Emergency Fund Savings: 24 Items to Sell to Fund the Account
An Emergency Fund Savings account is so important! If you've ever experienced an unexpected job loss like our family has, you know how crucial an emergency savings account is! I can't tell you how many times ours has been a blessing as we had unexpected emergencies.
How much should you have in savings? That will be totally different for each person. Dave Ramsey suggests at least $1,000. Other financial pros suggest at least a 6 month savings plan so you are prepared if the job loss is longer than anticipated.
Either way, if you are trying to get an emergency savings fund started, it can be overwhelming. Unfortunately a financial emergency never comes at the *right* possible time, do they? {sigh…} I can assure you that having an emergency savings account to pull from during those times will help to alleviate some stress!
To get your Emergency Fund started, consider selling stuff around your house! Check out these 24 items you can sell to start building an emergency fund this week!
Sell Exercise Equipment
Instead of letting that old bike or elliptical sit there, sell it. Exercise equipment sells quickly, especially at the start of the year because everyone is making New Year’s resolutions.
Check out your local Play It Again Sports stores and see what kind of cash you can get. We personally go there all the time to look for sports and exercise equipment.
Sell Old Sports Equipment
Since I just mentioned it, sell your kids' unused sports gear. Each year we go through old gear and see what can be handed down to each of our boys to use for the upcoming season. What we don't need we sell!
Whether you visit a second hand sports store, or sell in your local Facebook Buy & Sell group, chances are you can make some decent cash for your emergency fund! We sold an old weight bench last year. When I posted that I received probably 50 messages from people wanting it!
Also, be sure to time your sale during a time when people need the items you are selling. I posted that weight bench right before the football conditioning season was about to start. When our buyer picked up our item we mentioned how many people wanted the item and they reminded me about weight training starting soon.
Find Ways to Save Money on Clothes
Sell Clothes
Clothing is probably one of the best items you can sell to get your emergency fund up. Especially if you have women and men clothing, these clothes are in demand, which means they will sell quickly.
Fun fact: our son LOVES to sell his old clothes and shoes! He also loves buying both second-hand as well (he will go shop at least once a month, or more if we would take him). Since my husband has taken our son so many times to sell now the Mister has become quite the fan of consignment!
We go at least a few times a quarter to sell old clothes locally. You can also sell your clothes online to places like ThredUp and, of course, eBay.
Sell Used Appliances for Cash
Old washers, dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers sell incredibly fast even if they don’t work. When we moved into our current home, it came with a washer and dryer. Well, we had a set that was still good so we sold it in a local Facebook selling group.
My next item I'll be buying will be an old refrigerator. We sold ours before our last move because we didn't think we would need it as much. Since we don't *have* to have one, I'll take time to find a good deal on a used unit just like I did when buying our used freezer that's still kicking to this very day.
Sell Firewood
We have friends who have wood burning heaters. If you haven't heard of them, they are the most economical way to heat your home! They are also fortunate to have many acres and some equipment to cut up fire wood fast. If you have any similar means, sell firewood for some extra cash for that emergency savings account!
Sell Old Furniture
Sell the extra furniture that you are no longer using. These items tend to sell quickly because family’s go through furniture so fast.
In just the last year alone, I have personally purchased a bed frame, 2 solid dressers (scored for $75 total – scroll down to see what I did with them), several chairs and a sofa table. People snatch up old furniture so fast on the various marketplaces!
Sell Kids' Toys
While kids’ toys are incredibly expensive at the store, they are typically sold for a fraction of the cost. If you're still holding on to that box of trains, let them go. The barbies can go to a new home too so you can fund your emergency savings!
Sell Baby Stuff
Are you littles out of the baby stage? Sell the crib and other baby accessories for cash. Don’t forget to part ways with the stroller you no longer need. Those also tend to bring in lots of cash.
Sell Broken Cars
Have you ever had a car that decided to break down on you? Sell that hunk of metal for a nice chunk of change.
When my husband's old “jacked up car” finally drove its last mile, we sold it to the junk yard for a few hundred bucks. We weren't going to keep that in our driveway so having the junk yard come haul it away and pay us for it was a fantastic deal!
Sell Old Cameras
Old cameras that are sitting around make ideal items to sell to help you stock up your emergency fund. Depending on the level of the photographer, an older model can make a great first camera for someone.
I'm always looking for newer camera models from what I currently use. I am totally fine with buying used if I know it's been taken care of. I plan to sell an older camera I just discovered again very soon too.
Sell Boats
No matter the type of boat you have, these always sell quickly for cold hard cash. Depending on where you live, other water gear like paddle boards or kayaks sell well and fast.
We sold a boat several years ago. The hardest part was the sentimental attachment since it was my dad's old boat. We listed the boat for sales on Craigslist but if we sold it today, I'm sure it would sell fast on the Facebook Marketplace.
Sell Old Bikes
Do you have a bike just sitting in the garage? Put that bicycle up for sale to help stock up your emergency fund. We have sold our older bikes with success. Again, if it's not being used, there is no reason to have it take up space. Make some money and get more room in your garage!
