Lesson 39: Cash for Trash
Over the last couple of weeks you've looked through your possessions. You've decided on the items you no longer want, need, like or use. While you were looking did you find any you might be able to sell?
A garage sale is the way to find new homes for those possessions and put some extra cash in your bank account.
You may disagree, but bear with me!
A garage sale is a one and done event. Selling things on Marketplace etc. drags out the process and is just as hit and miss with sales as a garage sale. Try a garage sale first, then you can try other ways of selling to move the leftover items if you wish.
A garage sale is the way to find new homes for those possessions and put some extra cash in your bank account.
You may disagree, but bear with me!
A garage sale is a one and done event. Selling things on Marketplace etc. drags out the process and is just as hit and miss with sales as a garage sale. Try a garage sale first, then you can try other ways of selling to move the leftover items if you wish.
Before you rush to the nearest power pole to stick up a "garage sale" notice, stop. A successful garage sale requires just a little planning. This week's lesson is full of tips and ideas to get you started and make your garage sale not only successful, but fun too.
Step 1. Deciding what to sell.
As you are sorting through your stuff, bear in mind the goal: cash for trash. When it comes to specific items to be sold you need to be strong. You want variety and quality to lure in customers. Just be sure that what you put out to sell belongs to you, or you may have some very unhappy family members.
To create a great garage sale invite neighbours, friends and family members to join in. The more the merrier and the bigger the selection of goods, the more customers you'll attract and the more money you can potentially make.
Step 2. Categories.
Organizing a garage sale takes a lot of time and effort, so it has to pay off. Sort your goods into categories and display like with like. Have all the toys together, sort the clothes into baby, children, women, men.
As you sort, try to keep all the goods for the sale in the one spot: the garage or garden shed; or if you live in a flat perhaps you can use a spare room. If the things are spread all over and you fall over them constantly you'll resent them and the idea of a garage sale.
As you find things, clean, wash, mend them. When they are presented nicely you can ask more for them and you'll get more for them. You'll also find they'll sell faster and you'll have less left at the end of the day.
Step 3. Location, location, location.
How will people find you? Put up signs with arrows on the day of the sale (and be sure to go back and take them down as soon as the sale is over). Tie balloons to the letter box so your garage (or carport or driveway) stands out.
If you live in a court or cul-de-sac and you make it a neighbourhood sale perhaps you can use the front yard instead of the garage. The sale will be easier to see and if everyone is involved customers will have the feeling of being in a well run market rather than a garage sale.
Friends who live on busy streets might like to hold the sale in their garage or yard. High-volume traffic can boost sales considerably with spur-of-the-moment shoppers stopping to see if they can find a bargain. Just remember you need to be able to move your goods to the location.
Once you've chosen your spot, let the neighbours know. You don't want angry neighbours crashing your sale, scaring off customers and ruining the day.
Step 4. Advertise it!
No one is going to know about your garage sale if you don't let them know. Put up flyers, do a letterbox drop around the neighbourhood, advertise on line (Facebook Marketplace, your local Facebook page etc.) see if your local kinder and school put ads in their newsletters or on their noticeboards. Email friends and ask them to spread the word.
A word of warning: if you put up posters, take them down! Leaving them up after the sale is not only lazy and ugly, it is littering and a fineable offence, and with your address on the poster you can be sure you'll be found.
Step 5. Setting up
Work out how you're going to display your goods. Do you have trestles or folding tables? Are you going to leave things in cartons? Perhaps tarps (or old sheets or curtains) on the floor or grass are more in keeping with what you have on sale? If you have clothes can you hang them on a portable clothes rack (don't buy one, make one out of a couple of brooms and a length of rope or curtain rod).
Does every item have a clear and visible price? Use coloured stickers so there can be no arguments about prices.
Who is going to help you? If you have young children you'll need a sitter for them. You could tag team with your spouse/partner or perhaps Granny and Grandad could help out. You'll also need someone to watch the money tin - allocate one person to handle the money for the day. Try to have a couple of people watching and helping shoppers. It's a sad indictment on society but if you are not vigilant things will walk away. I have no problem with giving things away if that is what I choose to do, but having someone steal them annoys me.
Step 6. Pack it up.
Once your garage sale is over, you need to pack up any leftover items. To do this successfully you need to have a plan for it. Is it going to be donated to your local charity shop (please remember to only donate usable and saleable items - don't dump your rubbish on them)? If it isn't suitable to be donated is it going to the tip? Are you going to offer it on Marketplace? Are there friends or relatives who may want it?
Whatever you do, do not take it back into your house. Have a deadline of no more than one week to have it all gone, even if you have to put it in the bin or take it to the tip (and there are some things that are just plain rubbish).
Step 7. Count the cash.
Once you have cleaned up, make a cuppa and count your cash. Hopefully you've made enough to have made the effort you put in worthwhile. Have a plan for your takings: paying off a credit card, boosting a mortgage payment, building an Emergency Fund, adding to savings etc.
