 |
|
Kristin
White
del
Rosso,
Pea
Organizing
Services,
Inc.
|
Purge
that Clutter with a
Great Garage or Yard Sale!
Spring
has sprung, which means there’s no better
time to purge items that you no longer need or use.
Does
the thought of sorting through items or opening up that
overstuffed closet overwhelm you? What about what to do
with these unwanted belongings? Planning
a garage or yard sale is a great incentive to organize
and clean up your home, and a fabulous
solution to getting rid of what you don’t want.
Set a date now, so that you have ample time to
sort through the various items collecting dust in your
attic, closet and/or garage.
 The
following are some tips for hosting
a successful garage sale.
•
Advertising and Promotion: Use large poster-weight
boards and print the information in a large, bold
font. Also, most local newspapers offer a garage
sale advertising package to promote your event a few days
preceding it.
•
Change: Be sure to have plenty
of small bills on hand, and keep your hands free
by keeping money in a fanny pack.
•
Set up everything in the garage the day before,
so all you have to do is pull it out in the morning. This
also prepares you for those early-bird shoppers who will
flock to your house at the crack of dawn.
•
Price items ahead of time. Use peel-and-stick
labels or cut up paper and tape it to your items. Price
everything the day before.
•
Price items fairly and clearly.
Use color-coded labels by price ($1, $5, $10) or arrange
items together by price (e.g. set up a “dollar”
table). Having a garage sale isn’t just about making
money; it’s an opportunity to get rid of unwanted
items. Price items to sell.
•
Provide an electrical source so customers can test any
electronic equipment that is for sale.
•
Put items on display. Setting up a bed
or a kitchen table set gives people a chance to really
view the item(s).
•
Hang clothes on a rack to make the items easier to view.
•
Even if you only have a few items, pair up with some other
neighbors for a multi-house/multi-family garage sale.
•
Plan on hosting a garage sale annually. This
forces you to purge items you haven’t used in the
past year.
•
Be sure to eat breakfast, keep snacks on hand and have
fun!
After
all is said and done, you may have a few items left that
don’t sell at your garage or yard sale. If so, plan
on donating what you didn’t sell to a charity that
same day.
There
is no sense in bringing what
you don’t want back into your home.
Like
with most things in life, things
go in cycles. The same holds true with
gathering clutter or unwanted items. Perhaps it’s
a shirt you haven’t worn for a few summer seasons
or a small area rug that no longer matches your décor.
Whatever it is, you can
never purge too much nor will the purging process ever
end. It is an ongoing cycle, so plan accordingly.
One
of the best organizing tips is to designate a place for
items, whether it’s for mail, magazines,
important documents or seasonal clothes. Otherwise, the
pile will just move from room to room throughout the house.
Follow this same advice for items you don’t want.
Be proactive and create a space in your garage,
attic or closet to hold a box marked “garage sale,”
and set up a clothing donation bag to store items you
no longer need or want and add to these throughout the
year. This will help save
time as you plan for your annual yard sale,
and gives you a place to store items that you no longer
need.
For
an event that will probably only take about three hours
of your Saturday morning and some additional time for
preparation, you’ll look back and
be glad you did it. Not only will you have the peace of
mind of getting rid of unwanted items and clutter, you
will earn some extra cash.
|
Kristin
White
del
Rosso,
President
of
Pea
Organizing
Services,
Inc.
is
a
professional
organizing
consultant,
who
has
been
awarded
designation
as
the
first
to
be
OMI-Certified
in
the
area
of
professional
organizing
in
North
and
South
Carolina.
She
is
a
member
of
the
NAPO
Golden
Circle,
a
Certified
Member
of
the
International
Association
of
Professional
Organizers
(IAPO)
and
a
Certified
Productivity
Trainer
and
Authorized
Consultant
(PTAC™)
from
the
Hemphill
Productivity
Institute.
She
has
also
earned
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Basic
Attention
Deficit
Disorder
(ADD)
Issues,
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Chronic
Disorganization,
and
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Learning
Styles
and
Modalities
from
the
National
Study
Group
of
Chronic
Disorganization
(NSGCD).