Don’t Waste Your Money: Spring Cleaning

(WHTM) – With the trees and flowers blooming, its time for some spring cleaning. So we visited a decluttering expert who showed us how you can clean up and make money too.

Katie Brennaman doesn’t know what to do with all the toys and clutter in her home’s attic.

“I think I was feeling overwhelmed because it is all in one small space. I have four children, and they are spanned out over 12 years,” Brennaman said.

So Katie turned to a decluttering expert, Rose Lounsbury, author of the book “Less.”

“We’re not just dealing with stuff, we are dealing with feelings, so our stuff can be tied in with memories of our kids, or someone who passed on,” Lounsbury said.

But if you have so much stuff, you probably don’t know where to begin.

“It’s kind of easier to shut the door and pretend it doesn’t exist, even though it is still there,” Lounsbury added.

So Rose got to work, showing Katie how to cut through the clutter.

Rose says, keep a few memories, but clear out the rest.

“You’ll say oh my gosh we have 47 coffee mugs here. Only two people in this house drink coffee,” Lounsbury said.

So Rose and Katie get to work.

As son Zac carries down the junk, Rose puts up signs to show where it will go.

“All the things you want to keep you put together, all the things you want to donate you put together, all the things you want to sell you put together,” Lounsbury said.

She says to then take that sell pile and offer the items to an app like Facebook Marketplace, Thred Up, or a local consignment shop.

Or, stage a summer yard sale, but that won’t bring in top dollar.

Katie’s cluttered room was turned into a beautiful attic study in just two hours, and she’s thrilled.

Rose’s last tip? Don’t try to do it all in one day. That way you don’t burn out, and you don’t waste your money.

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