We LOVE to help you all make extra money online. So we were excited when one of our readers, Kendal, recently shared some great ideas about how to make money while staying “green” at the same time!
Kendal says, I’m all about three things: Saving money, clearing out clutter and being green. Although I’m new to guest blogging, I thought it would be a great idea to share some tips that help me with the readers of CAFM (and in the meantime hopefully buy Money Savin’ Momma some sleep time!)
5 Simple Ways to Make Money While Being Green at the Same Time
We all know we should “be green,’ but what keeps us from it? Do you just hate carting piles of boxes off to the recycle center? Can’t stand bins full of empty drink cans sitting in your garage? Do you always forget your re-usable grocery tote? Well, that’s okay. Those things are great ways to save the earth, but don’t go far in personal advantages (and some of us need an extra incentive to do things we don’t really enjoy.)
What if you could recycle and actually make a little money?
1. Wal-Mart now has an on-line “Buy Back” program that buys back electronics, cell phones, games, movies and more. Go to Walmart Gazelle and type in your item. Answer a few questions related to its current condition. If you have original cords, boxes, manuals, etc – then enter those as well. Wal-Mart will instantly make you an offer. They even pay the shipping charges. In return, you get a Wal-Mart Prepaid Visa Check good online or at any Wal-Mart Store. If your items don’t pass inspection once they arrive at the Wal-Mart center, they will return them to you or recycle them for free. Goals accomplished: Cleared out the piles of old games, broken cell phones and last decade’s camera; made a little cash; and saved the landfill a little space.
2. Cash4Books – Similar to the Wal-Mart program but just for books. Use their search engine to see if they are buying the books you own. They make you an instant offer; you print out a pre-printed shipping label and ship the books. Once they receive your books they will inspect them and send you the money via PayPal. Simple as pie! On my first shipment I sent 7 books and made $17 – a lot more than if I had put them in a yard sale. Goals accomplished: Cleared off that dusty book shelf; made a little cash to go out and buy more books; and kept good books from being trashed on moving day.
3. Staples Reward Card – Staples offers a reward program for ink cartridges. You get $3 per cartridge you recycle through them. Simply take your empty cartridges to any cashier, scan your Staples Rewards Card (free to sign up) and once a month you will receive your check in the mail. I save up my points and use them to purchase my printer ink for the entire year!
4. Many businesses offer trade-in coupons for electronics. Coscto.com and Staples.com both offer incentives for recycling your printers, monitors and other electronic devices when it’s time to replace them with new ones.
5. Then there’s good ‘ole eBay. When the weather is too bad for yard sales, sit down and search eBay. You can sell ANYTHING on eBay (that’s legal, of course.) If you’ve ever bought there before, you can learn to sell there. It’s a fairly simple process and it’s a good way to move those Hummel figurines your grandma left you back in ’79.
One quick note: What if you just are plain old tired of looking at all that clutter and want it hauled away? I’ve got a quick fix for that too. Freecycle.org is a site that allows you post ANYTHING as long as you are giving it away. You can also post if you are looking for something particular, such as a used washer, plant cuttings or scraps of fabric. How it works: First you sign up (for free) and find your local “community.” Mine is right here in town. Join that community and post what you have to give away. I’ve seen everything from coupons to furniture to children (okay, maybe just pleas for a little babysitting time.) You can add pictures and videos to your listing. People then email you and let you know they want it. You decide who gets it (first come first serve is the common practice), contact the interested party by email or phone call and make the pick-up arrangements. It’s 100% free. I use it after every yard sale I have. I post that I have left over yard sale items and need them ALL picked up. One person comes and takes it all away!
Kendal, of is a stay-at-home mom of three girls who loves to find ways to make life simpler. Please visit her at http://www.thekendalcompanies.com and http://thekendalcompanies.blogspot.com
Update from Money Savin’ Momma: One of our readers, Mark, just reminded us about another great resource: You can visit Amazon’s Video Games trade-in store here and Amazon’s Movie / DVD / Blu-Ray / TV trade-in store here to recycle your old games and movies! The DVD trade in store actually has a special offer going on right now where you can get an extra $10 free, check it out!
mark says
don’t forget Amazon’s trade-in store.
Money Savin’ Momma here: Thanks for the reminder! You can visit Amazon’s Video Games trade-in store here and Amazon’s Movie / DVD / Blu-Ray / TV trade-in store here
The DVD trade in store actually has a special offer going on right now where you can get an extra $10 free, check it out!
Joy says
I really enjoy your blog … wanted to let you know that I linked to this article in the “This n That Thursday” post on my blog. http://myreasonstoblog.blogspot.com/
Hope you have a great day!!!
~ Joy 🙂