The Brilliantly Frugal Way to Reuse Old Candles to Make Wax Melts

Candles and wax melts are so incredibly expensive. Too expensive in my opinion, but I’m obsessed with them. I love to have candles lit or wax warmer on at the end of the day to make the house smell really nice and relaxing, but also provide some nice relaxing low light to wind down. During my season of getting laid off and being unemployed a few years ago, I really wasn’t able to justify purchasing new candles or wax melts for my house at full price. For many of them, I used coupons, but sometimes I would be out and didn’t have any coupons to buy more. It also frustrated me that I would have a decent amount of wax left at the bottom of some of the candles or in my wax warmer when the scent was gone. It seemed like a waste to throw that wax and jars away. I knew that people get out the wax and reuse the jars, but I still felt guilty about throwing the wax away, so I figured out a way to reuse old candles to make wax melts from the leftovers.

1. Gather all of your old Candles.

Ask your friends and family for more if you can. You’ll be surprised how many people have hoards that they’re happy to give. You can also ask in Facebook groups, like your local Buy Nothing Project, or on Nextdoor. Again, you’d be surprised how many of your neighbors also keep these and aren’t sure what to do with them.

2. Order cheap pre-waxed wicks on Amazon.

I like these. I purchase this pack 3 years ago and haven’t had to buy another pack yet.

3. You need to get the wax out of all of the old candle jars.

You can freeze the jars and try to pop the wax out with a knife once they’re cold. I don’t find that method super effective myself and I feel like I’m going to accidentally hurt myself that way. Instead, I boil water in my electric kettle (if you don’t have an electric kettle, you can just use a regular pot) and put boiling water in each jar, filling it up to as close to the top as I can. The wax will heat up and bubble up to the top like in the video above. Let the wax cool at the top and then just pop it out. You may need to do some of the jars more than once to get all of the wax out. Sometimes they’re stubborn.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Put the jars on a few old towels. I tend to spill a bunch of water when I do this.

4. Clean the Jars.

You’ll need to scrape or pop out the leftover wicks and any bits and glue at the bottom. Then scrub the jars inside and out with hot water, and abrasive Scrub Daddy and Dawn dish soap. This may take some scrubbing to get all of the glue, wax, oil, stickers, and soot off. I also then like to run them through the dishwasher after for good measure.

5. Gather Your Other Supplies.

You need an old pot that you don’t mind getting wax in, pencils to prop the wicks, and a clean tin or aluminum can (I used an empty and cleaned refried bean can with the label taken off), and tongs. And a mold to put the remelted wax in. I use a silicone ice cube tray that I got from Family Dollar.

6. Group Your Waxes.

You want to try to put like waxes together. For example, you want all of your soy wax together, regular wax, and then beeswax separate. Then group again by scents. So, you want summer scents together, winter or fall scents separate, etc. The reason for this is that different wax types don’t necessarily mix well. Also, you’ll probably need to mix the wax from more than one candle to make sure you have full molds.

7. Put a cup or two of water at the bottom of the pot.

Then put the first chunks of wax that you’d like to be the base of your first candle into the tin or can. Then put the can into the water and pot to melt the wax. Use the tongs to maneuver the can if you need to because the can will be HOT. You may need to swirl around the hot wax every once in a while to help the wax melt down.

Pro Tip: Put a lid over the tin can to push it down to the bottom of the pot and keep it from floating. This will help the wax melt much faster.

8. Pour your wax.

As the wax melts in the can, use the tongs to lift the can and pour the hot wax periodically into the mold. Keep melting wax and pouring the waxes into the mold until they are full. If the wax doesn’t have much sent left, feel free to add a drop or two of your favorite essential oils. This is a project that I usually do on a weekend over a couple of days and I listen to podcasts, or music, or play Netflix on my tablet while I’m doing it.

10. Enjoy your new wax melts!

Feel great about the fact that you recycled and reused old candles to make wax melts instead of throwing all of that away or your friends, family, and neighbors throwing it all away. The best part is, that you can do this several times over, this wax can be reused again and again. You also saved several dollars per mold that you didn’t have to buy! Your original candle or bar of wax melts can go so much further now.

Wax melts are also a great way to elevate your space with very little money. You can read more about decorating on a small budget here.

If you want to read more about how to reuse old candles to make whole new candles, check out the post here.

