Money Crashers: 2 new posts

Two more of my posts popped up on Money Crashers this past Friday. These two are not exactly COVID-adjacent, but they are recession-adjacent — prioritized because there are more people in financial need right now.

The first one is an update to an old piece on the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8. I discuss the history of the program, how it works today, who qualifies for it, and its advantages and disadvantages for families and individuals in need. Then I wrap up with a section on how to apply. (Sadly, this probably won't help too many people right now, since the program was already overwhelmed with demand and many areas had waiting lists years long before the current recession started — and with COVID, it's harder than ever to get through to any government agency. But it's still better to have information than not have it.)

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Former Section 8) – Eligibility & How It Works
And second, we have a piece on how to turn all that unused stuff lurking in your home — the clothes you'll never fit into again, the ice skates you haven't used in decades, the tool you bought for one project and never used again — into extra cash. This is something a lot of people are likely to be doing more of as their main sources of income dry up due to COVID. Some of the advice in this article may not be too useful right now; for instance, you probably can't sell your old clothes to a consignment store or your old furniture to an antique store, since these aren't considered essential businesses. But you can still sell it online, and there are lots of different places to do that besides eBay. And, with suitable precautions, selling to local buyers might be an option too.

How to Turn Your Clutter Into Cash