Sell Old Electronics
Think of all of those iPhones that you have sitting in a drawer, those are worth some serious cash. I purchase our electronics from a local small business. I just got a new Macbook Pro at a great price and even better service! They buy all types of electronics there. I have also had great purchasing success and selling success with electronics through eBay.
I'm sure you have several places like that near you. You can also check out how you can Trade-In on Amazon, or use a site like Gazelle.
Sell Kitchen Appliances
Toasters, coffee makers, microwave ovens, blenders—you name it and you can sell it to help stock up your e-fund. My friend scored an awesome deal on a Vitamix for $10 – YES! My aunt grabbed a food processor for me for just $10, which is a great deal.
Again, with the timing on things. Small kitchen appliances will sell most any time of the year, but especially around summer months! Parents and students are looking to buy items for college dorms and apartments.
My friend's son purchased a few microwaves on a “pallet” discount. He timed the sale listing right since it was around the busy time for college dorm room shopping. He flipped those and earned $50 each microwave! You can do the same thing with your unused kitchen electronics!
Sell Gift Cards
Lots of legitimate sites online will buy your unused gift card balances. Check out Gift Card Granny and Raise.com to start. You can also get a great deal on gift cards when you buy from these sites too!
Sell Books for Cash
If you have shelves and shelves of books, it’s time to part ways with some and make some cash. We have an entire post on how you can Make Money Selling Books. You can make some decent emergency fund cash by going through your old books!
Sell Computer Parts
Get rid of old laptops and desktops to help rake in the emergency fund account! Do you know people who like to build their own computers? My nephew is one of those people. We just give him all of our old machines so he can use the parts to build his next awesome system!
Before you sell any old computers or electronics, make sure you wipe your hard drive. You don't want to leave any personal information on the machine that can be retrieved by the new owner.
Sell Old Tools
It might take some convincing to get your spouse to get rid of their tools, but the cash you’ll rack up will be worth it. My father-in-law probably has 7 drills. He really doesn't need them now but I'm sure he did at the time :D
Go through the tools with your spouse and see what they absolutely need. Sell the rest!
Sell Unwanted Items
What you consider clutter, someone else may consider a treasure. Sell whatever items you plan on throwing away, every dime counts for that emergency fund!
A few times a year, I scan every room in our home and find at least one item that we don't use or need. These things take up physical space but also mental space! Even something as basic as an old light fixture.
Heck, I still have items that I've bought with intentions of using and never ended up using it. Those are sold to keep the cycle going! Gonna fund that savings account!
Sell Old Dressers
If you can spare selling an old dresser, this is an excellent item to sell. As I mentioned above, my best purchase for furniture was by far a set of dressers – both for $75.
We repainted them with this chalk paint that I purchased at Ace Hardware. We used a nice paint sprayer to get that smooth finish (worth every dime even if you only use it once). Based on tutorials, I decided to add this clear flatcoat to better preserve the chalk paint (I'm glad I did that too). I also redid the hardware using this metallic wax finish and they look brand new.
I really should do a separate post of the process. It did require work, but the finished product is beautiful! This chalk paint furniture DIY was super helpful.
You could even buy old dressers, repaint yourself, then flip to make even more money! It's rewarding to see the old piece get new life…and make even more money in the process!
Sell Dresses and Formal Wear
It’s time to clear out the closet and sell that old wedding dress, prom dress or formal wear. Guys can sell their suits and tuxes they no longer need or they have outgrown.
I had my wedding dressed preserved and it's boxed up, so I can't sell that! But, I would absolutely sell any old prom dresses if I still had them. If we had girls, I would also sell their old prom or formal dresses since most never wear them more than once anyway!
I have sold old suits and suit jackets from my days in Corporate. My husband has sold his old suits and suit jackets as well. If you're not going to wear something that formal, someone else would pay a decent amount to buy them. It's just more money for that emergency fund!
Sell Gold for Cash
You can go to a local place to sell your gold, and even a pawn shop (but you will get way less for it at the pawn shop). Check out the site Cash for Gold USA too where you can send in your gold for cash. Gold is worth more than $52 per gram right now (as of March 26, 2020).
To give you a sense of how much a gram weighs, a nickel is 5 grams. A tiny nickel’s worth of 24k gold would be worth more than $260. When I had my ring reset from gold to a platinum, I asked the jeweler for the band back for sentimental reasons. They seemed hesitant and it didn't even occur to me that this was likely why! Anyway, the site is legitimate so it's worth a shot if you have something that's not sentimental.
Sell Photos Online
Yes, the photos you're taking every.single.day! There are several places online that will buy your photos but you can make the most money if you sell them on a website that you own and operate. However, it may take more work to gain a following and visibility to sell these yourself so selling to sites like Shutterstock, DepositPhotos, SmugMug and even Etsy are great places to list your photos for sale.
Sell Plasma
Yeap, sell your plasma! I have a few friends that have done this and have been able to pay off major expenses in their home. This is something that is critically needed as well so you can feel good about taking take to do this one.
There you have it! 20+ items you can sell now to start an emergency fund! What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever sold to help stock up your emergency fund?
Emergency Fund Related Posts
6 Places to Sell Your Stuff Online (for free)
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