Leah Ingram shares tips to turn trash into cash in her 250-page book Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In, which was borne out of her blog, SuddenlyFrugal.com. You may be tempted to hire someone to clean up the mess, but why spend money when you can be making money? Ingram writes:
There’s no reason to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 an hour to hire a professional organizer to go through your closets — you can do that yourself. That’s where this book comes in. It will help frugal folks like you get your home in order and help you find ways to make money from things you no longer need or want.
In her book, Ingram shows you how to organize and declutter every room in your home without making you buy fancy organizers. Among other things, she gives you 28 ideas for using shoe holders to hold more than shoes. She even includes quick clutter challenges to keep you motivated and shares anecdotes of people who have cleaned their homes and have made money off of things just lying around.
Each chapter of the book tackles a different room and comes with a toss, keep, and sell chart that quickly helps you identify what items must go and which could be worth major moolah.
After helping you declutter your home and teaching you how to make money with garage sales, among other things, Ingram writes about swapping and trading as a way to get rid of the rest of the junk that’s just taking up space. She recommends several sites to trade books, CDs and DVDS. She also suggest finding a swapping event to exchange your items for things you need. Check out our suggestions on making the most out of a swap.
Comment by Friday, December 3 at 9 a.m. PST for a chance to win my review copy. If you can’t wait to get your hands on the book and read Ingram’s suggestions, you can purchase it on Amazon
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
This book is just what I need to organize my finances and space
Oh, boy, do I need this – more money and more space!
I really could use this book to help me get rid of the clutter that I am tired of looking at.
Would love to win this book! I am in desperate need of organization!. BTW- I read your blog everyday and love it!
Like everyone else, I could really use this.
Would be interesting to read, goodness know I can use some decluttering… 😛
This might really help me. I had as a goal for 2010 to clean and declutter my home. It has been a (almost) year long project and I will need to continue into 2011. Not what I had envisioned!! I have made some progress but not enough. I seem to try to get everything done on week-ends and still have fun. Doesn’t quite work out that way. I need a fresh idea!
@Nanette I’m doing something similar, but with no real target date in mind. I already organized the attic and every closet, which makes it easy to spot what we need to donate or toss. I’ve got my eye on the basement next!
I have this idea in my mind that I am a very organized person, but then a couple of years ago I moved to a new house (in the same town) and it took 3 days and many many rides to move all my stuff… and then I had a baby… I seriously doubt my organizational skills are as good as I may think. If a book can help to fix this problem I think this may be it.
😀
I am moving from a 4 bedroom house to 2 bedroom condo. This book could save me 🙂
My next years goal is to learn to sell on ebay, etsy,etc . so this would be a great guide to getting started!!!
Thanks so much!!!
Oh wow, I could really use this book to help me tackle the “storage room” (AKA, extra bedroom) in my apartment. It’s a bit scary right now!
WoooHooo! Show me the money! Great idea and what better time to clear out my apartment while making a few bucks.
Wow! My husband is always nagging me about getting rid of stuff. I never know what to throw away, what can make us money or what we should just donate. This book would be perfect!
This book would be helpful. Not sure where to begin in cleaning out my house.
This sounds perfect for me. Single mom with some disabilities. Could use both the organization and the extra money tremendously!! It all seems too overwhelming sometimes, to get and stay organized.
If this book could get me to clear out all my clutter, it would be worth its weight in gold. Plus, I could start inviting family and friends to my home again without feeling embarrassed about the mess.
My fiance’s sister is a hoarder who lives with their Mother. Everywhere you look, there is stuff. A few rooms are stacked to the ceiling, wall to wall. I have been asked to tackle the mounds of stuff that has been building for years. This book could help me tremendously!
Thank you!
I love this book idea – I’m in the process of this right now! 🙂
Every room in my house needs decluttering. I am about 2 items away from qualifying for Hoarders! I feel so overwhelmed just looking at it all that I get paralyzed. Very depressing . . .
Approaching retirement, I’ve been downsizing for the past year or two, but it seems to be a never-ending battle with 60+ years of things. This book will give me extra ideas — and prompt me to go faster!
This book looks helpful. For me, we moved from a 3-bedroom home to a 2-bedroom condo. It’s easier said than done sometimes!
This would be a great help to me as I tackle some major clutter in 2011. my husband and I have lived in our house for 6 years, and there are still some boxes that are not unpacked. My sister and my brother-in-law lived with us for about a month last summer before they moved to New Zealand, and they left some of their things behind for us to either use or give away. they are still in a closet. I need some guidance, tips and encouragement to help me be able to tackle these projects and finally clear out the clutter.
Boy, do I need this book! Even though I’m not a pack rat my house still seems to get cluttered and I procrastinate terribly when it comes to cleaning and organizing!
I’m not sure if my stuff is worth anything, but I do need to get rid of it.
This book says it all for me…I am a hoarder who has just recently threw a bunch of stuff away! Now I have to get motivated to do more with my clutter!
here is my idea of de-cluttering…..as i clean out a room (move stuff around) i stick it into another more appropriate room (one that still has floor & closet space) and then i attempt to proceed to garage (my own personal “u-store-it” storage center); oh wait, i pass through the kitchen that needs a total empting due to enough tupperware to start my own outlet….aye yi yi…maybe garage sale, next spring!!!
My wife says I need to declutter, but what do I throw out. I have a lot of sentimental stuff from high school and college (the 1960’s). Is this too much to carry around? Maybe. I need to relax over some of the stuff and get rid of it. But what?
