Mom’s Garage Sale Tips

It all started when I ordered these gorgeous custom Chicago IL garage doors. It suddenly hit me that the doors were a lot nicer than the garage. We had TONS of stuff that we didn’t need, and the whole effect was what I would call Contemporary Earthquake. There was just one solution – garage sale! Just the thought of it had me washing down my Valiums with white wine. Then I decided to be fatalistic about it and depend on my sister and my daughter to help. It turned out just fine, and I didn’t need to be sedated afterwards. My research beforehand was helpful, but not exhaustive. Here are some tips I picked up from my own experience:

1. Do not put up for sale any items to which you are still emotionally attached. You don’t need the internal distress. For instance, we had a perfectly good urn that still had my father’s ashes in it. I saved the ashes but sold the urn, and got a good price too!
2. Don’t schedule your sale around a sentimental anniversary or event. My daughter’s graduation from elementary school was scheduled for the day after the garage sale. Every time someone wanted to buy some article of my daughter’s baby clothes, I’d break into tears. Dumb timing.
3. Expect some people to be real douche bags. Most people are really sweet. Then there is the creepy guy who wants to buy a party dress marked at $85 for 75 cents. And why exactly did he want a child’s party dress anyway. We got into a big fight and he yelled a lot until I threatened to call the police. Then he went all quiet and jumped into his car. Funny, huh?
4. Mentally establish your minimum price on each item, and don’t violate it. Unless you get fed up and just give in to terminate the haggling. In short, be strong yet flexible, resolute yet compliant. Whatever. 5. Don’t let yourself be bullied. Some people don’t only step over the line, they drive across it in a Hummer. Don’t back down – send them packing. A little intestinal fortitude goes a long way.
5. Surround yourself with friends. They’ll give you moral support and help you stand up to bullies (see #5). Also, they’ll make trips to Starbucks if I beg them.
6. If you get fed up, just close your new designer garage doors, shoo everyone away and call your local charity. They’ll take everything with nary a complaint.