Clear Out Clutter with a Garage Sale

Garage sales, yard sales, or tag sales (no matter what you call them) can be a lot of fun and are a great way to help you de-clutter your home so that you can get more organized. On any given Saturday morning in American suburbia, you can find slowly-circling cars and mini-vans, making the rounds through neighborhoods in search of good buys on everything from dishes to blenders to clothing to furniture. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. If you are actively seeking to get rid of clutter and “stuff” that is piling up around your home, you can use a garage or tag sale to clear out those unwanted items while scoring some cash in the process. The tips that follow will help you prepare and execute your garage sale in the most efficient fashion.

Get Ready!
Getting ready for a garage sale can be a big challenge, especially if you are a bit of a “hoarder” and are hesitant to part with very many items. As a rule of thumb, if you haven’t worn it, cooked with it, read it, displayed it, or otherwise used it in the last year, chances are good that you won’t wear it, cook with it, read it, display it, or use it in the next year either. So get rid of it! Clean out all of your closets and have your family members do the same. Clean out the basement. Clean out the garage. Clean out the cupboards in the kitchen. Go through your entire house, looking for items that no one uses any longer. You will be surprised at how much clutter you can get rid of simply by going room-to-room and finding things that are just sitting there without a purpose.

Get Set!
Get your entire “inventory” ready for sale by clearly marking everything with a price tag. Priced items sell faster because some folks won’t ask a price if it is not marked. Masking tape and a marker work well for price tags, or you can buy pre-made stickers at any big box retailer in the stationary aisle. Price everything to “go”. Sort everything by type – such as ladies clothing, baby stuff, small appliances, electronics, and so on. Set a date for your sale, and make flyers advertising your big day to post around the neighborhood. Make signs that read “GARAGE SALE” and post them with related arrows pointing in the direction of your home, several streets out from your home. The night before the sale, make sure you have plenty of one dollar bills and quarters on hand for making change.

Go!
Be prepared to “bargain” with a lot of customers on sale day, as most people who come to yard sales don’t mind haggling over a buck or two! Be willing to yield in most instances because your goal is de-cluttering and everything must go! Once the sale is over, put everything in boxes to donate to your local Goodwill or other worthy organization. Don’t bring anything back home but the cash that you make!