To Hold a Garage Sale or Not
In an effort to declutter our home we held a "garage" or "yard" sale on Saturday. I love bargains and the thrill of searching for something you didn't even know you needed, and when you find it you have that "aha, it's mine" moment, but being on the other side of things got me thinking of the pros and cons of actually holding a sale yourself.
Pros:
-decluttering, downsizing, getting rid of lots of things that just take up space (especially things the kids had outgrown)
-meet the neighbours!
-make a little cash
-having fun bartering with others
-seeing smiles on other people's faces when they find what they were looking for
-spending the day outside
-encouraging reuse
-thinking of it more as a social event, and not a way to make money
Cons:
-what to do with the stuff that doesn't sell?
-loads of work to organize, price, and set up everything
-overall not a great monetary return for your time invested
We do have a great relationship with our local charity thrift shops, and most of the items that didn't sell will be donated there. Although my "pros" list is longer than the "cons", I think I much prefer the shopping side of garage sales, and will just choose to donate unwanted items in the future instead of holding a sale. What are your thoughts?
when I had baby gear to sell, a sale was worth it. lately I've been putting stuff on out the free weekend, donating to charity sales, or donating to the thrift shop. the real work is the decluttering anyway. we usually put out a table on a street sale when there's lots of traffic.
ReplyDeletei definately lOVE going to them! sometimes my family has big garage sales where all the aunts and uncles bring stuff, and then the workload is not so heavy. or in a neighbourhood i used to live in, we organized a big neighbourhood garage sale which was a blast. my one neighbor was a really good saleswoman and our monetary return was very good. she even sold a bunch of my handmade necklaces!
ReplyDeletei think the socializing and food part is one of the best parts of holding a garage sale!
Despise them. I sell what's worth anything on Ebay and donate the rest. It's just not worth it to me. I never go to them either because I just bring home more stuff that's gonna end up having to be thrown out one day. But good for you! Now estate sales are different: often lots of good old books!
ReplyDeletei SO agree! it's a ton of work getting everything together for a garage sale!! our neighborhood is having one in two weeks, and i'm debating as to whether or not to participate.....i think i'd rather just donate everything to charity! congrats on hanging in there with yours.....and just think of all the paper you can buy with your proceeds!!! xox, :))
ReplyDeleteWhen you donate them you are helping others and yourself.
ReplyDeleteGIVINGETTING allow people to give and get free stuff they no longer need (unneeded) or to get what they need and don´t have, donating or getting it for reuse, achieving longer product cycle and also keeping useful stuff out of landfills.
Help others and help yourself.
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