End of Summer Yard Sale
I suggested in yesterday’s post, Do This When Time to Swap Out Your Summer Clothes, that you have a yard sale. It’s a great way to make money to put towards bills, towards your emergency fund, or towards saving for Christmas gifts, or a family vacation. You spent good money on those items and it doesn’t hurt to try to recoup a tiny bit of it. How much stuff can you find? I bet you have a lot more than you think.
Finding Items in Your Bedrooms
End of Summer is a great time to have a yard sale. It’s September now and for another month or so, it’s going to very comfortable temperatures. As summer concludes, you will be swapping out your clothes for the fall and winter seasons. Instead of repacking away clothes you didn’t wear this spring or summer, and aren’t going to wear, pull them out for a yard sale. And while you’re pulling out your winter clothes, pull out those clothes you didn’t wear the last two years and don’t plan to wear this year, and pull them out for the yard sale.
In addition, look around your house for other things you don’t need, want, or use. Look at your shoes. Many women have dozens of pairs of shoes, but have a half dozen or so, that we really like and another half dozen or so, that we wear with certain outfits. Chances are, you have another dozen or two that you can get rid of because you haven’t worn them in years. Maybe they were 4” heels and you’re looking for more comfort than you used to. Whatever the reason, someone else can benefit from your nice shoes that you no longer wear.
It’s a good idea to go through one room at a time. Look in closets, drawers, shelves, totes and bins. Looks for clothes, pajamas, slips, camisoles, shoes, accessories, costume jewelry, coats, jackets, and sweaters. Look in the bathroom for unused hair care, body care, and cosmetics. Sometimes you’ll find things you bought and never even opened or used. But pay 50¢ or $1 (sometimes more) for the unused portion of your products- especially if it’s not something you dip into, but pour, shake, or spray.
Finding Items in Your Kitchen
Look in the kitchen. Do you 3 or 4 of something and know you haven’t used it for at least a few years now? It’s still in good condition, so you keep hanging on to it. If you’re a person who keeps up with the latest thing, you might have the newest air fryer, pressure cooker, grill, and blender/mixer set; plus all the old versions as well. Someone else would love to have your old griddle or grill; your old blender/mixer; your old pots and pans; your old ovenware, dishes, or silverware. Someone may have just moved into their first apartment or be a new homeowner. These will be great starter items for them, and at an affordable rate.
Finding Items in the Rest of Your Home
Look on bookshelves, in cupboards and pantries, inside the China cabinet, in your server; and in your basement, shed, and garage. Look for stuff you haven’t pulled out and used for years, but are in good condition. Think about tools, gadgets, computer and phone accessories. Do you have 6 pair scissors and 100 pens and pencils randomly laying in this room and that? Do you have excess linens or linens for a bed size you don’t even have any more?
Other Things to Think About
You get the picture. The goal is to go from room to room, getting rid of things you know you don’t use, need, or want. When I had my yard sale, I had well over 500 things that I had no idea I was holding onto and didn’t need or want. It was crazy. We do such a good job putting things away and there they stay year after year, as we forget we even own them. And yet, when discovered, all of a sudden, we need them again. Chances are, you’ll have to go through your rooms more than once, because there are things you initially told yourself you wanted/needed out of emotion. But, with fresh eyes and more motivation, you’ll be more willing to get rid of.
You don’t have to do it all in one year. You can do a once through and have a yard sale, with those items this year- especially if you have a healthy number of items. You want enough to make it worth a person’s time to stop. You can decide if you want to have a 2-day event or a 2-weekend event to allow you opportunity to unload more items. At the conclusion, decide whether to give those unused items to a local donation center (where they can still be purchased on the cheap) and you can get a tax write-off; or keep most of those items in totes for your next yard sale. That way, when you go through your home the following year, if you don’ have quite as many things; you’ll still have a good collection when you add the items from this year. But don’t automatically assume you won’t find nearly as many. If you’ve been living in your home for decades (especially if you have a family), you’d be amazed at how much more stuff you find once you’re intentional about it.
Conclusion
A yard sale is work, but it can be as fun as you make it. Include other families to make it even more fun. Get helpers you can trust to help setup and service customers. Do a search from my prior posts on the subject and search the internet if you need other suggestions and inspiration. Otherwise, learn as you go. Make it something you do every year or two. You accomplish at least a few things. You declutter your home by getting rid of a lot of stuff you don’t use; you bless other people by allowing them to buy your good stuff, cheap; and you make a few hundred and possibly several hundred dollars to use for whatever you or your family decide to. If you found this post helpful, please share it.
