Keep in mind that you’ll likely make less money by doing this. Rachel says: “Thrift+ is for more high end high street like Cos, Whistles etc. Worth it if you have lots of the more premium brands.”
4. Household items worth selling
Our community shared their favorite platforms: “If anyone has lots of books to sell I recommend the WeBuyBooks app. They have always given me what they said they would. It’s really easy to do and I’ve made a nice amount.”
– Lucy
“You can sell everything on [Depop], from books to homeware, etc.”
– Lucy
Smart selling advice: “If you can’t sell something try to re-upload it! I’ve sold old items immediately once I’ve re-uploaded them.”
– Caroline
Dealing with emotional attachment: “The bit that is sad is how little you get for how much you spent. That tends to be my issue with clutter in general. The buzz of buying something wears off and I’m left with the amount I have spent as the blocker to moving it on?!”
– Ele
Rachel’s advice: “Don’t let it take up space in your home. Either discount it or give charity it away!” As Lucy puts it: “One person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure.”
Ready to start?
Begin with just one drawer this weekend – you might be surprised at the treasures you find. Remember, decluttering isn’t just about creating space; it’s about freeing up money, reducing stress, and making room for what really matters.
