I have a lot of excess things, to the point where I think I am a hoarder. What I don't have a lot of is money. I think a lot of us might be in that kind of boat.

I was thinking the best way to turn stuff into cash might be via goal setting. For example, I want enough money to cover a trip to go backpacking in Europe for a few months. That's a pretty big goal. I don't even know how much money I need for something like that. I can certainly start researching any time now...

In the meantime, just flights alone, from San Diego to London, for example, cost over a grand. So giving myself a starter goal of earning my plane ticket seems reasonable.

Since I do better with specific goals than nebulous ones, I can set aside a jar, or pretty box, or secret envelope, just to put money in for this plane ticket. I can put a picture of Paris on it for extra motivation. I could even make a Vision Board and attach it to the top of a cardboard box where they money will go.

My next step would be selling things to make that thousand dollar goal, and putting all the cash in this box/jar/thing.

So my steps here are:
1. make a goal
2. research that goal and price it out
3. make a container for the money and maybe make it special
4. decide what to sell/how to earn that amount
5. sell stuff (or do stuff)

Number 5, selling stuff, is the hard one for me. I don't like selling. I find it hard to give things up, and hard to talk to strangers. This is where an active goal would help nudge me along.

Looking at my things, I could start to list them. I have: an older generation iphone, an ipod touch, an unused pedometer system, a magellan GPS unit, a lot of cat and dog grooming supplies (the good stuff, from when i was a groomer),furniture, tools, several microwave ovens, fans and space heaters, antiques and collectibles, hundreds of books, some land parcels, housewares, an extra jeep and a vintage camping trailer, costume jewelry, nice jewelry, clothes, shoes, leather belts, wigs, ten inches of my hair in a ponytail, misc other electronics and some silverplate serviceware. There are more things, but i think this is plenty to think on right now.

I'm not even including services I can render, since I have so much stuff I'd rather unload.

In other threads i am describing ways to sell various possessions people might have. Please feel free to join in with your ideas, what you have done, and what you suggest I do!

Well, I haven't sold anything yet (i have anxiety with talking to strangers), but i did do some pet sitting and added $50 to my Paris Box.

Anyone have a money savings goal?

I finally have a date for my Europe plans - next year, leaving in March. I'll stay abroad for as long as I can stretch out the money I save this year.

So, yay, that is a deadline. I seem to work best with deadlines, rather than some nebulous end goal.

I've also set a few ideas for the trip itself. I want to start in Paris, which I've never seen, and then make my way to Croatia, where there are lovely warm beaches and the living is inexpensive. Stopping in italy is on the list, and I want to find my extended family there.

Planning actual trip details makes the goal feel more real to me, and will help me get motivated to sell off my things to raise money.

I'm looking for a way to gamify this for myself somehow.