Quick answer: The fastest way to find money for debt is to sell things you don't use. List one item a day. Price it to sell fast. Send the cash straight to your smallest debt. Most people can find a few hundred dollars in a month this way, and their home gets calmer too.
Two days ago I started a 30-day challenge. I'm selling almost everything I own that I don't use. Every dollar goes to my debt. I film one video a day, whether I sell something or not.
People think this is about money. It's partly about money. But the bigger reason is simpler than that.
Why is having too much stuff a problem?
I had a garage I couldn't park in. I had closets I only opened to shove more things in. I had a shelf of "someday" projects. Someday had been six years.
None of it felt like it cost me anything. I had already paid for it. That's the trick your brain plays. The bill was paid, so the thing felt free.
But everything you own keeps costing you:
- Space. Stuff needs a place to live. You pay rent or a mortgage for that space.
- Attention. You see it. You step around it. You feel a little bad about it. Now do that a few hundred times a day.
- Time. You clean it, move it, fix it, and look for it.
Add that up and the stuff wasn't helping me. It was a monthly bill I forgot I signed up for.
Should you sell your stuff or donate it?
Do both. If something won't sell for more than it costs me in time, I give it away or put it on the curb. But most of what I own is worth something to someone. Right now, I need that something.
Selling also teaches you a lesson that giving away doesn't. It makes you look at the real number. The tool I paid $180 for sells for $40 today. I didn't lose that money today. I lost it the day I bought it. I'm just reading the receipt now.
Read enough of those receipts and you stop making new ones. That's the part that really changes your money.
How do I decide what to sell?
I don't follow a fancy system. Here are the four rules I use:
- If I haven't touched it in a year, I list it. No excuses for "but it was expensive." Expensive and unused is the worst kind of thing to keep, not the best.
- Price it to move. I look at what things actually sold for, not what people are asking. Then I price near the low end. Selling this week beats waiting three months for the "right" price.
- One box for maybes. I tape it shut and write the date on it. If I haven't opened it by the end of the challenge, it goes.
- Every sale goes straight to debt. Not into my checking account, where it disappears. Same day if I can.
What happens when the stuff is gone?
I'm two days in and the house already feels different. Not empty. Quiet.
Here's what I really want. I want my monthly bills low enough that a bad month isn't a disaster. I want to be able to say no to work I hate, because I don't need the money that badly. Owning less is the fastest way I know to get there. It cuts my costs, and it kills the urge to buy more at the same time.
Being debt-free isn't the finish line. It's the start of getting to choose.
Every day's video is on my YouTube channel, and the running total is on the home page. If you want to know where the money goes, read about the debt snowball next.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to sell used stuff?
I use eBay for things that ship easily and Facebook Marketplace for big or heavy things. Check what similar items actually sold for before you set a price.
How much money can you make selling your stuff?
It depends on what you own. Most people find a few hundred dollars in the first month. The bigger win is the bills that go away when you need less space and stop buying more.
Should I pay off debt or save the money from selling?
If you have no emergency money at all, keep a small cushion first, like $500. After that, send every sale to the smallest debt. Watching a balance hit zero keeps you going.
