Ten ways to de-clutter your life this Autumn

It's the new school year, and a great time for everyone to clear out the clutter and make a fresh start this Autumn.

There are numerous apps and websites to help you get organised and make some extra cash from old belongings you no longer need.

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Here are 10 links to apps and websites, suggested by Envirofone, that could prove useful as you clear the decks well before the boughs of holly arrive....

'Snupps' is free on iPhone and Android and helps you keep track of all the ‘stuff’ you have lying around in your home. It works by allowing you to take photos of your possessions and uploading them to the app onto virtual “shelves.” From here, you can share your photos with users who can give you advice on what items to sell or donate, and how to organise and declutter.

'Brightnest', also free on iPhone and Android, gives tips and advice on how to save money when decorating a room, to creating recipe lists and more. This service also helps you maintain your home by sending reminders about what needs to get done, like changing air filters or checking the smoke alarms.

'Vinted', again free on iPhone and Android, is an app where users can sell, buy and swap clothes. The app is easy to use - simply take a few pictures of the item, post the images and write a description. Along with the sell, buy and swap elements to the app, users can also build their own fashion feed by following brands and other users, giving the app a real community feel.

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'Trove Marketplace', free on iPhone and Android, makes buying, selling and discovering secondhand furniture and home decor easy. It's not just the simplicity of Trove that makes it such a good app, but also the sense of community. You can ask other Trove users for advice on decor ideas or to help you decide which item would best suit your vision. This app is also perfect for selling any quirky hand-me-downs that might not fit with your current scheme but you want to go to a good home.

'Zapper' is free and could be the solution for hoarders. Available online as well as in an app, Zapper buys the items you no longer use- from games, Lego and even gift cards. Simply send them your items for free in return for cash. So dig out the games the kids no longer play with and all those unwanted Christmas presents and frees up much-needed space while gaining some extra cash.

'Car Boot Junction' has variable rates and may be a bit old school, but there’s a reason the classic car boot sale has stood the test of time! If you have a variety of items you want to sell and do not have time to sell them all individually on different sites/apps then this might be the best option for you. All you need to do is find a local sale that is at a convenient time and place for you, but remember to avoid the temptation to buy any more stuff!

Why not have a clothes swap with friends? We all have that one item of clothing that doesn’t really suit us but is taking up vital wardrobe space. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so why not invite some friends round for a clothes swap? Chances are that something you don’t like would look perfect on them, and you can get a new wardrobe without splashing the cash.

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De-cluttering can be fun if you take the 12-12-12 Challenge? All you have to do is select 36 random items of clutter then choose 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to keep. It can be a really fun challenge that you can do with the whole family.

Get cash for your old mobile by using Envirofone, for free. If you have a drawer full of ‘spare’ mobiles which never see the light of day, then it makes sense to trade them in for some cash. All you have to do is enter the model of your handset to see if you could be quids in. Envirofone even accepts damaged phones for cash, so if you have a cracked screen or broken phone it’s still worth sending it in for a quote to see how much you could get.

Finally, get lost in a book for free with Read It Swap It. For those of us who love nothing more than losing ourselves in a good book, this service is for you. Read it Swap it helps people trade their finished books for a new one - completely free of charge. A simple, fun and communal idea, avid readers could save hundreds of pounds - and it’ll stop those book shelves from overflowing.

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