How to declutter and earn some extra cash this January

A brand-new year means one thing around here: a hard reset on everything in our lives. This includes our closet full of things we no longer use. New Year, new us.

Most of your used electronics and other gear shouldn’t just be thrown into the trash. After all, one person’s trash might make another person’s day. Tap or click here for a list of old tech worth big bucks.

Our take: why miss out on a potential windfall? These three tips can help you maximize your time and make the most of stuff that would typically go to waste.

1. Sell stuff online

When you choose a safe, reputable marketplace, cashing in is easy. Your old tech might net you a bundle if it’s in good condition.

We love Decluttr because it can help you appraise everything you want to sell, getting you a fair price without the risk of shadier places like Craigslist. Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Amazon are also excellent choices, although you might need to do more legwork.

Tap or click here for our guide to Decluttr.

2. Get tax deductions when you donate

Donating old electronics and other household goods to places like Goodwill isn’t just a charitable deed. You can also write these donations off on your taxes. To file correctly, you’ll need to itemize everything you’ve donated over the fiscal year.

Non-cash donations of less than $250 must include a description of what you gave, the organization’s name, address and the donation’s date. The more you donate, the more details you may be asked to provide. You can find all the info you need on the IRS’s site.

3. Recycle electronics

Sure, you won’t make much money, but recycling things revitalizes your home the same way both activities above do. Plus, there’s a significant environmental advantage — old batteries, computers, printer cartridges and phones all seep dangerous chemicals into the soil if not disposed of properly.

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Computer chips are used in almost anything electronically powered, ranging from handheld devices to kitchen appliances and everything in between. But the global pandemic has caused a significant shortage, and the automotive industry has been hit especially hard.

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🖨️ Printer smarts: Turning off your printer can trigger maintenance tasks when you turn it back on, which sucks up expensive ink. Instead, let your printer go into energy-saving mode when it’s not in use.

AI denies insurance, global ID system & hackers' favorite files

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Plus, Washington Post’s Geoffrey Fowler learned his $123 HP ink cartridges cost $2 to make — I chat with him about it. Ukrainian women are using AI to “honey trap” Russian soldiers. AI thinks it wrote the Constitution, and tools designed to combat constant lateness.

Printer hack (literally): A YouTuber figured out how to use more affordable third-party ink cartridges in HP printers that usually block anything but the HP brand. With a cheap circuit board, the printer gets tricked into believing the non-HP cartridge is genuine and works like usual. HP is threatening to brick any printers caught doing this.

270,315 printer cartridges

How much HP’s CEO earned in 2023. Poor Enrique Lores got a 7% pay cut — which still comes to $19.46 million in pay, stocks and perks. HP says his actual take-home was $12,858,597. So, he’s fine.

Your printer has an email address - Here's how to print to it from your phone or computer

Printers make our office lives easier — but they come with their own set of issues. For example, think of how expensive ink cartridges are to refill. Tap or click here for five easy ways to save ink when printing.

Another issue arises when you try to format and print a spreadsheet. Oh, and if you want to print a page from your phone or tablet, good luck. Not only can pages from the internet be hard to format, but connecting the page to the printer can feel like a Herculean task.

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AI denies insurance coverage, global ID system & hackers' favorite files

Open/download audio

Plus, Washington Post’s Geoffrey Fowler learned his $123 HP ink cartridges cost $2 to make — I chat with him about it. Ukrainian women are using AI to “honey trap” Russian soldiers. AI thinks it wrote the Constitution, and tools designed to combat constant lateness.