Clear the Clutter with a Summer Yard Sale

We all have it— CLUTTER.  Stuff.  Piles of belongings that we can’t bring ourselves to dispose of because we might need them one day.  Maybe. Possibly.  Probably not. Summer yard sales are the perfect solution.

The most likely target locations for storing all that clutter are garages and basements, which become particularly great catch-alls during the winter and spring months.  It’s just so easy to open that door to the garage and toss in your old chair, kids outgrown toys, bags of unworn clothes, Aunt Marge’s holiday gift vase that doesn’t quite fit your decor.  In the winter, or when you are busy, it seems the best way to answer the question ‘where should I put this?’ is ‘in the basement’.

These lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are perfect for getting rid of the clutter collection with a yard sale, as I found out through a friend who volunteered me to help with her event.  Pregnant with twins, she knew that the next few years of her life were going to be crazy.  If she didn’t get a move on it, large-scale organization and sorting might never happen — at least not for a long time.  Partly due to nesting instinct and partly to desperation, my friend resolved to tackle the “junk situation” with a yard sale.

An Unwilling Yard Sale Volunteer

She called me at 7 am the morning we were scheduled to start the clean out.  I figured I had some leeway because I was a somewhat unwilling volunteer, but no dice. she meant business.   With as much style and panache as a pregnant-with-twins- at- seven-months woman could pull off, she directed her husband and volunteers and prepped for a yard sale that turned out to be, well, a great de-cluttering party.

Summer is the best time to plan it your sale.    People have more time off, the days are longer, there’s more time for hobbies and that means buying all the things that go with hobbies and projects:  bowling balls, tennis rackets, novels, paints, guitars, auto detailing items, power tools.

Better weather makes yard strolling and garage sale cruising pleasant and possible for customers.   Lots of folks make yard and garage sales a regularly entertaining Saturday outing.  While it’s unlikely Aunt Marge’s old vase will be the Antiques Road Show winner, yard sale addicts are ever on the search for a treasure.

In the summer you can enjoy being productive prepping for your yard sale, too, with iPod or radio blasting, the sprinklers going, and the kids playing in yard.  And it certainly beats clambering through a dank garage in the middle of February.  And don’t forget – you are contributing to the great recycling cause!

Make Your Yard Sale a Great De-Cluttering Party

While yard or garage sales can be a lot of work, you can make it the party my friend did with these tips for pre, during and post event success.

• Stage it:  Have a staging area inside where you can separate low cost items from larger higher ticket furniture or tools.
• Price it:  While you can price each item individually, it’s much easier to organize your items by general pricing.   For example, an area for the dollar and under items, the three dollar items, the five dollar, ten dollar and then larger items.
• Take it slow:  Separate and prep in stages if you can’t spend a whole day or two doing it. Small successes build motivation and momentum.
• Be fierce. Have a time or percentage rule for determining what stays and what goes.  “If I haven’t used it in a year…”  or  “10-20% of my stack of books, magazines has to go. ”
• Have a partner in crime.  Go through your stuff with a friend close at hand.  She’ll help you make those tough calls, and might talk some sense into you when you’re weak.
• No take-backs! Once you’ve consigned something to the ‘go pile’, it goes.
• Be a scout: Plan abead for  Consider dates and ideal timing.  Saturdays are best and  8 a. m. is a good start time, along with a 2pm end.  Most people will come early and your traffic stops substantially in early afternoon.
• Market it: Submit ads to local papers – use a catchy title to stand out from the crowd. Put up readable signs around the neighborhood (include directional arrows) a couple of days before the sale.
• Give fair warning!  It’s a courtesy to let your neighbors know what you are doing as traffic and parking will increase.  Invite them to participate.
• Pick it up.  While you can put your items in groups by pricing on the ground and in the driveway, renting some long tables can make life a lot easier on your back and the items will sell easier where buyers don’t have to make extra effort to see them. Table rentals are inexpensive, either delivered or picking up yourself.
• Engage.  An upbeat and friendly homeowner, clearly having a good time is more likely to sell items quickly and for more.  It doesn’t hurt to make them laugh.
• Change.  I mean real change – go to the bank the day before your sale and get lots of quarters, and dollars.  You will need them.
• Make it fun.  Invite a few friends or neighbors, get some donuts and coffee, put out your lawn chairs and enjoy the day.   Plan for lunch, too, so you are working on full throttle. Ask them to bring a few things over that they want to sell, too.
• Have a contest.  Whomever brings in the most money gets a prize (usually something tacky from the clutter pile).  Or whomever gets the highest price for an item for the day could win.
• Let the kids in on it.  Older kids love to be a part of selling their old toys and it teaches them about the open market! But be prepared, they are going to claim since the toys were theirs, so is the money.
• Rise and shine.  Be up and ready for the early birds because even if you advertise no early start, they will show up and your goal is to sell and get rid of as much as you can.
• Be realistic.  Your daughter’s first play kitchen may have fond memories for you, but there is no higher price point based on sentimental value.  Price to sell.  Items are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them.
• Clean it up.  If you are selling clothing, hang it hangers on a rack and be sure it is clean.  Give a general spruce up to your other items as well – people like to buy what appear to be clean things.
• Negotiate.  There will always be the folks who want your ten dollar item for a quarter, and it can get a bit insulting.  You don’t have to take the offer.  Counter with what you believe is fair and hold your ground.   If you are getting quarter offers early in the morning, remember that you still have the whole rest of your sale to sell the item.
• Discount.  For bulk buying, or at the end of the sale, reduce pricing and take the best offer you can get.
• No re-entry. You don’t want unsold clutter back in your house.  Have a plan for charity pick-up or a trip to the dump consignment shop as soon as the sale is over.  It’s a good idea to let your charity location know you’re coming with a large load in advance and make sure they are open to accepting your items.
• Count your loot and celebrate!

The post Clear the Clutter with a Summer Yard Sale appeared first on Home Tips for Women.