It is a constant battle to declutter the house. This would be a great help.
I have been meaning to declutter for so long now. This book would be just the motivation I need!
Use an over-the-door shoe organizer as an organizer for pet supplies. Shampoo, brush, leash, harness, collar, jacket, sweater, nail clippers, toothbrush, you name it, the pockets of an over-the-door shoe organizer are great for keeping your pet’s accessories in order.
More new uses for old things here! http://www.the-organizing-boutique.com/new-uses-for-old-things.html
ok – i NEED to know how to make MONEY from this clutter – I’ve been posting on craigslist with discounts over 50% of new and no takers. i have a room FULL of stuff to sell or trade! I donate and deduct whatever I know won’t sell, but i’ve got some GOOD stuff that has just been sitting here – HELP!
Wow….this is what I need. I want to declutter, but where to start? So many things have sentimental value, and since I am a senior citizen, I don’t want to leave the task to my kids.
awesome that someone wrote a a book about this! People thse days have too much junk!
I totally need this book! It sounds great!
Wow! I am trying to sell my house and the first thing the realtor said was “Strip it down to the bare essentials.” I’ve been working on that for over a year. Sent a whole POD of stuff to Washington state for storage; garage is still stuffed to the gills. I do not need another book in the house, but I do need the information it contains.
Count me in as someone who could use help in this area!
This would be very helpful! I love keeping things organized but it doesn’t always happen!
my clutter is cluttering my mind!
@JohnB I’m the same way! If my house or office is cluttered, it fills up my brain so I can’t get anything done.
I love the idea of a toss, keep and sell chart. I’ve saved way too many things because I can’t figure out what to do with it. Also love the links to trading items. Something to streamline my streamlining process would be a godsend!
I would LOVE to get the clutter out!
In 2002, after 12 years at one place we moved from a three car four bed house (with lots of cabinets in the garage) to a two car three bed condo (with lots of big storage shelving in the garage).
In 2004 we had to move to a two bed room single garage (with very little storage). To this day, 8 years after the original move, we still have boxes we have not opened and other stuff we have not thrown out or donated largely because we don’t have the room to put anything else and “it may come in handy someday”.
We have tried the organizer route but most require expensive storage boxes or more space than we have to keep the clutter down.
I don’t know if this book will fix everything, but maybe it can help us move past the mental hurdle of starting and at least move in the right direction at doing something about it.
Thanks for all of the great information you keep sending our way.
In a quandry how to clean out a home after 40 yrs in residence. This book is just what I need.
I so need this book! My house is getting too cluttered and who couldn’t use a few extra bucks this season. Hope I win! Thanks for the chance.
I could use this book to clear clutter. Thanks for the chance.
if anyone needs this book for organization.. i do. i have moved from one house to another and STILL have boxes in my garage that “i just can’t part with”.. teach me how to organize.
Thanks for this tip! I feel oppressed by all the clutter with 3 young children and have fantasies of a plow pushing all the junk far away. I was resigned to live with the squalor, but now feel motivated and helpful I can actually have a clean, organized home!
Looks like a fantastic read! I just started de-cluttering my office space in hopes of updating my space this spring.
This would be really good for me,. Thanks for the contest.
Just listed a few things on eBay to do some decluttering but would love to win this book to get more ideas!
I definitely need help. I try, but just can’t seem to decide what I need to keep and what I need to get rid of or how to get rid of it. This book just might be the answer I’ve been waiting for.
I’ve been looking for a way to get started on decluttering and I’d love to win this! Thanks for the giveaway!
With nine people living under one roof, I would love to be able to get better organized and to declutter!
How exciting! I would LOVE to win a copy! Thank you for the opportunity! Best of luck to all! and best of luck to you in your journey!
Sounds like a great read. Hope I win a copy!
This is definitely what I need to help me get organized.
sounds like a super useful book!
This title would be useful.
We’re a military family, so we move a lot! I’m always looking for ways to declutter, and this sounds like a great resource.
OH My, I really did not know how much I need this until I started putting up my Christmas Village yesterday. Now I am missing my train set my Grandpa gave me years ago. I found things that were broken and need fixing or thrown out. Now I just have to find the rest of my stuff!!!!! I have closets and closets to go thru!
I’ve wondered if a book could help me do this on my own, after watching so many tv shows with professional organizers do it, it seems pretty straightforward, but daunting. We all need to learn to do more with less. There’s so much stuff and very little that we really need.
I’ve been thinking I could sell some of this stuff. This book could help! Thanks!
Ahhh to be clutter free, sounds like vacation to me in a condo by the beach! That’s what it would feel like to have no more paper/magazine piles of things saved to read later when I have time – I should know by now that if it isn’t read when it comes to me it will eventually be trash! And to let go of emotional attachments to clothes/jewelry/things would be a blessing.
This would be the fifth book, but if it was the last I’d be thrilled. It’s the only one to discuss making money, and coincidentally, I just “rediscovered” consignments stores today.
@Susan Crasnow Do you mean you’ve read four other books about decluttering? Were any of them helpful? Please share!
Thank you for picking my name out!!! I will read this book more than once from front to back!!!!!!
A lot of women I know appear to be organized but when you get at chance to look at their closets, you will find out that a lot of them are a mess. Would you know the statistics on this?
@James Does anyone keep statistics on messy closets? I doubt it!