It’s that time of year again. The birds are singing, the bees are a buzzing, flowers are blooming, and mothers are tackling the feat of spring cleaning.
In my house, at this time of year, some of the most used phrases are:
“How did we get SO much stuff”
“Where did this come from””
“Why do we have 6 of these?!”
Although I often struggle with this task, I find the easiest way to keep a home clean and chaos free is living by the phrase “A place for everything and everything in it’s place.” So those 4 identical stuffed animals, 7 hand mirrors, 27 make up bags, and the various clutter which finds it way into my home are crimping my style and making spring cleaning a pain.
I’m pretty sure all you moms know what I am talking about when I say I loathe finding a place for that toy my child played with once and hasn’t looked at since.
I have closets I avoid, drawers that should probably condemned for overcrowding, and my garage makes it look like we never actually finished moving in.
Hopefully your situation isn’t as dire as mine, but I know you, yes YOU, have that closet/cupboard/attic/ or other nook filled with all sorts of bits and bobs you’ve collected over the years, that maybe you will use “one day.”
Well I hate to break it to you, but if those assorted chargers, clothes that don’t fit, and felting supplies had to pay rent for the space they occupy (in your home as well as your mind), by the time “one day” rolls around their tab would be far more than their initial value.
So I’m telling you now it’s okay to let it go and there is no better way to get a jumpstart on ridding your home of the junk than a garage sale. So here are my tips for a pain-free and hopefully successful spring cleaning garage sale.
Gather While You Clean
Go room by room and closet by closet and clean.
Bring along two boxes
Box one is for things that need to find a designated spot in your home
Box Two is for stuff that you don’t need.
Personally I typically start with the worst areas because I know I’m still energized enough to actually finish it, plus it’s where I can make the greatest improvement which will lend me strength to continue.
Go ahead and throw those stocking stuffers cluttering your junk drawer in the box and that bottle of perfume you got as a gift and never used.
You would be surprised at the stuff people will buy and your junk may be someone else’s treasure.
Schedule
So now you have a box (or boxes) full of stuff but that alone will not make a garage sale.
You, of course, need customers that will be willing to clutter their own homes with your wares.
The BEST way I have found to drive traffic to a garage sale is by getting your neighbors involved. Having twenty or so garage sales in a five mile radius will draw even the most lackadaisical garage sale shopper out of the woodwork.
Luckily for me my HOA does this for me and we have biannual community garage sales across all three subdivisions. ( They even take care of the permits!). But if you are not so lucky, hop onto your local garage sale/ For sale/ community facebook page and ask if anyone would be willing to participate in a community garage sale day.
You would be surprised at the number of people who are ready and willing to spend their Saturday trying to make a quick buck off of their unused goods.
Once you narrow down a good day for your fellow neighbors, be sure to call your city hall or check their website for if permits are required, and if you are feeling kind share that information with your community. Most only cost a few dollars and are much much easier than renewing your driver’s license at the DMV, so don’t let needing a permit dissuade you.
Advertise
The only way people will know about your spectacular community garage sale is to get the word out!
You can ask the neighbors to chip in a few bucks to run a ad in a local paper, or you can go gratis and advertise to local facebook groups.
Honestly the most effective combination I’ve found is placing signs along major thoroughfares (and be sure to mention that it is a community effort) and paying a few dollars to advertise on 5miles.
For the record I am not affiliated with 5miles, but the one time I used that app to advertise my garage sale as an after thought while standing around waiting for people to show up, ended up being my most successful garage sale to date. It works because it reaches those who are looking for deals on the app and are close to you!
Price
Preferably in the week leading up to the garage sale you need to sort and price your finds (or if you are like me you will be doing this at 2 am the night before whilst wondering who thought this garage sale was a great idea).
When it comes to setting prices keep in mind there are exclusively two types of garage sales.
1) To make money
2) To get rid of stuff
I highly advise to view your spring cleaning garage sale as the latter.
Sure you want to make a few bucks to offset your time (or else you would just be donating the stuff), but in a garage sale to get rid of stuff the pricing is typically much lower and more flexible.
While you don’t want to let that crystal vase go for a dime, aim to recoup maybe 15-20% of what you paid.
The reason for my advice is simple, you should want this stuff gone since it doesn’t have a place in your home, and having lower but still negotiable prices will get you more sales in the end, adding a bit to your pocketbook.
Another great strategy is to list more valuable items on 5miles or let go a few days before the event. See if you get any buyers at a higher asking price and if you can arrange for them to pick it up while your garage sale is going on.
You remember the stocking stuffers I told you to go ahead and throw in the box?
Make a 25 cent bin. You would be amazed at the things people will buy if it’s “only a quarter.” At my most recent garage sale My 25 cent bin was one of the most shopped places and I turned my junk drawer clutter into 10 dollars.
Prepare
I’m kind of particular so I label every single item even if it’s only with a “make offer” sticker.
If you have A LOT of items it may be worth just using masking tape and a sharpie, but I typically buy the pre-printed garage sale dots since they cost a dollar for over 300.
Hang up those clothes and take a look around on what you can use for displaying. Personally I don’t own a folding table or a clothes rack and buying them solely for garage sales seems counter productive so I “hack” my own displays.
Clear off bookshelves and relocate them outside.
Place a pole from a broom between the bookshelves to hang clothes on.
Use the table you would like to sell for easily movable bigger objects.
Put the kitchen table leaf on a file organizer to make another flat surface.
Put bins of kids clothes on chairs or on the ground.
So move that patio furniture to the front, use bookshelves you already have, use boxes to build your own table if you have to, but don’t feel the need to buy anything.
Don’t forget to get change!
We normally get about $30 in ones, $30 in fives, and $20 in quarters but depending on your pricing you may need more or less. You can go to the bank to get it or what we normally do is buy our pricing stickers at a store that does cash back and request it in the denominations we need ( because I’m all about fewer stops).
Ready, Set, Sell!!
Garage sales are normally a morning affair and typically if you start at around 8 am you will get the most traffic ( especially if you live in Texas or another locale where it gets HOT even in the spring).
If, like us, you are hosting a “drive-way” sale this means planning to get up around 6 so you can get ready and get everything set up.
To get the most out of your garage sale and get rid the most stuff, I highly suggest dropping your prices a few hours before you wrap up.
By noon I’m typically letting anyone who wanders our way know that everything is half off because I’m ready to wrap it up and get it gone. We typically finish around 1-2 but if traffic is still booming we will stay out later.
The Leftovers
It’s beautiful thing when everything from your garage sale has found a new home, but in reality those are one in a million odds. So what to do with those leftover boots and books?
The most popular (and most highly advised) move is to throw it into boxes and take it to a local charity drop-off. Just be sure to write a realistic itemized list so you can apply it to your taxes! Or if that’s not in the cards, box it up, put it in your garage, and label it accordingly. Honestly I do this a lot and pull out the stuff next garage sale (or if I ever forget someone’s birthday, because who doesn’t love a new candle).
I hope your spring cleaning and garage sale are relatively painless and you manage to clear your home of all the unnecessary clutter. And may you make enough to go reward yourself with that MAC lipstick and those heels you have been eyeing!
