Trade Up Your Old Electronics for New

I dare you...go through your home with an empty cardboard box and fill it with all the unused electronic equipment that you have.

If you are anything like my family, it may take two boxes. Include old cell phones, duplicate video cameras (because you upgraded and didn't know what to do with the old one), cd players, hand-held video games, old digital cameras, even laptops who were so full of files and programs it was easier to replace them than clean them. Anything that plugs in or takes batteries and is designed for recording, playback, or entertainment is fair-game for this exercise.

Now forget how much you have shelled out for all these items, because I don't want to be responsible for any ensuing panic attacks.

Instead, spend a moment cataloging the items and pulling out any that still work. Now, we are going to find out what all of that regained storage space could be worth to you. Of course it will be less than the original price, but it could also be far more than you think.

Many retailers have buy-back and trade-in programs designed to relieve you of all your electronic junk and recycle the components back into the economy. It's why so many schools and other non-profits push for donations of old cell phones. They know where to take them for credit. And now you will, too.

My favorite program is through Gateway because they take such a wide variety of products and they pay out some of the highest rates. Just be aware that their program requires you to make a purchase first. The Gateway trade-in and recycle program can be accessed in the bottom left hand portion of their main web page at www.gateway.com. Be sure to save your proof of purchase from your Gateway or eMachines product since they will require you to mail it with your trade-in items.