The Complete Guide to Having a Successful Garage Sale

Nothing says "green" like a garage sale!  Green in that you recycle things you no longer want (keeping it out of the landfills) and that people will hopefully buy and not need to require as much new stuff to be produced...and ultimately hopefully green in your pocket!  I'm known by many as a garage sale master so thought I'd share my tips of what it takes to hold a great garage sale in an organized way that will allow you the largest profit and the largest audience.

1) Gather up your gear - go through every closet, nook and cranny!  My rule of thumb is that if you haven't used it for a year - it goes!  Why clutter your house with "stuff" you don't use?  Unless there is great sentimental value, there is actually a lot of peace that comes with cleaning house!  Less stuff means less to clean and keep track of.  =)

2) Sort - look for stains, rips, tears, mold, etc.  These sort of items will make your garage sale look dumpy and may scare away customers who would be willing to buy otherwise.  Granted, if there is a hot item like an expensive Armani purse or Baby Lulu outfit you may want to still try to sell it, but most likely it does not belong in the sale!  Also, out-of-date items (unless you truly think they are collectible) should be given to Goodwill and not placed for sale.  I absolutely LOVE "no junk" garage sales and will sometimes spend half of my cash at such a sale because I know I'm getting quality items.

3) Get the kids involved - kids can help sort as well as contribute things to the sale.  What easier way to get your children to clean up their toy bins?  Give them incentive, say they really have been wanting a big ticket item for awhile, tell them that if they sell enough they can buy it (you can make up the difference or just use that as a down payment, it's up to you).  You may also find you have a natural born sales person on your hands, but be sure to coach them about the appropriate way to sell and avoid scaring away customers with too much sales pressure.

4) Price - the key here is to determine TRUE worth.  Completely disregard your purchase price!  Don't mark a toy that you splurged on and went over budget buying for your son for Christmas for $8 when other garage sales are selling the same item for $2.  You will simply not sell the item and end up donating it anyway!  If in doubt of what to price something at use these two rules of thumb: price it for what you would pay for it at a sale or if you don't have any idea price it at 10% of retail.  DVDs should be marked at about $2-3 (a little greater than rule of thumb) if they are in mint condition, if they all scratched up stick to $1 or less.  The goal is to move the stuff, not to cling onto it.  Please don't color code things, but price them out or do a sign saying "all shirts $1, all DVDs $2 unless marked" and place in appropriate areas (not one large sign for all).  The color coding or long list makes it obnoxious for buyers.  If it takes too much time to figure out the price, you will lose a lot of sales.

5) Timing - spring is an ideal time to have a garage sale as the weather is warm, but not blistering hot.  If you have a neighborhood garage sale, try to hold it the same weekend!  Try to open a day before the "big sale" because many of your neighbors will as well.  However, Thurs/Fri/Sat is sufficient.  Yes, there will be traffic to a Wed. sale, but in the long run it won't be worth your time.  All of the really desirable things will likely be gone the first day, regardless of a Wed/Thurs/Fri open and your profit per hour worked goes down with the length of your sale.  Most "die hard" garage salers like me trek out on Thurs as there are usually an abundance of sales and it is fun to score early deals.  If I see something has been open since Wed. I wouldn't stop since the general belief is that it is picked over after the first day.

6) Advertise the sale - there are plenty of free ways to do this!  Craigslist is great as is http://www.yardsalesearch.com - what I like about the latter is that there is a way for users to punch in a zip code and see locations on a map.  This is very helpful for buyers!  I thought of this idea a long time ago, but never had the resources to carry it out so I'm glad someone else had the same idea and carried it out!  Make sure to throw in as many desirable key words as possible such as "no junk!" (be truthful, though) or list out individual name brands that are high end (such as Hanna Andersson or Baby Jogger) as many people are in search of particular things.  The more things you list to drive traffic the better!

