Are you getting ready to do some Spring cleaning? Looking for ways to make some extra money? Why not kill two birds with one stone?
This year, Spring’s glow is clouded by the ever present economic challenges that face us all. So, in the midst of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, I’ve decided that it’s time to make the most out of my annual spring cleaning event. It’s time to clean up, clean out, price right and resell.
That’s right. Garage sales and consignment shops are back in, so why not make the most of it.
There are some tricks of the trade that can help make your “resell” experience the most productive and profitable it can be. Remember, you’d probably find yourself cleaning house anyway, so you might as well bring in some cash in the process.
Here’s some helpful tips for spring cleaning and making money. Let’s begin by dividing our big event into two categories.
CLEANING UP & OUT:
1. Wall to Wall – If you want to eliminate the clutter, one of the best strategies for doing so it to begin at your front door and thoroughly cleaning everything in sight, moving throughout your house inch by inch until you come back to your front door. Look at everything as a potential sale item.
2. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” If you haven’t used it in over a year, it’s super questionable as to whether you need it. If you haven’t used it in two years…you definitely don’t need it.
3. Throw it away if it’s broken, throw it in “garage sale bin” if it’s re-sellable. By the way, don’t skip over the closets or the drawers. This is your chance to clean and organize, and it’s probably where you’ll find some of your best garage sale items.
F.Y.I.- Make it fun. Open the windows, turn your favorite music on and sing like no one’s listening. Ask a friend if she’d like to join in this adventure. Get together and clean your house one week and then go clean her house the next week.
TIPS OF THE GARAGE-SALE TRADE:
1. Enlist Neighbors – Community wide garage sales always draw a crowd…a big crowd. So go door to door and begin the process of organizing a neighborhood garage sale.
2. The Price is Right – Always name your price and be sure your price is right. If someone walks up to your garage sale and you don’t have a price on anything, they will most likely turn around and go straight to their car…they will not pass “Go” and you will not collect $200 dollars. Your price is paramount to a successful garage sale. Remember, you want to get rid of this stuff and you want to make some money in the process, so be sure the price is right. It’s a garage sale and your shoppers are not sentimentally attached to anything you’re trying to sell, they’re just trying to save a buck. That’s why they’re at a garage sale and not at a store. So, get out there, go buy some labels and put a realistic price on everything you want to sell.
3. Divide and Conquer – As you’re pricing your items, be sure to organize them into logical categories. That means, kitchen gadgets with kitchen gadgets, household decorations with household decorations, toys with toys, and clothes with clothes. If possible, put a pole up and hang all your clothes. People are more apt to look through clothes hanging on a rack than they are piled on a table. Never leave clothes in a box and don’t put them on a sheet in your yard. If you have to put them on a table, be sure to label them with the price and size and organize them according to “type”… jeans, skirts, t-shirts, ect… A well organized garage sale is very inviting to “drive-by garage salers.”
4. Get the Word Out – Don’t forget to advertise in the local paper the week before the big event. Put notices up in various restaurants, grocery stores, convenient stores and churches. Be sure to get permission, but most public places have a community center wall where you can post your notice. Don’t underestimate word of mouth. Be sure to tell your family, friends and your coworkers.
5. Doing It Right – If you’re involved in a community wide garage sale, you want to get together with your neighbors a couple of nights beforehand. Use this time to help one another. Remember, there may be someone in your neighborhood who isn’t physically able to carry their boxes out, so this may just your opportunity to perform a random act of kindness. This would also be a great time to buy from each other. You might have something they need and vice versa. You may even enjoy getting to know your neighbors in the process.
6. More Than Stuff – A good way to draw a crowd and make some extra money is to have cookies, cupcakes, lemonade or bottled water for sale. After a long hard day of driving around, getting in and out of the car, people are always ready for a good cold drink of water and something sweet to eat.
Spring is definitely in the air. So, don’t let the clouds of a dampened economy get you down. Make the most of it. Get busy doing your spring cleaning and make some money at the same time.
WILL YOU BE DOING SOME SPRING CLEANING AND GARAGE SALING THIS YEAR? DID ANY OF THESE TIPS HELP?
By: Stephanie Shott
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