CaringHarts.com
Here's This Month' s
"Couples, Married Folks & Life Partners" Terrific Feature Article
The Couple's Corner
This month, we bring to you another fabulous feature article for helping you both to enjoy each other and spending your time better together!
{Your voice counts with us so - Let us know your opinion about what you read and what's on your mind.}
Cashing in on Your Trash - Garage $$$$ale Tips
Have you taken a look around your home recently and thought to yourself, "Oh, we just have to start getting rid of some of this junk." If you are like most of us, some old things that get broken are put to a side to one day fix AND that one day never comes because you get busy or simply forget about it. Others think that someday they will definitely have the space to put it nicely SOMEWHERE. How about this - you are going to save those old "8 tracks" or videos for the grandchildren. Reason after reason after reason results in piles of unwanted things. We have not even suggested those storage closets which have 10, 15 or 20 year old clothes that are out of date, no longer fashionable and maybe one or more sizes too small (because you got taller, right)!!!!!
As Spring has come to a close, lots of your neighbors are putting up garage sales to rid themselves of items that no longer fit their life style. You can do the same AND pick up some good hard cash to use for other currently important things. If you have young children, back to school specials will soon be advertising special early bird savings. Your electric bill may be going up due to high usage of the air conditioner. If you are planning a summertime trip, of course having some extra money to pay for the gasoline could be a help - instead of calling off a trip due to high cost of traveling. There are many ways to use that extra money and the list goes on to include buying something like a grill for BBQs, getting the car fixed, having that new summer outfit, etc. etc.
Although different towns and cities have their own rules about when and how long or even how many garage sales a home may have in a year, the first and best tip is to make sure you set the date to be on a weekend. Weekends are when people generally have the time off and you can get the most people to visit you (this includes Fridays). Some feel that Thursdays are great too but in this author's experience, that day can be a bit slow other than retirees and some at home moms or dads coming over to look for the early deals. Early deals for them are not a deal for you as they often want too much for too little. By keeping the garage sale on the weekend, you have more people and create a bit of competition in the air so bargainers may take the price you set instead of losing out to someone else looking at the same item.
Related but different to the above strategy is to NEVER use those pre-made garage sale tags that have prices already marked on them. The idea to market these tags was probably a brainstorm 15 or twenty years ago - way back when things did not cost nearly what they do today. You would not sell your home at yesterday's prices so do not sell off your possessions so cheaply either. A good rule of thumb is to apply the 10% Rule. Simply put, this means that whatever the retail (store bought) price was or is now, recognize that you are not a store, offer no gaurantee and the item is after all USED. Therefore, whatever the value, do the math and ask 10% for the item. Of course, newer items and those in better condition can demand a higher price. Items that you have lots of like videos, clothes for the baby, etc. should be at a lesser price (from $1 - 5 per item) depending on what you are dealing with. One could always have separate boxes or areas and place items of one price in a particular box. BUT, always tag your items as the crafty patron may take the sticker off or say they retrieved it from a cheaper pile in order to get a break on the price. Antiques, rare books and collectibles can be at a higher price but you may not sell them here unless you get a person who collects it or the bargain hunter takes advantage of your cheap price if you don't know the real value - these items are best left to an online auction or EBay seller.
The last two tips are a sanity and life saver. Have water to drink so you don't get tired or pass out from being in the heat and if a bargainer is reasonably fair, then sell the item instead of waiting and not having an interested person to purchase it. After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.