7) Signage - all your hard work will be for naught if you don't get good traffic to your sale.  If you read no other part of this post, I hope you read this one because it's essential!  Number one, size is important!  If you make a great big sign saying "HUGE sale" it will definitely make people more willing to stop (note: if your sale is not huge, don't waste your time having the sale!  Donate your items or team up with friends to combine your stuff for a "multi-family sale" which attracts buyers and spreads out the work). Most importantly, don't forget the LARGE arrow!  I so often see this mistake, where a well meaning person writes their address on the sign instead of an arrow.  Think about it, no one is going to whip out their GPS on the fly and the only people that do know exactly where your address is probably already passed the sale!  Do everyone a favor and make it easy - lots of signs with large arrows to point the way!  Make sure signs are sturdy and if it is a particularly windy or stormy day have someone check occasionally to make sure signs are still up.  If you buy a large enough sign you can put select "key words" on it to attract attention such as "toys, kids, tools, antiques".  Then you will know you are getting the right buyers.  If you have a mainly antique sale, you will get less drive bys by disappointed minivans and if you have loads of kids stuff you won't get the drive bys by people who don't have kids.  Try to have something for everyone, though!  If you don't have kids, team up with someone who does, or if you have mainly kids stuff don't forget to go through your closet, kitchen, and garage because people with similar aged kids probably need/want similar items to what you own.

8) Presentation - make sure to load things as much down the driveway as possible.  People that keep things in their garages may have great stuff, but many people will just drive by.  A lot of times people are looking for specific things so if they see something at a glance they will at least stop.  Group similar items together, and have things labeled as nicely as possible (don't make the buyer have to guess).  Selling clothing items as matching sets will allow you to sell more and you can mark up the prices accordingly (for ex: I might pay up to $1 for a shirt, but if it's a shirt and pair of pants that match and sold as a set I might pay $3-5).  Take the time to clean up items, a clean sale sells more because presentation really sells things!

9) Clean up - don't let anything back in your house!  One of the goals of a garage sale is to declutter, and if you don't care about something enough to sell it you might as well give it away.  Find a local swap, Goodwill, or needy family and donate.  You will bless them and keep your house clutter free!  There is no point in deep cleaning your house just to fill it back up, and under no uncertain terms do you want to keep things and try to sell it the following year in a garage sale!  If they didn't sell in three days, they likely won't sell in three days next year and why clog up your garage/basement?

10) Have fun - remember, you are doing this to make money and help the environment so don't get overwhelmed.  When the day(s) are done, go out and celebrate!  It is always fun to have a goal in mind (maybe in tiers if it's your first sale!) of what to do with the profits and how sweet it is when your goal is realized! 

The Importance of James, the Brother of Jesus

I have been thinking a lot about James, the brother of Jesus lately.  His testimony should remove all doubt for the unbeliever about Jesus' claim to be the Son of God, the Messiah.  Why is this?  Let's just stop and think about it for a minute.  If you yourself have grown up with a sibling, you will acknowledge that you see everything!  People are quite different in the public and private eye, and your siblings (and parents) know the good and the bad.  That is why it is so hard to shake a bad reputation!  So, add to this that Jesus was most likely the favorite son.  I don't know about you, but if an angel announced the birth of one of your children and you knew he was the son of God, my guess is you would treat him quite differently than the rest of your kids!  So, here it is - James, the son of Mary and Joseph, brother of Jesus, raised in a traditional Jewish home in the shadow of his perfect brother.  I know people try to make the apostles and disciples out to be these holy saints who can do no wrong, but in reality they are human like we are!  If we were in James' shoes, we'd likely view things skeptically.  In fact, in John 7:5 it says that Jesus' brothers didn't believe him.  James, I'm assuming, was among them.  However, he had a change of heart after he saw the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7).  We can be assured of his belief because James is then referred to in Galatians 1:19 as an apostle of Jesus (as well as brother).  It is also generally accepted that James was the writer of the book of James in the Bible....where he refers to himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1).  Finally, Josephus, a non Christian reference documents that James (brother of Jesus) was martyred in AD 62.

