Mommy Ideas for a Successful Garage Sale

I am one proud Texas mommy! Last week, we opened our Dallas garage door on a Monday morning, and by Thursday afternoon we were $1,000 richer. The secret: a well-planned and executed garage sale, run by my family, my sister and our parents. No item sold for more than $20, and some items went for 25 cents. We’ve had several garage sales over the years, so I thought I’d share some tips to make your next garage sale a success:

1. Keep your eyes open for clutter around the house. Collect it all year long in out-of-the-way boxes. You might end up with a dozen boxes of “junk” by the time of your garage sale, when you can convert that junk into cash.
2. Plan, plan, plan. A week before the sale, scrutinize your entire house and collect anything you want to get rid of. Then, a couple of days before the sale, price and mark each item, and decide where you will display it. The day before, place ads on some local media, such as Craigslist, and put up signs in the neighborhood. Make sure you have plenty of cash and change on hand.
3. Organize your display. Put out clothing racks, tables (some of which you can borrow from friends), boxes and crates. Have all your signs ready to go and people assigned to post them. If your community requires a license for running a garage sale, make sure you have it in hand by the day of the sale.
4. Team up. Always have at least two people manning the sale at any given time. Friends and family will usually be happy to help out. And it’s more fun to have a bunch of helpers.
5. Use a convenient location. At our house, the garage is right out front. Don’t put your sale in a place that is hard to find or get to. If necessary, use a neighbor’s property (with their permission, of course!).
6. Make sure all prices are clearly marked. You don’t want to waste a lot of time trying to remember what price you had in mind for an unmarked item. Also, establish your haggling policy. If all prices are final, say so on a big sign.
7. Price aggressively. You want to get rid of the stuff on sale, so price it to move. Remember, you are not going to make a killing, just some extra cash and a less-cluttered home.