22 Brilliantly Frugal Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale in 2018

 

 

Garage Sales are my absolute favorite way to sell my unwanted items. I can easily make a few hundred dollars in one weekend instead of selling one item at a time. Here are my tried and true Brilliantly Frugal Tips for 2018!

 

Garage Sale Pro Tips

Pro Tip #1: Know your city and county rules. Some require that you register your garage sale. You may get fined if you don’t.

 

Pro Tip #2: Garage sale season starts in early spring and ends in early fall. Try to schedule your garage sale at popular moving times. Those are typically in June after school is out, and in August, right before dorm move in season. If you can, have the sale Friday through Sunday or Thursday through Sunday. Believe it or not, Friday is usually my busiest day.

 

Pro Tip #3: Don’t do it alone. I usually need at least one helper, sometimes two. Ask a friend to bring their items to sell and run it with you, offer a friend a percentage of the sales to help, or ask the family to lend a hand. You will need help carrying items in and out of the house, to answer questions, and to take and exchange money. Don’t try to do it all yourself, because you will be overwhelmed.

 

Pro Tip #4:

How to Get People to Shop:

Post on your personal Facebook page! You’d be surprised how many friends might stop by, even just to say hi, as they run errands.

Post on Facebook Marketplace, the Garage Sale app, your city’s Facebook page, Offerup, Nextdoor, Letgo, 5miles, etc.

 

Pro Tip #5: When you post on Facebook and all of your other apps about the garage sale, go ahead and post your furniture, appliances, and electronics individually in the marketplace. In my last yard sale, I had more people respond to those than anything else. Several people stopped by the yard sale to pick up the item and ended up purchasing a few other smaller items at the same time.

 

Pro Tip #6: Never hold items for people without payment. You will have MANY people asking you to hold an item for them and then never show up to pick it up. I only hold items if they provide a PayPal or Venmo payment in advance.

 

Pro Tip #7: Be diverse in payment options! It is 2018! There are many ways for people to send each other electronic payments. I accept Paypal and Venmo payments at my sales, but there are many other apps that you can use.

 

Pro Tip #8: That being said, the majority of your shoppers will have cash. Make sure you have at least $100 in change at the start of your sale. I usually try to keep it all in $10s, $5s, $1s, and quarters. Keep the money on you at all times, either in a fanny pack or something similar. Do not use a cash box or something that you will set down. It will get stolen.

 

Pro Tip #9: Don’t be afraid to put anything out in the sale. You never know what someone is looking for or why. Usually, the things that I think no one will buy are the first things to sell. There are plenty of people who are happy to buy broken, distressed, or old items to fix or spruce up for a deal.

 

Pro Tip #10: Make sure to have some furniture available to get people to stop. Focus on ways to repurpose or spruce up furniture when talking to shoppers!

 

Pro Tip #11: Have organized tables! Keep like items together such as clothes, toys, home decor, auto accessories, etc. It helps shoppers find what they are looking for and show how the item can be used.

 

Pro Tip #12: Make lots of signs! Make prices clear and low so that you have lots of shoppers. Your goal is to get a HIGH volume of items sold, not necessarily a high price for each item.

 

Pro Tip #13: Most shoppers will ask for a discount. Be prepared for that. Know your rock bottom price on your items. Also, don’t deny offers! If their offer is too low, counter with another offer in the middle! The buyer’s goal is to get a deal. Your goal is to get the item out of the house and hopefully make a little bit of money in the process.

 

Pro Tip #14: Towards the end of your sale, offer bulk prices. EX: a whole grocery bag of items for $5 or even $1, a whole table of things for $X, etc.

 

Pro Tip #15: Provide shopping bags! I keep all of my plastic grocery bags. When it’s time for a garage sale, I take the entire stash with me outside. If you provide shoppers with bags, they are more likely to buy more items at once. I have had shoppers ready to check out, but when I offered them a bag, they took the opportunity to fill a second bag with items they weren’t initially sure about!

 

Pro Tip #16: Hang jewelry on a cork board! It’s easier for shoppers to see the displayed pieces, especially the small ones.

 

Pro Tip #17: If you don’t have time to do one yourself, see if you can enlist someone else to run it or give a friend your items to sell at their garage sale on consignment.

 

Pro Tip #18: When I do garage sales, I sell items for my friends all the time. The more items I have out, the more people stop at my garage sale, the more of my own items I will sell. Sometimes my friends will allow me to take some of the profit from their items as a thank you. I’ve also had friends donate whole truckloads of items for me to sell! I’ve made so much money on garage sales.

