How to turn your spring cleaning rituals into cash using my five-step P-U-R-G-E system

A profitable spring cleaning?

Hundreds of extra dollars … maybe even thousands? Yes please!

Amid the Trump tariff mayhem, a little extra dough can go a long way right now.

Let me spell it out for you: P-U-R-G-E. 

This is the framework that thousands of my students have used for years to focus their financial spring cleaning — and now you can, too:

P — PICK the items that need to be purged

Having a system to organize your purge will keep it from being overwhelming.

It can be helpful to target three to five items a room as a starting point. Don’t race. Thoughtfully select the items based on the following criteria (P.S.: I totally get it if you want to prioritize purging items made in the U.S. — I’m doubling down on my made-in-Canada efforts, too.)

• Place in the disposal/recycle pile if it is broken, missing key parts, damaged or smells bad (eg. armpit stains)?

• Place in the ‘for sale pile’ if it’s worth more than $20, you haven’t used it in the past six months (e.g. a sweater, video game or furniture); it has a bad memory (gift from an ex-partner); if it would clear clutter (that ab cruncher gathering dust in the basement since 1999); if it no longer brings you joy (thank you, Marie Kondo); or if it’s simply worth good money that you need right now (a high-end phone, a bike, a stroller).

• Place in the donation pile if the item is worth less than $20, but could be useful to another person.

If you find this part of the process therapeutic, you’re not alone.

Decluttering experts often share the mental health benefits of purging, such as lowering stress and anxiety. Less ‘stuff’ is an opportunity to save money, maximize time with family and stop wasting so much time tidying up. Just don’t drive around with this donation bag in your trunk for months. Drop it off promptly!

U — UPDATE your seller’s profile and listings

If you use Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, or even a local swap and sell website, your seller’s profile reveals if you’re good to do business with in the second-hand market.

Tidy up your seller’s profile, and as you post your ‘for sale pile’, aim for a five-star review as a seller. Your sales will likely move faster as a result.

Next, write a clear description of what you’re selling and avoid non-descript, poetic or cryptic language. I’d recommend using AI to write the marketing description and ensure it includes the four Ps of marketing: product (what is it — model, make, dimensions, colour, etc.); price (how much are you selling it for, and perhaps explain why); place (share where you originally bought it from and where buyers can meet you to pick it up); promotion (what makes this item great). The better the description, the more likely you’ll attract the right buyer willing to pay a fair price.

R — RINSE, dust, scrub, clean in preparation for pictures

Clean items fetch a higher price, and that is ample motivation to put some elbow-grease into scrubbing whatever you’re selling.

When I was scrubbing the living daylights out of my kids’ two strollers, I pumped the music and tried to have some fun.

It absolutely made a difference. Both strollers sold above average price when compared to other listings on Kijiji. I used the funds for their RESPs.

G — GORGEOUS photos lead to pretty prices!

Well lit and crystal clear pictures of your freshly scrubbed items are essential to scoring better prices. You’ll need to take at least five, if not 10, and place the best one atop the digital carousel as the featured image. Your phone will do a great job of taking pictures. There is no need to buy a camera or borrow one from your photographer friend.

Set yourself up in a well-lit room. Clear the clutter, which should be easy because you’ve just purged a bunch of stuff. Snap the pics and get them loaded, with your perfect description, into the platform you’re using to sell on. If you’re selling a big-ticket item like a car, computer or jewelry, ‘stage’ the scene so it your item looks lovely and curated.

I can’t stress enough how important good pictures are — no blurry parts, no finger prints, no reflections, no embarrassing dirty socks in the background. Second-hand market buyers simply won’t click to learn more about what you’re selling if the pictures don’t give them a compelling reason to buy.

E — EXAMPLES of similar items to help set the price

I like to compare other listings to see what they are priced at before I set my prices.

It quickly gives you a ballpark to work from and a sense of my competition — if they’re selling something in better or worse condition than mine.

It’s OK to set a higher or lower price but it just has to make sense.

A higher price that you can justify is fine — especially if what you’re selling is nearly new.

Same with pricing it lower, if the quality isn’t as good as comparable listings or frankly, if you just need to get rid of it quickly.

Interested buyers will give you feedback on your price, and you can negotiate where and when it makes sense.

And, if it’s just not selling, no matter what you’re pricing it at, you can always try consignment, or donating it (in some cases, there may be a tax receipt for this).

As things get more financially tricky here in Canada think about using the money you raise to top up your emergency savings account or pay off debt.

Just don’t blow it — especially on more ‘stuff’!

This article was originally published in The Star. Lesley-Anne Scorgie is a Toronto-based personal finance columnist and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star.