How to Have the Ultimate Yard Sale

Are your closets filled to the top with clothes you haven't worn in a decade? Is your garage filled with so much junk you haven't parked your car in there in years? What do you do with all that stuff? Have a yard sale! I love to have yard sales. I first started having yard sales about five years ago. I was trying to raise money for a family reunion I was hosting. I asked friends and family for donations of their unwanted household clutter to sell to raise money. I made about $300 the first time. It was so successful I kept doing it. Yard sales can be a headache if you're disorganized but if you're organized and have a plan it can be a fun way to get rid of your unwanted junk, meet new and interesting people and make a little money at the same time.

Don't have a yard? Have no fear you can still have a yard sale. If you have a friend or relative with a yard ask if you can borrow their yard, they may have things to sell too. Check with schools, churches, and community organizations. Sometimes churches rent tables at a community sale as a fundraiser. Of course there's always online auctions, although I don't think it's as fun as selling in person.

Planning

So you've decided to have a yard sale, where should you start? First, think about what you want to sell. What about that cow sculpture you got for your birthday that you absolutely hate? Here's your chance to get rid of all those awful gifts people have given you over the years. Look at everything around your house. Do you use it or is it just collecting dust? It's hard to get rid of your things but if you haven't used it in over a year chances are you're not going to be using it again.

Go through boxes, closets, drawers, basements, and attics. Make three piles, a yes pile, a no pile, and a maybe pile. The yes pile includes things you are definitely getting rid of, the no pile is for things you want to keep, and the maybe pile is for things you're not sure you want to get rid of yet. Go through the maybe pile again to decide one way or the other.