De-cluttering my life (Just had Garage Sale)!!!

[JDGREEN4ME]

My wife and I married "later" in life so we had two houses worth of items to put in one house. Fifteen years later we still have stacks of items I don't think we've used since we got married. I would love to unload some of this stuff to better utilize the space we have.

 

[dave1949]

Good deal. My wife and I have had multiple purges of things. As we have outlived our parents and we inherited their hoardings and finally decided it was time to get rid of what felt like a ball and chain. Feels good. Bought a small house the kids won't ever be eager to move back to and kept only a few treasures that will be passed on sooner than later. BTW, while in Durango take the old narrow guage locomotive up to Silverton and bring your camera. Real fun.

That's a neat old train. You reminded me of inheriting 300 pounds of paper photos :laughing: We sorted photos last Winter and three heavy duty contractor trash bags worth went to the curb. My wife sent some here and there to shirtail relatives in case they didn't have enough of their own

This Winter will be the final sort and selection, then we will think about digitizing what's left.
Dave.

 

[Bird]

I'm 10 miles from the nearest little town and 20 miles from the nearest city.

Before moving back to town, we were 12 miles south of Frost, TX, 20 miles west of Corsicana, 24 miles east of Hillsboro, at the end of the asphalt on a county road. I put an add in the Corsicana newspaper. We were on county road 3360 but they only printed 360. And we still sold almost $2,400 worth that day.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

So, while we're on the subject of garage sales I'm going to get out my soap box...

1) Even if you have the address posted in an ad, please still put up signs to help me find your place. Please have all the signs similar so that I know which ones to follow.
2) If you put up 100 signs to your garage sale, take 100 signs back down. I hate following signs to your yard sale two weeks after you had it.
3) If your yard sale is huge, feel free to advertise it as huge. If you only have one table that is half full of picture frames and a few self help books, don't try to make up for the lack of selection by advertising it as "Huge".
4) Don't say you'll have tools at your sale unless there are tools that could be used in a garage to really fix stuff. A glue gun and scissors in a box that says "Homeowner Tool Kit" don't count as tools.
5) I'm going to dicker when I come to your yard sale. So is everyone else. Don't act all offended when I offer you less than your asking price. I'm going to dicker harder on Saturday afternoon than I will on Friday morning. All the good stuff is gone in the first few hours. The only reason I even stop on Saturday afternoon is because I figure I can get stuff for next to nothing.
6) Garage sales exist so that people can declutter by selling stuff at rediculously low prices. 10% off retail does not count as rediculously low.
7) There are varying degrees of used. There is only one new. "Almost new" is still used. Price it accordingly.
8) Help me out and categorize stuff a little. Putting the crescent brand wrench in with the curtains and pillows is not going to make me any more interested in the curtains or pillows. It just makes me take more time finding what I want.

I'm off my soapbox now.

 

[jwstewar]

5) I'm going to dicker when I come to your yard sale. So is everyone else. Don't act all offended when I offer you less than your asking price. I'm going to dicker harder on Saturday afternoon than I will on Friday morning. All the good stuff is gone in the first few hours. The only reason I even stop on Saturday afternoon is because I figure I can get stuff for next to nothing.

My wife did a yard sale a few years back. She was running, but ended up having to leave because one of her relatives was being taken to the hospital and wasn't well, so that left me running the yard sale.

We had decided we weren't having any more kids so we were getting rid of a lot of baby stuff. Monica had wrapped up 4 baby spoons and was selling them for $1 - typically sale for $2 each. Had a lady ask me if I would take $.50. I said I would do 75. She said no. Then there were 2 or 3 other things and it was the same type of deal. Didn't end up selling any of those items that day. Funning thing was, a few months later, Monica ended up pregnant and we ended up using those spoons (and probably the other stuff as well) again.:laughing:

 

[NSBound]

I had a small semi-circular antique table at my sale. They sell for $100-$150 at auctions, and I just wanted rid of it so I marked it $30. A woman came in and offered me $5. I refused and sold it later the same morning for $25. I'll dicker, but I won't bend over.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I had a small semi-circular antique table at my sale. They sell fro $100-$150 at auctions, and I just wanted rid of it so I marked it $30. A woman came in and offer me $5. I refused and sold it later the same morning for $25. I'll dicker, but I won't bend over.

Right on. My version of dicker is to offer 15-20% off the asking price. I may offer less if it's near the end of the sale and the price is a little high anyway. If a counter offer is even close, I'll usually take it.

 

[pharmvet]

I wasnt taking any of my stuff back home so did not refuse any offers. I told everyone that drove up to let me know if there was something they wanted and I would make sure they got it. One lady asked my wife what she would take for some blankets. My wife, hoping to get a couple of bucks asked, what would you give. How about $5 the woman said. SOLD. I almost have enough stuff gathered up for another. I found so much I wish I had put in the first one.

 

[jinman]

Before moving back to town, we were 12 miles south of Frost, TX, 20 miles west of Corsicana, 24 miles east of Hillsboro, at the end of the asphalt on a county road. I put an add in the Corsicana newspaper. We were on county road 3360 but they only printed 360. And we still sold almost $2,400 worth that day.

Dang! You're taking away my number one best excuse to not hold a sale. Sigh!. . . .I guess now I'll have to start blaming the heat until it cools off in the fall.

 

[aczlan]

We had decided we weren't having any more kids so we were getting rid of a lot of baby stuff.
<snip>
Funning thing was, a few months later, Monica ended up pregnant and we ended up using those spoons (and probably the other stuff as well) again.:laughing:

Isn't that the way it always works? A friend of my parents was "done" having kids and sold all her baby stuff for $0.50 on the dollar (or less) at a yardsale last year, now she is having another boy and is scrambling to buy stuff.

Aaron Z