Whatever you do don't just fritter it away. You have worked hard for this money so make sure you see something for your effort.
Lesson 39 Challenge: You have options when it comes to finding new homes for your excess stuff. It may be a garage or yard sale, it may be donating to charity or it could be sharing with friends. Look over the clutter you have cleared and make a plan for clearing it completely from you home and your life. Then action it: hold the garage sale, drop it off at the op shop, give it to your best friend.
Step 1. Deciding what to sell.
As you are sorting through your stuff, bear in mind the goal: cash for trash. When it comes to specific items to be sold you need to be strong. You want variety and quality to lure in customers. Just be sure that what you put out to sell belongs to you, or you may have some very unhappy family members.
To create a great garage sale invite neighbours, friends and family members to join in. The more the merrier and the bigger the selection of goods, the more customers you'll attract and the more money you can potentially make.
Step 2. Categories.
Organizing a garage sale takes a lot of time and effort, so it has to pay off. Sort your goods into categories and display like with like. Have all the toys together, sort the clothes into baby, children, women, men.
As you sort, try to keep all the goods for the sale in the one spot: the garage or garden shed; or if you live in a flat perhaps you can use a spare room. If the things are spread all over and you fall over them constantly you'll resent them and the idea of a garage sale.
As you find things, clean, wash, mend them. When they are presented nicely you can ask more for them and you'll get more for them. You'll also find they'll sell faster and you'll have less left at the end of the day.
Step 3. Location, location, location.
How will people find you? Put up signs with arrows on the day of the sale (and be sure to go back and take them down as soon as the sale is over). Tie balloons to the letter box so your garage (or carport or driveway) stands out.
If you live in a court or cul-de-sac and you make it a neighbourhood sale perhaps you can use the front yard instead of the garage. The sale will be easier to see and if everyone is involved customers will have the feeling of being in a well run market rather than a garage sale.
Friends who live on busy streets might like to hold the sale in their garage or yard. High-volume traffic can boost sales considerably with spur-of-the-moment shoppers stopping to see if they can find a bargain. Just remember you need to be able to move your goods to the location.
Once you've chosen your spot, let the neighbours know. You don't want angry neighbours crashing your sale, scaring off customers and ruining the day.
Step 4. Advertise it!
No one is going to know about your garage sale if you don't let them know. Put up flyers, do a letterbox drop around the neighbourhood, advertise on line (Facebook Marketplace, your local Facebook page etc.) see if your local kinder and school put ads in their newsletters or on their noticeboards. Email friends and ask them to spread the word.
A word of warning: if you put up posters, take them down! Leaving them up after the sale is not only lazy and ugly, it is littering and a fineable offence, and with your address on the poster you can be sure you'll be found.
Step 5. Setting up
Work out how you're going to display your goods. Do you have trestles or folding tables? Are you going to leave things in cartons? Perhaps tarps (or old sheets or curtains) on the floor or grass are more in keeping with what you have on sale? If you have clothes can you hang them on a portable clothes rack (don't buy one, make one out of a couple of brooms and a length of rope or curtain rod).
Does every item have a clear and visible price? Use coloured stickers so there can be no arguments about prices.
Who is going to help you? If you have young children you'll need a sitter for them. You could tag team with your spouse/partner or perhaps Granny and Grandad could help out. You'll also need someone to watch the money tin - allocate one person to handle the money for the day. Try to have a couple of people watching and helping shoppers. It's a sad indictment on society but if you are not vigilant things will walk away. I have no problem with giving things away if that is what I choose to do, but having someone steal them annoys me.
Step 6. Pack it up.
Once your garage sale is over, you need to pack up any leftover items. To do this successfully you need to have a plan for it. Is it going to be donated to your local charity shop (please remember to only donate usable and saleable items - don't dump your rubbish on them)? If it isn't suitable to be donated is it going to the tip? Are you going to offer it on Marketplace? Are there friends or relatives who may want it?
Whatever you do, do not take it back into your house. Have a deadline of no more than one week to have it all gone, even if you have to put it in the bin or take it to the tip (and there are some things that are just plain rubbish).
Step 7. Count the cash.
Once you have cleaned up, make a cuppa and count your cash. Hopefully you've made enough to have made the effort you put in worthwhile. Have a plan for your takings: paying off a credit card, boosting a mortgage payment, building an Emergency Fund, adding to savings etc.
Whatever you do don't just fritter it away. You have worked hard for this money so make sure you see something for your effort.
Lesson 39 Challenge: You have options when it comes to finding new homes for your excess stuff. It may be a garage or yard sale, it may be donating to charity or it could be sharing with friends. Look over the clutter you have cleared and make a plan for clearing it completely from you home and your life. Then action it: hold the garage sale, drop it off at the op shop, give it to your best friend.