Garage Sale

After you've been through the house and closet and have boxes of stuff to get rid of, you might want to have a garage sale to recycle some of those things, and maybe even make a little bit of money. It's a terrific way to dispose of some of those unwanted items, either the things you put in the trash, or the charity boxes.

Steps to a successful garage sale:

1. Check with your local government to determine if you need a permit. I know that in my town you don't, but just a coupel of miles away in another town, one is needed.
2. Put together the items you want to sell.
3. Advertise: Put an ad in the local paper, as well as any supermarket shoppers, and put up fliers at the laundry-mat, supermarkets, the library, and anywhere else that has bulletin boards. Also, put signs on bus stops, trees, telephone poles, and other such locations. Check first to make sure that it's legal in your town. Also, in my town there are three places where everyone puts their notices for garage sales, look around yours and find those places. Be sure to include the location, dates, and times, and in the paper and fliers be sure to put the alternate date for if there's rain. On the posted signs, be sure to make the word "sale" and the address LARGE - stand 30 to 40 feet from the sign and see if you can read it easily, that's about how far people might be from the sign when they first see it. The dates and times should be legible from about 15 feet.
4. Directions: In advance, make some signs with arrows on them, with the words "garage sale" in very large letters, visible from at least 100 feet - people will be driving along, so they need sufficient time to see the sign and know where to turn, have your address on the sign too, legible from about 15 feet. Make the arrows large also. Make up some left arrows, some right arrows, and some straight ahead arrows. You might make all the signs in a particular color so people will recognize your garage sale as they drive around. Maybe purple on a yellow background, or some such unique color scheme. When a person must drive for a long distance down one road, maybe a half mile or more, you should do a couple things, first, on the arrow sign, put the approximate distance to travel, and put straight ahead arrows, with the distance remaining every 1/2 mile or so. The distances need only be legible from about 15 feet. Don't put 3 tenths of a mile as .3 miles - it will be read as three miles, instead put 1/3 mile, or 1/2 mile, or 3/4 mile. Put the direction signs up the evening before your sale starts, and be sure to take them down, as well as the postings, immediately after the sale ends.
5. Labeling: Price goods with tags or tape - if there are different owners, use different colors. If you're not sure what to charge, think lower is better - the purpose of a garage sale is to get rid of stuff, not turn people away because it's too expensive.
6. Arrangement: Put similar items together - all books together, clothes together, etc. Put clothes on racks - they're easier to see - you can rent racks, or make some simple ones up out of wood. Put books in boxes, with the titles up and easy to read. Put miscellaneous stuff on card tables - don't put them in a box, people won't see them.
7. Get ready to bargain. If someone offers 1/2 of what you're asking, counter with 3/4 of the asking price, see what they say - be willing to take less, but not rediculously less, remember you are trying to get rid of this stuff. During the last half of the sale, lower the prices 25%, during the last 1/4 of the sale, lower them to 1/2 of the original price. When you're down to the last couple hours, be prepared to just give the stuff away - continue to ask for money, but just be prepared - it might be better to let someone have it for nothing than for you to try to find a place to put it, or have to have another garage sale, or transport it to the goodwill.
8. Whatever is left over, go ahead and give to charity. You don't want to put it back in your home, you're trying to orgainze your life, not clutter it back up.
9. Take down all the posters, direction signs, and any other advertising you put up.

More organization tips

• Lists Setting up a calendar and lists to assist in the organization process.
• Message Center Setting up a central place for messages and important information.
• Are you organized? A quick quiz to find out how organized you are, and how much you can do to make yourself more organized.
• Make your own organizer Making your own organizer to track tasks and dates.
• Telephone tips Ways to save time and frustration with the telephone.
• Errands and appointments Making the most out of errands and appointments.
• Using short periods wisely What to do when you only have a few minutes.
• Mail How to handle mail efficiently.
• Housework Make housework more productive and effective.
• Company Preparing for, and entertaining, company.
• Company Kit Setting up a kit for when company arrives on short notice.
• Each evening Preparing for the following day.
• Simple tidying Life can be easier if you set up areas for situations, tyding up the whole house.
• Laundry Ways to save time and money with the laundry.
• Distributing the Burden You don't have to do it all yourself, you can share the load.
• Delegation How to delegate effectively.
• Child's room Keeping your kid's rooms tidy.
• Storage Where to put things.
• Pack rat How to avoid being a pack rat.
• Messy Closet Cleaning out a messy closet.
• Garage Sale How to have a successful garage sale.
• Moving Sorting through your stuff for a move.
• Prevention Some ideas to prevent cleaning chores.
• Odds and ends How to deal with odds and ends that just kind of show up to clutter a room.
• Organizing Your Home Basics of organization.

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