I don’t know about you but I have a lot of stuff. Stuff I’ve never used, stuff I have used in the past and don’t need any more, stuff I’ve replaced with another version of the stuff. It’s all taking up space in my already crowded house. Not only space but time and money. I dust it. I clean it. I insure it. I worry about it getting damaged.
Someone out there is buying or wanting to buy that exact same stuff. It’s selfish and foolish of me to hold onto it.
One way to pass it along to more appreciative hands is having a yard sale.
First step in having a yard sale is to check with my local city’s regulators. Some cities, likely the same cities that ban clotheslines yet have power shortages, have laws about what is and is not acceptable while having a yard sale. Maybe they wouldn’t appreciate that Batman signal I plan to put up to advertise it.
There are many resources for having yard sales (smarter folks than myself) but some quick pointers…
Signage…good! Have clear signs from a busy roadway.
Yard sale shoppers show up early so if I time it for 7 am (do people actually get up that early?), someone will show up at my doorstep at 6 am expecting me to be ready (and they don’t appreciate me laughing at them).
I price ahead of time using masking tape and a marker.
I have small change available. The first five shoppers are likely to be buying something like 50 cent hot pink leg warmers with a fresh twenty dollar bill (yuppie food stamp).
Being lazy, I like to have extra help (extra help also prevents those sticky finger types that think a dollar is even too much for the authentic lava lamp).
Be prepared to haggle, its part of the fun and expected. If you don’t haggle, you’ll disappoint some regulars. I love practicing my negotiating skills during yard sales.
Keep your sense of humor. People are crazy. Keep the snippets in your memory for your memoirs.
