Back Tracking: The Street Sale

The very minute I came back from vacation, I began the street sale project. I say project, because if you've ever done a garage sale, you know how much work it involves. But let me truly describe what it involved. This was no ordinary garage sale! I worked w/ a neighbor to coordinate the entire street/neighborhood sale. We ended up with 22 houses participating, which is really impressive since our neighborhood is so young (3-5 years old!)

As you know, the "garage sale corner" in my basement was growing, so I had to go through the items, haul them out into the garage, price them, and come up with a clever way to display it. That's the typical work for a garage sale. I'm not complaining. My dad also had a truck load of stuff to contribute ... which meant I went through each box, threw away a ton of junk, and put the rest of it on tables to sell. That stuff didn't yield a ton of money, but every little bit helps, and it's all part of the fun, right? My mom and 2 friends brought their stuff over, too ... but since they were responsible for sorting, hanging, pricing, etc. their own stuff it was a little easier on me.

Then there's the hot dog adventure. Mike and neighbor-man set up their tent in the morning, and grill hot dogs to sell. Sounds simple, eh? Not bad once the supplies are purchased, the signs are made, and everything is set up. One guy (customer) walked as fast as he could with his cane and yelled "those are the best hot dogs I've ever had!" He was referring to last year's hot dogs, and came back for more! At this point I'm thinking that we should charge a whole lot more than we currently are.

Did I mention that it barely made it to the 50s that day and we all froze? Or that because of the cold, the kids --and I mean a ton of kids-- were in my basement coming up with clever things to do with a giant box that contained my wedding dress?! And of course Hailey needed to be entertained for the day. Thanks Mom :)

The neighbors were really cooperative ... everyone contributed towards the advertising, and appreciated the blog I made so customers could see what items were at each house. Really, it was quite an undertaking but so much fun for the event-planner in me!

If you're planning on doing a garage sale, email me for a bunch of tips!

Garage Sale Frenzy

It's that time of year again. I know a lot of people look forward to summer vacation, a trip, the kids going back to school, Christmas, Halloween even ... but for some of us, garage sale is a season in itself. A season to begin the annual household purge. A season to get some extra spending cash. A season to cook hot dogs, put little stickers on a bunch of stuff I no longer want or need, have people over, and buy it all! Yes!!

The "garage sale corner" in my basement is growing rapidly. I've added a bunch of baby items I no longer need. Of course, I said the same thing 2 years ago and sold it; 3 months later when I found out I was pregnant again I had re-buy everything!

A good rule of thumb to have: when you're in a store, trying to decide if you should buy an item, ask yourself, "Can I see this in a garage sale a year from now?" This way of thinking has stopped me from buying a few things in the past, but usually I justify it all by saying "This will make an excellent garage item in the future!"

Well, I'm off to search high and low for treasures I no longer need; ahh, the exhilarating feeling of cleaning out! 7 weeks until the sale!