Organized Home

Garage sale, tag sale, yard sale--whatever you call it, the garage or yard sale is part and parcel of the American way of life.

On sunny weekend mornings, slow-moving cars ("I brake for yard sales!") circle suburban neighborhoods as their occupants hunt baby toys and French-fry makers, auto parts and cocktail shakers.

If you're in active declutter mode, the next stop is your house! A yard sale can clear clutter and score some cash, but it helps to have a road map.

Try these tips for a successful yard sale:

Gather Your Inventory

Your yard sale inventory is living right under your nose. The first step is to find it. In the weeks before your sale, scour closets and cupboards, bookcases and basement for yard sale finds.

How to decide? Some home managers ask these questions: "Have I cooked with it, worn it, displayed it, used it or read it within the last year?" Others apply a percentage rule: a firm 10 to 20 percent of all books, videos, clothing, or bric-a-brac must go.

Consider finding a clutter buddy. When it comes to culling clutter, two heads are better than one--and a two-family yard sale will get twice the traffic. Back one another up, and dare to clear your clutter to the bone.

Once an item's marked for sale, be stern! Store your yard sale inventory in black plastic garbage bags or boxes with lids. No fair reading, looking or cooking; there is no appeal, no mercy and no second chance. Give that wedding-gift sandwich squasher an emotional divorce. It's no longer junk or stuff, it's inventory!

Do Your Homework

Yard sales have their own etiquette and economy. It's smart to bone up on both. Read the yard sale ads, and spend a morning or two visiting neighborhood sales. Note price ranges on clothing, kitchenware and books. There's no sense labeling two boxes of kitchen utensils at 50 cents if a quarter is the going rate.

Check with your municipality and homeowners' association. Some jurisdictions require a permit, or limit the number and timing of yard sales. Know the rules!

Set The Date

Choose your day, and plan a one-day sale, maximum. In yard sales, as in life, there is a point of diminishing returns. Sitting around at 4:00 p.m. watching the last few pieces of mismatched food storage containers stare down the '70's era macramé hanging isn't worth the last few pennies that may--or may not--come your way.

Have a strategy for sale's end. Many charities will pick up all unsold items. Call and schedule a 3 p.m. pickup for sale day, or be prepared to box the leftovers for delivery to a thrift store donation site. Whatever you do, don't let the survivors back in the house! If you can't sell this stuff at a garage sale, what do you want with it, anyway?

Make Like The Mad Men: Advertise!

You've sorted your stuff and scoped out the field. Now it's time to play retailer. First rule: advertise, advertise, advertise.

The secret to a successful yard sale is foot traffic. The more folks who walk through your sale, the more you'll sell. Lots of cars parked on your street tell yard-sale cruisers where to find you. If business is brisk, buyers won't leave your premises without that lighted beer sign, for fear that someone else will snatch it right up. The more, the merrier; your muffin-tin change sorter will overflow.

Do spring a few dollars for a newspaper ad. Many local papers offer special garage sale rates, or free signs to yard sale advertisers. Watch your wording! Mention furniture, baby items, garden tools or other desirable items you have to offer, but don't waste ad dollars on "miscellaneous". "Miscellaneous" is every yard sale's middle name.

If you want to keep pre-dawn bargain hunters from banging on your door at 5 a.m., include the phrase "No earlybirds!" in your ad. A creative use of "Earlybirds pay double!" will discourage all but the most fanatic yard salers--and make them pay for the privilege.

Use your computer (or your kids) to make signs, lots of signs. Use neon posterboard and deep-black markers. Make the directions BIG. If you can't see your signs from a block away, neither can your customers. If you live tucked deep in a twisted spiral of subdivision streets, place sign at each and every corner between your house and the nearest main road. Make it easy for buyers to find you.