Cash out on old stuff when you buy new

I have used this trick for years and was surprised how few people do it. For example, I just bought a new hard drive for my laptop. It arrived and I installed it and everything is working great! It cost me $125 for the new part. Most people stop here.

I take it one step further and sell my old hard drive on eBay or craigslist. I quick search on eBay shows that the going rate for my old hard drive is $40. I can assume that I will get close to that so the net cost of my new drive is $85.

Selling stuff right away, especially electronics, reduces waste, costs you less out of pocket, and goes a long way to prevent clutter. This extra hard drive would sit for ages before I use it or sell it for even less down the road. If you keep up with the "turnover" of your stuff then you will have a lot less in the long run to deal with and more financial flexibility.

You can win the battle against clutter and waste!