Spring clean, live the dream and skim the cash cream

It's that time of the year when spring is in the air - and keen oily raggers know their trash may be someone else's treasure. Here are some oily rag tips to make the task easier.
Plan for the big clean-up and make it a family social day. Organise and arm the troops with fluffy feather dusters, top-secret cleaning agents, rubbish bags, boxes, and a positive attitude as they march towards victory. Write down the "Mission Impossible" task for each trooper, and have them report back to HQ at regular intervals - for refuelling of tea and pikelets.
Break the tasks down into small and simple steps. Plan a room at a time. Work in pairs if need be and keep communications short, sharp and snappy. Question: "What about this?" Answer: "Rubbish".
Start by rummaging through forgotten places for trash that you can turn into cash. Golf clubs, unwanted household appliances, furniture, books can all be sold online, at a garage sale, swapped or given away.
In the bathroom, check medicines for use-by dates. Destroy anything that's a bit dubious - it's dangerous having them lying around, especially if there are littlies in the house.
Get the torch out and have a good look at the back of cabinets and drawers. Be ruthless ... if you haven't used it, you probably don't need it.
The kitchen is one of the bigger challenges. Start by removing everything out of the cupboards, pantry and fridge. Toss out things that are gathering mould or are past their use-by date. Make sure everything in the pantry is visible and easy to access. Have the stuff you have to use in the near future at the front so you can adapt your menus to suit.
While you're at it don't forget to spring clean the freezer - make room for the bargain buys and baked goodies for school lunches.
In the wardrobe, if you haven't worn a clothing item for years, you probably don't need it. Sort everything into one of three piles: Stuff that you wear, good stuff that you would wear if you could fit into it and stuff that should be thrown out or used as rags.
Get rid of the good stuff that you don't wear - drop it into one of the charitable thrift shops, or sell it at a garage sale. When putting the clothing back, try sorting by items (all the shirts together, for example) or by use ( sort into best, casual, work and so on). The better organised your stuff, the more efficiently you will use it. You may discover useful items that have been lost through decades of wardrobe chaos.
Cancel subscriptions to magazines that are no longer read or enjoyed.
Sort though the old stacks of magazines that tend to clutter up closets and form ever-taller piles on coffee tables. Take them to second-hand book shops and turn them into cash, or donate them to your local hospital.
A spring clean will not only make you feel better about things, but can free up spare cash. There are many avenues available to sell those unwanted goodies: everything from free classified ads in your local community newspaper, to garage sales, car boot sales, and a proliferation of online trading sites.
Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag by Frank & Muriel Newman is available from all good bookstores or online at www.oilyrag.co.nz