Council pick up days to make AND save money
The council pick up is this week. To say my Mum is excited is a major understatement. She’s pumped. She’s prepared and she is ruthless. This week, under severe duress, I threw out half my childhood- starting with several fancy dress costumes. Fairy wings, old birthday cards and clothes I never wear were looked upon with a severe eye and consigned to Vinnies if they were in any condition to be re-used, or the council pick-up pile out the front of our house.
Ever on the lookout for a bargain, I turned my thoughts as to how a council clean-up might have the potential to be a money spinner.
One man’s trash…
So far this week, I’ve seen some outdoor furniture and a barbeque (nothing wrong with it, except it doesn’t roll too well). These things can come in handy should you be decking out your house. Council clean-up offers an opportunity to grab an item you’ve been needing for a while, or discover a need you never knew you had. All for free.
If you’re keen to grab some new furniture/ firewood/ creative inspirational object, then why not jump in a car during council clean up week and coast around your town, looking for necessary items? You’ll save yourself money, and brighten up your home for nothing.
…is another man’s treasure.
The vice versa also applies. Just because you don’t want something any more, does not mean that the person next door may not be in dire need of it. Council clean-ups provide an opportunity to look around your house, and think about what you need and what you can do without.
Do a good deed, and take the stuff that’s in reasonable condition to Vinnies so they can sell it on. Put the rest out the front of your house, it’ll be gone in the wink of an eye. You end up saving the money you’d inevitably have to spend at the tip should you need to dump it or avoiding the need to buy extra storage units because you’re out of space.
Use your skills
A broken bike is put out the front, to be picked up and scrapped. At one glance you know all it needs is a bit of work and it’ll be right as rain. If you’ve got the skills, why not do up some items and sell them on eBay and earn yourself some extra cash? There are some cool suggestions on how to turn trash into treasure here.
Get your garage on
Should you have the energy, maybe consider the council clean-up an inspiration and put aside all the things in reasonable condition for a garage sale. Hold a competition with your friends to see who can clean out the most stuff, and put it all out for sale.
Things you never thought would be appealing again, like your vinyls and your classic 60s clothes have never been hipper. Advertise on local telephone poles, and you’ll be sure to have the local alternative hippies turn up to rummage through your long-forgotten goods. You won’t be able to finance a round the world trip from the earnings, but you will be able to earn yourself a bit of cash to put in the piggy bank.
Recycling is now much more than putting your milk cartons in a separate bin. Why not get into the spirit and save some money in the bargain?
How do you save money with the council clean-up?
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