I don't know about you, but that really is mind blowing!  Can you imagine, dying for the belief that your brother was God?  To do so, he must have believed it were true, and if he believed it were true - he would also be able to attest that Jesus' teachings were both true and that he indeed lived a sinless life.  How can we know Jesus lived without sin?  James is a testimony to that.  Although he did not say it specifically, his life and death speak that truth loud and clear.  I'm sorry, but I would not die for a lie.  He would not have died a martyr if he did not come to accept that Jesus was who He said He was - the Messiah, the Son of God, the savior that was sacrificed for our sins.  If James' testimony were not enough, Jude, another brother was also a believer after the resurrection and wrote the book of Jude.  It seems that God wanted to make it abundantly clear that from any angle even a skeptic 2,000 years later could see the truth.  That is why He made a way for multiple accounts to testify to the truth of Jesus' divinity and power to save us from our sins - because the multiple gospels, the testimony of Jesus' brothers, and even secular accounts all line up.  Most of these books were written close to the time of Jesus' death and resurrection so if it were false then these people would have been put down and there would not have been a mass spreading of the Gospel.  Whether or not you choose to believe is up to you, but "seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you!"  (Matthew 7:7)

Having a Servant's Heart

I was on my hands and knees yesterday scrubbing hardened milk residue and food particles from around my daughter's high chair and the thought struck me that instead of feeling worn out and begrudging the task at hand I should take the moment to practice having a servant's heart.  It does make a total difference when you are imagining scrubbing the floors for Jesus.  I mentally pictured the floor transforming into the floor of a palace and I renewed my efforts as I started thinking about how nice it would be to please the King.  The funny thing is, that is exactly what I was doing, though it seemed a mundane task.  When we shift our focus, not on the task at hand, but onto the eternal it gives our lives purpose.  That is something I think we all need!

Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Beautifying with Aveda

While I am not one to spend a lot of money, I still live by the slogan "we are too poor to buy cheap."  This motto holds true for a lot of things.  While spending more money for fruits and vegetables versus the cheaper junk food versions may double the grocery bill, a healthy family will spend less in a doctor's office and will miss less work.

Along the same line of thought, I have really been getting into Aveda products lately.  The company started locally in Minnesota, and I know they make a big effort to be "green".  For example, they collect the tops of bottles (think bottled water, milk caps, etc) and recycle them to make their product bottles.  This may seem like a little thing, but since I've started collecting caps for their efforts you would be amazed at how many amass on a daily basis!  To my knowledge, this is the only recycling system currently in place that recycles bottle tops.

Aside from the environmental qualities of the company, I love the quality of the products.  The scents are very earthy and clean, they smell like essential oils were added - instead of some flowery concoctions that smell cheap.  They also leave your skin feeling soft and your hair shining.  =)  It is hard to find Aveda products on sale, however, so I was very fortunate to be able to cash in on a few local deals.  For starters, a local spa was offering with every $100 gift card purchased an additional $10 gift card.  Then, they are having a special sale day with 20% off the products.  So, for $100, I'll be able to get $137.50 worth of product (which is a savings of 27%).  Sometimes it takes some creative planning such as this to be able to afford otherwise "luxury" products, but it is definitely worth investing in a great company like Aveda.  Oh, yeah, and I also applied to the "pure privilege" program and since your first purchase points double, for the $200 I spent I was able to qualify for tier 4 (their mid tier) and will soon be receiving a $50 gift card off of a spa service (so that means a 50 min massage = free!).  I sure love a great deal!

Green Travel

I confess, I LOVE to travel.  There is something fun and exciting about seeing new places and experiencing new sights, cultures, and foods.  My husband and I just booked a trip to Florida to celebrate our ten year anniversary, and after booking it through Delta, we were told there is a "green" way to fly!  When I clicked for more information, they printed a cute little diagram showing how much carbon my flight was going to output, and how much of a donation to the Nature Conservatory would offset that.  They also stated that Delta has a fuel efficient fleet that gets 55 MPG - so, for the amount of people they transport that is pretty incredible and I now realize that it makes less of a footprint to fly vs. drive.  Just food for thought!

