Five Ways to Find Hidden Money
Are you wondering if there is money out there waiting for you to claim? Here are five ways to find hidden money, courtesy of marketwatch.com, an award-winning website that provides business news, financial information and analytical tools:

1. Claim unclaimed property: maybe you forgot about a bank account you maintained in college or a safe-deposit box in your parents' city. Visit www.missingmoney.com, a Web site endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators that offers a database of state unclaimed property records. 
2. Cash in old savings bonds: If one of those bonds is yours, you are actually losing money -- you're not earning any interest and the money loses value each day due to inflation. So visit treasurydirect.gov to search for those missing bonds. Then head to your bank with your bond and photo ID and cash in.
3. Appraise your possessions: did Grandma leave you a seemingly useless wooden rocking horse, and you don't even have kids? Get it appraised -- you could be sitting on a hidden treasure.
4. Set up an online auction: if you have stuff to get rid of, why not sell it on an online auction site like eBay.com? Though eBay charges insertion fees (the price you pay to list your item) and final value fees (a price you pay if your item sells), if the price is right, you'll still make money. Better yet, eBay will help you reach a larger audience which may be searching for the item you are selling.
5. Consolidate your retirement accounts: if you have multiple IRAs and 401(k) plans, merge them into one. You may be paying fees for IRAs that are worth less than $5,000. You'll be able to track your portfolio more easily too.