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The title probably makes it sound like I’m about to tell you not to shop at garage sales, but that’s not it. Buying used is great if they are items you really need. I actually want to talk about avoiding having a garage sale of your own.
Maybe it’s cliche, but I love the thrill of making a few bucks from decluttering. Getting the clutter out and in the hands of someone who could make use of it is my biggest motivation to sell something, but making a little money certainly doesn’t hurt. My kids especially love when I pass on the money from selling their clutter. Maybe earning money from decluttering is a big motivator for you. If so, don’t let it overshadow the main reason you’re getting rid of stuff. The main reason is you want the clutter out – you want a home that is peaceful and easy to keep tidy!
You may want to consider selling things locally in your neighborhood buy/sell page. Yesterday when I started cleaning up from Christmas, I found an ornament stacking bin that I no longer needed. I knew someone would want it the day after Christmas, so I grabbed my phone, snapped a picture, posted it in about a minute … and it was picked up off my front porch within an hour. $5 was placed under my door mat. Easy.
Garage sales are an entirely different animal than selling a few items here and there on Facebook. For so many people, preparing for a garage sale and dealing with the aftermath becomes a big obstacle. Life throws enough obstacles at us all the time, we should avoid creating obstacles for ourselves!
We went through my sons room before Christmas to make space for his new toys – we pulled out a lot. In this case, it was an easy decision to donate because I knew with all the Christmas activities going on that it would take a long time to organize it all for selling, to take the pictures, post, and coordinate so many pickups. I saw that obstacle a mile away and I didn’t want that clutter just sitting around waiting for me to deal with it!
You have to know yourself! Be honest with yourself about how you handle things and set yourself up for success.
Be smart with Garage Sales
If you are still working hard to get organized, I do not recommend you hold a garage sale, because it will slow down your progress drastically. For garage sales to be successful, you need to sell a lot of stuff. To sell a lot of stuff, you need to store a lot of stuff. Your garage or a room in your house has to become a storage unit while you wait for a garage sale!
If you feel determined to have a garage sale, be smart about it. Avoid collecting stuff “indefinitely” for garage sales. Set a deadline to either have it all sold. If the deadline comes, donate instead. It helps to literally schedule your garage sale on your calendar before you even start collecting items!
If you do hold a garage sale, donate everything that’s left immediately. Do not let unsold items become permanent clutter waiting for your “next sale.” Be smart, don’t let the garage sale become an excuse to keep clutter and use your house as a storage unit.
Don’t let it become an all or nothing choice, you can just pick and choose a few things worth selling and donate the rest. If you want to get money for more valuable items, sell as you declutter!
Know yourself. Be honest with your strengths and weaknesses. If you know you’re likely to procrastinate hosting the garage sale – garage sales are not for you.
My husband thought I should add a reminder that donations are tax deductible, so you can “earn money” that way too. (You can see my free printable for donation write-offs here.)
From my home to yours,
Mary
I had been saving things all last fall & winter for a summer garage sale—which I was OK with. Then Covid hit, and stayed…and I decided I didn’t want to host a garage sale during our Covid summer. My husband wanted me to hang on to it until next summer, and I said NO! I’m not storing crap for a whole extra year! I donated it to my favorite charity thrift shop, which had just suffered a devastating flood that destroyed most of their merchandise, and I was able to help restock their store for reopening. Win win!!
What a good timing for your donation! Good job!!
That is so true. I have done it both ways- garage sale and donating. If I have done a really deep declutter I have had a garage sale, but I really don’t like the storing it as living further north we only have garage sales in the summer. Now I just keep a donation box going and when it is full, off it goes! Thanks, Mary. I have learned a lot from you.
The donation box is a game changer!