This Saturday, August 8, marks an activity that most of us have participated in at some point or another in our lives. Whether you’ve gone to a garage (or yard) sale, held one yourself, or even visited a rummage sale or flea market, you know the joys of either finding that one perfect, piece of someone else’s junk that is the treasure you are seeking—or getting rid of the crap that’s collecting dust in your attic.
Since it is Garage Sale Day, why not hold—or at least plan—your own? It’s a perfect excuse to finally get rid of all the clutter in your home while still making a profit. It may not be enough for a Vegas vacation, but it’ll probably cover upcoming school supplies costs, at least.
Here are some tips for holding your own garage (or yard) sale:
Tag things appropriately. No matter how awesome you think your Miller Lite sign from college is, you’re probably not going to get twenty bucks for it.
Tag things simply. If you have a ton of stuff, labeling it all might make you crazy—and getting rid of clutter is supposed to help clear your brain! Try making boxes with just one label on them—such as a twenty-five cent box, a dollar box, etc. Then just put the items that you’d like sold at those prices in their respective boxes.
Prepare with plenty of change. If you’re a poker aficionado, just raid your own stash—or just get change at the bank.
Let the kids get involved. If you want to let everyone make a “profit” from their own goods, labeling your price tags with different colors is a good method to use. If your kids aren’t interested in that, maybe they could practice their entrepreneurship with a lemonade or cookie stand.
Hide anything you don’t want sold! Remember Woody in Toy Story 2? You don’t want that happening. And people who really, really really want your cracked antique garden gnome will heckle you senseless for it—so just put it away for the day.
Don’t expect to make a million. I know so many people who have held garage sales and were simply devastated when they only made forty bucks at the end of the day. The goal is to get rid of your stuff; consider the money a bonus. And if you do manage to make a killing, congratulations! Be sure to celebrate in style.