 

After the Garage Sale

Pro Tip #19: Go through the items again and see if there are items that you would rather keep than go Goodwill.

 

Pro Tip #20: Pull out any items that you might be able to sell yourself online. If you have furniture, appliances, or electronics, slash the price on your facebook marketplace posts and see what happens!

 

Pro Tip #21: Any Brand name clothes can be sold on Poshmark!

Poshmark is a great app that lets you sell brand name clothes like Forever 21, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Vera Bradley, Target brands, and so many more! People go here purposefully looking for specific brand names for cheap. Poshmark handles charging for shipping, sending you a shipping label, and provides many helpful articles for being successful in your sales.

 

Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Be sure to use code DANIELAMCL when you sign up for an instant $5 bonus!

 

 

Pro Tip #22: There are usually people on Facebook Marketplace that advertise that they are picking up garage sale leftovers. Message them a time they can come to pick up your leftovers and save yourself a trip to Goodwill.

 

I learn something new every time I do a sale. What have you learned doing your garage sale? We’ve love to see all of your suggestions in the comments below!

 

If you don’t have quite enough items for a garage sale, or would like to make more per item, check out our Ultimate Guide here!

 

The 2018 Ultimate Guide to Sell and Trade In Used Items

I love spring cleaning!

 

Spring is the time of year that I start to clean out all of the things in my home that no longer make me happy, in order to make room for the wonderful new things that will come into my life! It also provides an opportunity to make some extra cash for my used items. I have a secret ultimate list of places that I sell, trade in, and swap my items. Today I’m sharing that list with you. It’s a good one so be sure to save it!

 

Best Places to Sell

1. Kid to Kid

Kid to Kid is a second-hand store for all things kids! They ACTUALLY PAY for used kids clothes and toys! I’ve taken kids clothes and toys to Kid to Kid for my busy friends with kids and have received a ton of money back. Enough to say that it’s definitely worth a quick trip on a Saturday with a tub or two of clothes and toys.

 

Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Get a nice friend to do it for you if you don’t have time. Offer to take the kids on a playdate for them and ask them to stop by while they are running other errands.

 

2. PoshMark

Poshmark is a great app that lets you sell brand name clothes like Forever 21, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Vera Bradley, Target brands, and so many more! People go here purposefully looking for specific brand names for cheap. Poshmark handles charging for shipping, sending you a shipping label, and provides many helpful articles for being successful in your sales.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Be sure to use code DANIELAMCL when you sign up for an instant $5 bonus!

 

 

3. OfferUp, 5Miles, Facebook Market Place, etc.

Offerup, 5Miles, and Facebook marketplace are meant to sell items locally. These apps are great for selling furniture, home goods, and electronics (ESPECIALLY Phones). I’ve made hundreds of dollars selling items online this way.

You can find Offerup and 5Miles in the app store.

 

 

4. GameStop

GameStop is a good option to sell video games, consoles, and accessories, especially if you have a membership. However, you will definitely get back more if you sell these items yourself. Be sure to double check their offer(s).

 

5. Half Price Books

Half Price Books is a great place to sell BULK books, magazines, board games, DVDs, video games, or old textbooks that Amazon and the bookstore won’t buy back anymore. You probably want to bring at least a tub or two of items to make it worth it. You can either get CASH or use the cash towards your purchase. I almost always use the cash towards my purchase because I have a book buying problem.

 

The best offer I’ve ever gotten from them is for two boxes of old textbooks. I got back $76 for those boxes. Amazon and my bookstore where no longer buying them back because they were old editions. They were useless to me and just taking up precious space on my bookshelf.

 

 

6. Old Fashioned Garage Sale

Garage Sales are my absolute favorite way to sell my used items. I can easily make a few hundred dollars in one weekend instead of selling one item at a time. Here are my tried and true Garage Sale Pro Tips:

 

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #1: Garage sale season starts in early spring and ends in early fall. Try to schedule your garage sale at popular moving times. Those are typically in June after school is out, and in August, right before dorm move in season.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip#2: Make sure to have some furniture available to get people to stop. Focus on ways to repurpose or spruce up furniture when talking to shoppers!

