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If
you have extra stuff piling up in
your basement, garage, or attic, then it's probably
time to have a garage sale.
In this week's Deal Diva Chic, we've got some
ideas to make your sale go smoothly, and leave you
with a little pocket change...pocket change that you
can use to buy more stuff!
Inventory
Begin about two weeks before the
garage sale by going through all closets and cupboards.
If you haven’t used
it or worn it in the last six
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months, then you probably don’t
need it anymore. If it’s broken or missing parts,
it could still sell. You never know who is looking for the
base of a blender or extra pieces to a board game. Just
make sure you price them accordingly.
After you have decided what to sell, throw
out, and keep; place all the sell items in boxes until the
sale. Don’t go through it again because you might change
your mind and rationalize keeping things you do not need.
Research
Before your garage sale, visit other
neighborhood yard sales. See what the going rate is for
particular items. You want to make sure you don’t over
or under charge (example- you may want to list your used
baby crib for $25, but your research shows that most others
are selling their cribs for $50).
Call your local newspapers to determine
how much and how soon you need to run a classified ad for
your garage sale.
The Sale
Set yourself a time limit. You
don’t want to be waiting around at 5:00pm to see if
anyone else is coming. Eight a.m. till three p.m.
is a good time frame for a garage sale. Be sure you list
your times in your ad, and don't forget to include the phrase
"no early birds, " if you do not want shoppers
banging on your door at six a.m!
Once your sale is over, box up the items
that remain and donate them that day you don’t want
them back in the house…or they may never leave!
Check with your ward missionaries -- is there anything they
need? Ask your bishop if there are members in your
ward that may need some of the items you have left.
If all else fails, take your stuff to the nearest Deseret
Industries. If you don't live near a Church sponsored thrift
store, ask your Relief Society president which charity the
ward usually donates to. They have usually done research
to see which organization is in the most need and best uses
the donations.
Other General Tips
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Having a Garage Sale
with more than one family will increase your traffic and
therefore cash. |
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Check with your Home
Owners Association before you have your sale, see if they
have any rules or regulation that apply to you. |
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Advertise in more than
just your local newspaper, hang signs on busy roads.
Just be sure you take them down when you are done. |
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Use price stickers, and
use them on EVERY item. Use different colors to
indicate whose item it is, so at the end of the sale you
can keep track of what each family member earned. |
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Clean your items before
they sell, the nicer they are the more likely they are
to sell. |
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If you are using your
driveway, clean off everything that isn’t for sale. |
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Have at least $20 in
small change and bills (using a muffin tin for your change
is what we always did). |
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Set things
up to look nice; borrow card tables, or use cinder blocks
and boards to make shelves. |
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Setup a concession stand.
Let your kids sell cookies and lemonade, the longer people
stay the more likely they are to buy. |
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Have your kids decide
what they are willing to part with (but entice them by
telling them they can keep the money their items bring).* |
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Put smaller items in
sealed "treasure bags" and sell them for fifty
cents or a dollar (great for hair bows and barrettes).* |
* Taken from MOTHER KNOWS BEST! CALENDAR (Workman Publishing).
Thursday July 18, 2002
Other Resources:
organizedhome.com
www.pioneerthinking.com
The Garage Sale Handbook by Peggy Hitchcock
The Backyard Money Machine: How to Organize and Operate a
Successful Yard Sale by Les R. Schmeltz
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