Don't worry if your spring cleaning has spilled into the fall months. Any time is a good time to get rid of the clutter in our homes. Besides a clean house, a wonderful side effect of getting rid of old junk is earning some extra cash; You would be surprised at how much money is hiding in your house.

Tim Luke, an appraiser and auctioneer who stars in HGTV's "Cash in the Attic," shares this intriguing tidbit: "From my travels around the country, I'm convinced that the average household has $1000 to $2000 of potential cash in stuff that they don't use."

That's a lot of money just sitting around.

When most people try to earn some money out of their stuff, they automatically think "garage sale". (Depending on where you live, you might also refer garage sales as a tag sale, estate sale, rummage sale or even as a white elephant sale.) While you might earn some cash from a sucessful sale, there are other ways to earn money from your old stuff. The secret is finding the right market for the things you need to sell.

Check out these tips to see if you can cash in from the odds and ends hiding in your home:

Read 'em and weep

If you have huge bookshelves full of material you're never going to read again (especially expensive textbooks) try selling them to other book sellers online. The best place to start is bookscouterwhere you'll see a listing of 40 companies that will buy your books PLUS pay for your shipping! Halfand Amazon also specialize in reselling your books.

Consign and dine

Consignment shops are terrific for selling used handbags, jewelry, antiques and furniture. Look here for a great resource to help you find shops willing to help you sell your higher ticket items. Just remember, your items need to be in good, if not great, condition.

Sell like Macklemore

Opening up a thrift shop may be a good option if you have a constant flow of things you'd like to sell. If you've ever thought about opening up a thrift shop, you can learn the ins and outs from the Association of Resale Professionals.

Old Money

If you have antiques that are very valuable, visit the go-to source for information about antiques and collectibles.

Going once, going twice....Sold

Try selling items auctions style (or set a fixed price) on Ebay.*

*If taking photos and writing descriptions of every item you want to sell sounds like a daunting task, you can simply take your stuff to a local Ebay drop-off store and they'll list your items for you. They will keep a percentage of your sale, but it does make things extra conveinent.

Similar items sell together

On Amazon, you can find your item and click "Sell one like this" to begin your listing. Amazon won't charge you unless your item sells. You can even ship your stuff to Amazon and then they'll do all the work for you.

Make friends with Craig

Craigslistis perfect for selling large items like treadmills and kayaks which would be extremely difficult to ship. Buyers are local and can pick up at your house or a neutral location.

Yardsale online

Yardsale.com is like a garage sale online. Sellers aren't charged a fee, but buyers pay a small service charge.

Craft for cash

Sell your homemade arts and crafts items by creating your own page to showcase your talent on Etsy! Another site that specialize in handicrafts is readwrite and is worth checking out.

Sporty spending

Sports equipment can be very pricey, so it's often insulting to receive an offer for a buck at a garage sale when you know you spent seventy bucks for it at the store! Check this site out to see if you have what they want.

The barter system

Another option is to trade your used stuff for something you'll actually use. Barter Clubs are set up all over the country, as well as online. You can exchange items or services on these web sites:

www.barterquest.com
www.bizx.com
www.u-exchange.com
www.swap.com
www.itex.com

Social media swap

Facebook has a marketplace where you can list items for sale and provides the social aspect to it that your friends' friends can feel comfortable knowing the buyer is a real person whom they can trust.

Donation, donation

Donate your stuff and take the tax break! Drop off any unsold items at a charity donation center, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.

The IRS says that the fair market value of used items is the price that buyers would pay for them in a thrift shop. You need to keep a paper trail of your donations in case you ever get audited. (Shreek!) You'll get a receipt when you donate items to a charity, but if the value exceeds $500, you'll need to include Form 8283 with your tax return. If it's worth over $5000, you'll need to also send the IRS a written appraisal of gift. Luckily, you'll be able to deduct the cost of the appraisal, subject to the two percent limit for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Last, but not least..

Finally, the best way to decrease the time and energy you need to sell your old junk is to stop buying so much new stuff! Live more and spend less!