Crisis Day 3

Sell Stuff

Okay, this is actually a multi day project in many cases.

Start going through your things.  Clothes that no longer fit, things that you have put away in storage and don't use.  Clean them and price them.

There are many options for selling.  You can sell things a bit at a time with online garage sales on facebook groups dedicated to that for your local area or use ebay or etsy if you have some particularly nice stuff.  Or you can look to the old fashioned yard sale.  They each have their advantages and drawbacks.  You know what fits your life and neighborhood the best.  You might surprised at what you find.  Clothes the kids can't fit anymore, toys they don't play with anymore, those earrings your mom bought you that you didn't know how to tell her that you can't wear pierced earrings anymore or those shoes you love but pinch your toes so much that you never wear them.

Trust me you can find lots of stuff to purge and sell.  This isn't near as profitable as day one and two activities, but you get to declutter as well.  And if you are paying for a storage unit to house any of this stuff, just the savings in storage fees will be worth it.  Your life will be chaos until you get it sold, but it will be worth it.

Another bonus to this step is that your things will be getting a second life and be put to use again.  This should make you feel good for environmental reasons.

Depending on the stuff you need to part with, how much you have and how you choose to sell it this can make you anywhere from $50 to $1000.    Be realistic in your expectations.  This isn't going to make you rich.  But it might pay your grocery bill this week or get you to work for the month.  Not worth doing if it means missing work, but if you have the time, so very worth doing.  If you are doing online sales, you can do one item or one lot at a time.

This is actually my least favorite step.  I much prefer long term saving methods over short term gain methods.  This really only makes my list because sometimes you really do need an influx of cash really really quickly and who doesn't need to declutter at some point anyway. And ending a storage unit bill is a way bigger deal than the bit of money you make selling off the stuff you are paying to store.

The money you get from this should be going only towards the NEED category of things on your list.  Which should be basic needs, food, shelter, and obligations for which your world would come crashing down on you if they are not paid.  You know debts and gas to get to and from work sort of obligations  This is not a time to go out and buy more stuff.

Also books left over at the end of the sale can go to the used book store.  You won't get much out of it, but there have been times that as paid for gas to get to work or the week's grocery bill.

I know it is only Day three, but you should be feeling some of the pressure easing off.  Don't forget to call someone today.
Hopefully you have turned to this point long before you needed to look into things like bankruptcy, but if things are that bad, don't be afraid to call the specialists that you need to help you.  Asking for help isn't a bad thing.  There is reason it is step two in my plan.  But borrowing money from friends and family is very bad.  If it is more than $10 because you left your wallet at home and it is going to take more than 24 hours for you to pay them back, don't do it.  It ruins relationships.  Your friends will be there to help you in more profound ways during this time that won't require worrying about paying them back.  Don't let a debt ruin a friendship, because they might not be there for you when you need them for something more important.