Look around your house at how much stuff you have accumulated over the years. Search through your garage, your attic and rediscover treasure troves of missed adventures and lost opportunities. Ask yourself one question; when did I last use this and when will I need it again?
Chances are you’ve gathered around you a ton of toys, old furniture, clothes, and the odds and ends that just seem to pile up over time. Now, instead of turning your trash into curb alerts, create a debt reduction treasure that you can turn into cold hard cash in a week or less.
Take a rag, cleaning supplies and good old fashioned elbow grease to remove the dirt and grime to restore the shine to whatever objects you may find, and then price it. You’re having a garage sale or a yard sale if you don’t have a garage. This sale is going to clean out your house, clear out your closet and add a few hundred dollars to your bank account.
Advertise the yard sale with strategically placed handmade signs. If you can announce it in the newspaper at zero cost, take advantage of that option as well as several online boards. The night before your sale, price all items. Keep everything at a low price, or if you like to dicker, make it a little higher. But price everything because yard sale shoppers don’t like to ask “How much?” they prefer “How much will you take?”
Arrange everything so that it’s neat, orderly and easily accessible. A garage sale that has piles of junk will not draw as many sales as one where people can actually view and browse the merchandise. The key is to stay organized and show it off. Keep change on hand for smaller purchases, and make fresh coffee, cookies or donuts to give with a purchase or to sell. On hot summer days, offer ice cold soda’s for sale, or let the kids set up a lemonade stand for their pocket money.
The goal is for you to clean out your home, lighten the load if you will, and to make money so you can pay down debt. A three hundred dollar weekend can go a long way to reducing the total amount you owe.
Any items that remain can be sold online via eBay or classified sites such as Craigslist. Or if your experience is pleasant, print up a quick flyer and take it to your neighbors. Offer to host the garage sale and run it for them, and you collect a percentage of the total take. Again, apply your portion of the income to your debt so that it’s gone.
A garage sale or a yard sale is a great way to get rid of the junk in your life, and a great way to earn some extra cash to get rid of your debt as well. After a good weekend, you can have a fresh slate in your house, and on your credit to start anew.