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #3: Make lots of signs! Make prices clear and low so that you have lots of shoppers. Your goal is to get a HIGH volume of items sold, not necessarily a high price for each item.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #4: Towards the end of your sale, offer bulk prices. EX: a whole grocery bag of items for $5 or even $1. A whole table of things for $X.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #5: Provide shopping bags! I keep all of my plastic grocery bags. When it’s time for a garage sale, I take the entire stash with me outside. If you provide shoppers with bags, they are more likely to buy more items at once. I have had shoppers ready to check out, but when I offered them a bag, they took the opportunity to fill a second bag with items they weren’t initially sure about!

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #6: Have organized tables! Keep like items together such as clothes, toys, home decor, auto accessories, etc. It helps shoppers find what they are looking for.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #7: Hang jewelry on a cork board! It’s easier for shoppers to see the displayed pieces, especially the small ones.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #8: If you don’t have time to do one yourself, see if you can enlist someone else to run it or give a friend your items to sell at their garage sale.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #9: When I do garage sales I sell items for my friends all the time. The more items I have out, the more people stop at my garage sale, the more of my own items I  will sell. Sometimes my friends will allow me to take some of the profit from their items as a thank you. I’ve also had friends donate whole truckloads of items for me to sell! I’ve made so much money on garage sales.

Brilliantly Frugal Tip #10: Know your city and county rules. Some require that you register your garage sale. If you don’t, you may get fined.

 

 

7. Raise

Raise is hands down the best place to sell unwanted gift cards. You won’t get the full amount of the gift card, because Raise sells it to others at a discount, but you can trade it for an Amazon Gift Card or have the money sent straight to your Paypal account!

 

Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Sign up through my link here and get an instant $5 bonus!

Best Trade-In Programs

 

1. Amazon Trade-In Program

The Amazon Trade-In program is a great way to sell all kinds of stuff for Amazon gift cards. I used to trade in my textbooks and use the gift cards to buy the textbooks for the next semester. Now I trade in old electronics, books, and so many other things!

 

 

2. Best Buy Trade-In and Recycling Programs

If your items are new enough you can trade them in for Best Buy gift cards. If they are too old to sell anywhere, recycle them at any Best Buy store. Check their promotions before going. Sometimes when you recycle your old items, you are eligible for coupons for new items!

 

 

3. H&M Recycle

Drop off a bag of old clothes, shoes, and accessories in any condition and get a 15% off coupon on your purchase. They even sometimes do promotions where they give TWO 15% off coupons per bag of clothes. They recycle the clothes to reduce landfill waste and you save money. WIN-WIN! I never go to H&M without a bag of clothes to donate. I ALWAYS get my 15% off.

 

Follow Brilliantly Frugal on Facebook to get notifications of the special promotions!

 

 

4. Target Trade-In

Target will take old electronics video games, or gift cards from other stores or restaurants and give you a Target gift card in return! If you shop at Target as much as I do, this is a great option for you!

 

Ways I DO NOT Recommend Selling Used Items:

 

1. Plato’s Closet

They never buy anything unless it still has tags or is from THIS season, no matter what they say. They only buy a few new trendy pieces and pay nearly nothing for them. Unless you have a whole tub of new clothes with tags that for whatever reason can’t be returned, it is not worth the trip at 30 minutes of them judgingly digging through your clothes only to tell you that they can’t buy anything from you because they’re “out of season”.

 

2. Amazon or Ebay Stores

Unless you have rare, antique, or vintage items or an established store on these platforms, users are generally not going to these places to buy used items anymore. Try one of the newer apps listed earlier in this post.

 

FINALLY

Anything you can’t sell, SWAP or DONATE.

 

1. Throw a swap party with your friends!

Invite 10 friends to bring over used clothes, shoes, accessories, home goods, etc. Ask each friend to bring at least 10-15 items. Set up tables around your house for everyone to showcase their items! Stock up on wine, throw on some music and have everyone over! Tell everyone to be respectful of how many items they take versus how many they brought. Let each friend know that they have the option of taking home the items that no one grabbed, or they can leave the items with you! You can then sell the items yourself via one of the channels above (Free new inventory!) or take the items to Goodwill for them as a thank you for attending your event!

 

 

2. DONATE!

You can take the items to your local Goodwill, clothing donation boxes, women’s shelters, homeless shelters, etc. Don’t dump items needlessly in a landfill.

 

Remember, your trash is someone else’s treasure!