Ask the Finance Expert

Cash for Goods

MHI: You advocate looking around the house for things to turn into cash. What are the top three things to look for?

FT:Unworn clothing. Designer label clothes, handbags, and lightly worn shoes from your closet -- preferably with their tags still on -- price well at upscale consignment shops. Consigners can earn up to 50% of the resale price.

Old toys. With more than 600,000 auction listings on eBay, old-school toys, board games, and dolls are in demand.

Loose change. America could be $10 billion richer ($90 per household) if it simply cashed in all the loose coinage lying around, according to Coinstar, which operates coin machines in more than 15,000 supermarkets worldwide.