Lauren's List: Cash In On Your Spring Cleaning Throw Aways

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Spring is here and that means many of us are doing some Spring Cleaning.

Rather than just tossing or donating all your unwanted stuff, there are ways to turn your trash to treasures.

Of course, you can sell your gently used clothes via consignment or apps like LetGo and Poshmark.

But that takes time and work.

So for today's "Lauren's List", we're talking about the quick and easy locations where you can trade in your old stuff for discounts and freebies.

Game Stop
Maybe you've mastered a game, or didn't really care for it in the first place. Either way, GameStop wants it! You can turn in old games or gaming systems for discounts off new games and consoles. GameStop actually has a "trade" section on its website you know what you can get before you go to the store.

H&M
Before you buy new stuff to fill your closet, you should probably get rid of some old stuff. Stores like H&M make it easy and affordable. Drop your bag of unwanted clothing in the recycling box at your local store. All textiles are welcome, any brand, any condition, even odd socks, worn-out T-shirts and old sheets. The textiles are then sent to the nearest recycling plant, where they're sorted by hand. For every bag of textiles you drop off, you'll receive a discount card for 15% off your next in-store purchase.

MAC
You can't donate makeup and it does expire, so you either have to use it or trash it. Well, you can take your empty MAC makeup containers to the store for a little goody. Score a free MAC lipstick of your choice by donating six empty MAC makeup containers to any MAC. store as part of The Back-to-MAC program.

Apple
If you're one of those people who has to get the latest and greatest Apple gadget as soon as it hits the market, you either have a bunch of old phones at home, or hopefully, you've been recycling them. Thanks to the Apple GiveBack program, your old phone will get a new home if it's in decent shape or Apple will recycle it for free. Then you get up to a $400 credit toward an upgrade. The only catch? You have to use the discount that day.

These are just a small fraction of companies that accept donations in exchange for discounts.

I want to know what other stores do this, too!

Tell me on Facebook or Twitter.

If you have an idea for a future "Lauren's List", send it to lpastrana@cbs.com.