6/21/12
Hi everyone! Well, this weekend is our big garage sale! Unfortunately I am not as nearly as organized as I want to be, between a emergency trip up north coupled with us being hit with the stomach bug, I just lost too many days and am having to play catch up tonight and tomorrow. Thankfully, most of the clothing, etc is already organized just not priced individually which really is not a big deal. When originally planning for the garage sale, I took three bins into the house, one was labeled “sell”, one was labeled “keep” and the last one was labeled, “throw away”. The “sell” bin is self-explanatory, anything that goes into that is for the garage sale. The “keep” bin is needed because as I was going room to room, I was finding items that just were put away in their correct spot, so instead of stopping each time I found one of these items, I would just place it in the bin and put them all in their right place later. The “throw away” bin was for broken items or things that just were not worth selling or donating. Looking into the “throw away” bin at the end of the day I was mostly faced with puzzles that were missing pieces and teeny tiny little toy pieces that neither Sydney nor myself could figure out what they belonged to! When going through the house to get organize for the sale the rule was you only had 15 seconds to make the decision on if it stayed or went. If you spend too much time over analyzing, “well someday I might need this” you have already wasted too much time and then nothing will end up in the bin. If something has been in a box for 5 years and you have not used it, chances are you don't need it! Pricing things is always a little difficult for me, I have a hard time selling something dirt cheap when it still has the tags on with the original price still marked. Those items I try to get at least half for, but I always have a rock bottom price in mind. I always have to remind myself that things are only worth what someone will pay for them regardless of how much I paid for them! However, I have also made up my mind that I will not sell a shirt I have marked for $1.00 to someone offering me a dime. I can get a bigger tax write off by donating the shirt. My oldest daughter, Sydney, likes to get involved in the yard sales by taking her own money and buying a case of bottled water and then selling it. That has been a great experience for her and the last time she did that she made $25 to take on a Disney trip. It gave her a great sense of accomplishment that I felt was a valuable learning tool! This weekend we have a lot of Zach’s baby stuff like his stroller, swing, highchair, which I am hoping to get a half-decent price for. I have to get pictures up on Craigslist tonight to advertise. My goal is to make at least $200 from this sale and to be able to park one of the cars in the garage! Stay tuned to see how we do! Have you been into your VyStar yet to inquire about your own money makeover? If not, then stop reading this and get in there, it will change your life!!! Good Luck!
