I am thrilled to introduce you to Susanne Myers and Tracy Roberts from HomemakersHutch.com who are your guest authors for today’s post.  

Susanne Myers from HillbillyHousewife.com and Tracy Roberts from MomsInABlog.com took their friendship from online to real  life and then banded together to create The Homemaker’s Hutch.  They wanted to put homemakers and moms in touch with the best homemaking advice, tools, recipes  & resources.  But it’s about so much more than that. It’s about taking some time for yourself curl up on your couch with a cup of coffee or tea and browse through a fun and informational magazine.

 It’s about connecting with other homemakers and moms just like you and the two of them.  Homemaker’s Hutch is an online magazine, but it’s so much more than that. Susanne & Tracy are committed to building a thriving online community.

And now their post……

Robin has been talking a lot about decluttering on the blog. When she invited us to write a guest post for her, that topic immediately came to mind. We’ve both been doing a good bit of decluttering ourselves and one of the first “problems” you’ll find after you start decluttering is figuring out what to do with all this extra stuff. How are you going to get rid of it?

Of course, some of it will just go to the trash and donating the rest is often the first option that comes to mind. But with summer just starting, who couldn’t use a little extra cash to spend?

How about running a yard sale with all your extra unwanted stuff. Just because those clothes don’t fit you anymore or your kids have gotten too old for some toys doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t appreciate them.

Let’s take a quick look at how you’d go about organizing and running a yard sale this summer. Pick a Saturday that isn’t the start or end of school break in your area to make sure you get plenty of traffic.

Sorting and Pricing

Next it’s time to start sorting and pricing. If you’re already decluttering, you should have a nice pile of things to get rid of. If you haven’t, this might be just the motivation you’ll need to get started. For a little extra motivation, invite some neighbors or friends along. That way you can’t back out and larger yard sales attract bigger crowds.

Sort your items by category. Clothes go together, books and magazines, toys etc. Do a little research online or head to a couple of yard sales in your area to get an idea for pricing. Here are some general ideas.

● Books and magazines – 50 cents to a dollar.
● Games – 3 to 10 dollars.
● Clothing 1 – 5 dollars.
● CDs and DVDs – 3 to 5 dollars.
● Shoes – 5 to 7 dollars.
● Kitchen accessories – 1 to 3 dollars.

Your pricing may vary. Please do research in your area.

Promoting Your Yard Sale

Of course you should also promote your yard sale. We find there are 3 things that still work really well. Advertising in the newspaper isn’t one of them.

Signs – Make up some signs for your neighborhood and make sure there are signs all the way from the highway to your front door. Put the kids to work and get them to help you with your signs.

Social Media – Go to Facebook, Twitter and any other social media you’re active on and let your friends know you’re running a yard sale. If you’re comfortable with it, ask them to share.

Craigslist – By far the most effective way to advertise and promote your yard sale is to post it on Craigslist.com. It’s free and most yard shoppers will check out this site the day before and/or morning of the yard sale.

Setting Up For The Big Day

Next it’s time to set up. Make sure all items are priced clearly and you have enough tables, carpets, boxes and the likes to display your items. Set up early and be ready to sell.

You also want to make sure you have plenty of cash on hand to make change. It can be hard to get more change as the day goes buy. You’ll be busy and most banks are closed on Saturday. Be prepared.

That’s it. The only thing left to do is to sit back and wait for customers to stop by. You’ll be well prepared and should have a pretty nice turnout if you took the time to promote your sale. Make sure you have a comfy chair, some shade, a big glass of water and plenty of change.

One Last Tip

As soon as your yard sale is over, go ahead and box up everything that didn’t sell. Stick it in your car and take it straight to a donation place (like Goodwill or Salvation Army). Don’t let it back in the house. Chances are at least some of it will end up back in your closets and drawers if it makes it back into the house (speaking from experience here).

We would like to invite you to check out the Homemaker’s Hutch Digital Magazine. Each monthly issue is packed full of hands-on advice, delicious recipes for things your family will actually eat and plenty of support from moms and homemakers just like you.

Sign up today at HomemakersHutch.com.