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This Woman Marie Kondo’ed Her House and Made $2,000 Selling Everything Online

Flashback to 2014 when Marie Kondo first introduced The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, an approach to clearing clutter that requires you to decide which items “spark joy”—and part with the rest. Five years later, Kondo is everywhere, and even your 95-year-old grandma is talking about rolling her underwear.  

Diana Blinkhorn, a Florida-based lifestyle blogger and mom of three, discovered Kondo’s approach last year and, inspired by her book and TV series, decided to put the methodology into action. But she added her own financially-savvy twist: Instead of donating the clutter she was clearing, she’d sell it on Facebook Marketplace. Here, how she raked in a cool $2,000.

The 7 Most Important Things We Learned from 'Tidying Up with Marie Kondo'


 

diana blinkhorn marie kondo closet
Courtesy of Diana Blinkhorn

I saw the first episode and my jaw dropped. “The two people in the episode felt exactly like me and my husband. He works; I’m a stay at home mom. The woman could barely keep her head above water—there was so much clutter and she didn’t know where to start. Meanwhile, her husband kept complaining (gently) that the house was never clean. This was us a year ago before I found the KonMari approach. That episode really struck a chord with me and empowered me to revisit what was ‘sparking joy’ in my house…and what was not.”

The sight of like-new items on my curb inspired me to sell. “We got a new shed in January, and my husband and I decided to go through the old one together since we knew we could definitely find things that we don’t even touch in there. Next thing I know, there’s a lot of stuff—toys, bikes, tools—on the curb. If it doesn’t bring you joy, you want to remove it from your home, I reminded myself. That’s the KonMari way. But that’s when I thought: If it’s not broken and in good condition, we could also sell some of this.”

diana blinkhorn marie kondo bedroom
Courtesy of Diana Blinkhorn

One of my biggest sales was my kids' Power Wheels. “The item was in mint condition—my daughters never really used it. I listed it for $100 on Facebook Marketplace and in less than an hour, I had 40 requests. I’ve found that kids’ items do really well. I sold a toy that was collecting dust for months. It was one of those towers where the ball goes round and round and I made $60. I was shocked! But on Facebook Marketplace, you have the option to list your item in specific groups. For example, there’s one that’s just for parents, one that’s geographical by neighborhood and one that covers a bigger niche like Tampa Bay. With the Power Wheels, I wrote super descriptive copy, pointed out any flaws and published the listing in less than five minutes. Totally seamless.”

To maximize the cash, I always weigh the time it takes to list. “I don’t post everything. It pays more to think carefully about which items have value, but also which items are actually going to be valuable to someone else. In other words, it’s worth something to me, but is that reason enough to sell? To come to this decision, I look at my discard pile first and then create two sub-piles where I ask: ‘Is this going to create value for someone else?’ But also, ‘Am I going to get $3 for this sale or will I get $60? Is it worth my time?’ Because it goes against the KonMari Method if waiting to sell means waiting to declutter. A ‘to be sold’ pile that keeps growing in your house defeats the purpose.”

diana blinkhorn marie kondo
Courtesy of Diana Blinkhorn

I’m encouraging my kids to try Marie Kondo’s approach. “My daughters are six, four and two. For my six-year-old and four-year-old, I’ve been helping them pick a few things they might want to sell with the opportunity to keep the cash they make. My hope is that they learn entrepreneurial skills and money management, but also the values behind the KonMari method, too. Does it bring you joy? Or do I want it just because I want it? I don’t want them to end up like me: 35 and terrified to get rid of my stuff.”

Marie Kondo also taught me a lot about my spending habits. “In the process of de-cluttering, I’ve had to take a really hard look at a lot of things like my closet. Fashion trends change all the time. I realized that I’ve been purchasing so much that is unnecessary and hasn’t been bringing me joy. Now, I’m moving more towards a capsule wardrobe, so much so that, when I’m shopping, I really think about the longevity of the piece that I’m buying. Is this something I want to move into my future with? Or a hot trend that will only last a season? The upshot is that when I find something I genuinely love and want to invest in, I don’t feel guilty about it. And I’m not just cashing in on what I sell, I’m starting to save.”

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Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

  • Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
  • Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
  • Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College