One of my FAVORITE things to do is help people earn or save money. You may think that decluttering and getting organized is all about throwing things out, but it’s actually about FINDING things you love and things that are valuable. Sometimes when you are organizing your home, you can find things that are tying up your money unless you return them to the store.

This one case makes the point. The gal was unhappy with some mail order clothes, but she kind of forgot she had them, she thought the store might not let her return the, she didn’t exactly know how to return them, and she kind of didn’t have a box, tape or envelopes to make returns by mail.

Whew! That’s a lot of no go in one little paragraph.

But it’s totally worth solving all of those problems to get just over $300 in credits.

The client was just going to donate these brand new items, but I wasn’t having it. Just this one little fix was going to pay for today’s appointment with me, where we organized the whole apartment!

We can make it happen.

First thing, once we found the clothing items, we called the company and confirmed that they would accept these items for credit. Excellent!

Next, we used clear packing tape to refold the opened bags onto themselves, then taped them shut. It doesn’t have to be pretty to go through the mail. It just has to be secure.

Last thing, we made a plan for how and when she was going to drop these by the local UPS store. We made sure she knew where it was and what the hours were. We put it on her calendar.

Returns can be a hassle, but they can also be money back in your pocket. And you are organizing your home at the same time!

Do you have returns to mail back or return to the store? Get on that this month, and invest the cash in a savings account. It was lost money to you, just sitting in a pile at home, but it can turn into the start of a nice little savings account.

It’s a great way to get started on your financial goals this year. Pin for inspiration.