				1.005 Tons CO2		$ 20.10
2  Passengers		2616 Miles		How much is this?

Myth Busting

As I approach my birthday next week I have been thinking a lot about the wisdom I have gained in the past few years.  I know they say you grow wiser with age, but it isn't until you get older that you really realize the truth in that statement.  Part of it is the development of logic skills, because when you really think things through a lot of times you will "myth bust" things you have always accepted at face value.

For example, growing up my mom would always tell me that I never "took to the pacifier."  Her story of proof was that "the first time I gave you a pacifier, you walked right over to the trash can and threw it out!"  This was always accepted at face value that I simply didn't like pacifiers...then, as I aged and became a mom myself suddenly a new light was shone on this subject.  If I could WALK to the trash to throw it out, I was far beyond the age of introducing.  My guess is I had a little too much attitude one day, my mom saw a nuk nearby, shoved it in to "plug it" (LOL) and I marched over to the trash and threw it away in protest.

The moral of the story is that we always need to think things through - not just accept things as fact without exploring all of the outcomes.  My eyes were also opened to this after reading an article on "not being mean to your toddler" (sorry, I don't remember the source!) and the author made a good point that our little explorers are not trying to irk us (usually), but instead make mistakes or messes because they are trying to be all grown up.  I can't tell you how much those words of wisdom have helped me through the 2's with my son.  So many times I had the instinct to yell or get upset, but instead I looked at the surroundings and give him the benefit of the doubt (sometimes easier said than done).

Lastly, I encourage people to try things that they may have written off in the past as unsuccessful because they may not have gotten the full picture.  For example, I thought I hated running due to my experiences growing up in gym class.  Once or twice a year they would throw you on the track and make you run a mile and gauge your entire fitness on that marker.  I was pretty athletic in general (playing soccer, volleyball, and basketball), but did not have much endurance for running.  Therefore I made it around the track one or two times before getting a splitting pain in my side and gasping for air, heart racing.  My best friend (aka "Gigglez") challenged me recently to shed the baby weight (per my request for suggestions) by running with her in a half marathon.  Never in my life had I ever desired to run for pleasure, much less a half marathon.  However, as a result of a scare of post partum high blood pressure with my daughter I was willing to try anything....  Lo and behold, after starting to train (the right way) I am finding that I'm increasingly enjoying it.  There is a certain healthy "rush" that runners get after running and my blood pressure has never looked better.  I still have six months to go, but things are looking up (I ran 5k the other day and lived to tell about it)!  I will update with progress on the training and any barriers or tips I come up with along the way.  =)

Theodore Roosevelt's Environmental Contributions

I have noticed that shifting to a sustainable mentality really does affect everything in your life.  Aside from the obvious, it seems that someone who tries to live responsibly has an entire shift in their value system regarding protecting our planet.  I am currently in a US History class and needed to write a paper on something in the early 1900s.  I chose to write on Theodore Roosevelt and his impact on environmental sustainability.  I had thought momentarily about posting it here, to share with the world, but knowing there are unethical people that copy and plagerize just to pass a course I decided against it...

To sum it up, Theodore Roosevelt was a real pioneer in American history in the green movement, he was simply in the right place at the right time (with the right values).  He took hold of his presidency around the time that the nation was rapidly developing the west, and he sheltered 243 million acres of land during his presidency (into national parks and reserves).  That really is mind blowing when you think about it!  I especially appreciate this quote that he made in 1910: “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the nature resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” (The National Park Service. Theodore Roosevelt: The Father of Conservation, 2011).  


I was blessed to get my grade back on this paper and to have been asked by my professor if she could anonymously use my paper as an example to other students of a well written and researched paper.  It is nice to know that when you are passionate about something, that it is reflected in your writing, and that even when I feel overwhelmed with all the responsibilities on my shoulders I still can do a good job.  =)