Garage Sale Goals: What to Do With What's Left

Just one of many options for giving the rest away.

While we definitely had a successful garage sale clearance event, you're typically left with something that didn't get hauled off that day. So, once the sale ends, finding homes for the rest begins. And since we're not ones to just throw it out unless it's actual trash, we really take this part seriously too.

The Reset
One thing we realized after going so hard on this event was that we eventually ran out of time (and a little bit of steam) to keep clearing. But another great thing about this type of decluttering is that now you can see what's left and process what else you might later remove, like peeling back the layers of an onion, only (hopefully) less odorous. With all that excess clear, it's easier to get into spaces you might not have before. It's also helped me consider better ways to inventory keeper items to make them much easier to find.

Since very few things that went out to the garage actually found their way back inside, it didn't take long to move everything back into proper places. Even after a long sale and a lot of work, it's worth it to get the place reorganized as quickly as possible. This is especially significant if you have an actual garage housing actual vehicles, and we managed to get one back inside right away. We also cleared and collected tables borrowed from our church, setting those up for quick return.

All that then gave us the space to start forming piles for the next phase...


The Clearing: Part Deux
We probably could have had another sale if we really wanted to put in the effort, but we usually just want to move the rest out and move on. For that purpose, we have a few great places to take things when we want them gone for maximum benefit to ourselves and others:

• The ReStore - These stores are Habitat for Humanity's arm for donations of various building goods, appliances and more, and a great way to support what they do.

• Book & Media Resellers ($$) - We have a few area stores such as V•Stock or Half Price Books, plus other local shops. So, if we have a stack, we'll take in books, DVDs and other assorted items to see what they might offer in cash or trade. Some shops may pay better or simply take more than others, so you might check out different shops or ask around to learn how they function.

• Clothing Donations & Resellers ($$) - We have a bin on our church parking lot for resaleable clothing, linens, purses and other non-breakables that can be resold at thrift stores. In turn, they give the church a nice per pound cash donation we often put toward our benevolence ministry.

Alternately, some of our area clothing thrifters will actually do cash or trade for certain items, so we visit them occasionally just to see what they might be interested in, which can vary as styles change.

• Leftovers Etc. or Teacher's Recycle Center - Here locally, we have a couple of great places to donate items that might be used for creative projects. It's a bit like thrift, but with more of an educational bent, and might even include things you'd normally pitch—plastic bread ties, as an example. So, rather than open the trash can, we've kept a designated collection bag on hand for years and just stop by when it's full, or whenever we're feeling creative ourselves. These locations tend to run on donations and grants, so they've moved around a bit, and are both temporarily housed in a soon to be demo'd area mall.

• Goodwill - Or general thrift, if you like. This is for everything else that's got some solid resale value. The hope here is to help others with affordable things while supporting the community efforts of the organization to which we donate. In some cases, they might even offer a donor benefit such as discounts on baseball tickets (go Cards!) or other perks.

• Electronics Recycling & Hazardous Waste Collection - We also make sure anything that can't be reused gets delivered to the appropriate spots to be disposed of as responsibly as possible.

• Bonus: Ask a Neighbor - We know our neighbor enjoys buying and reselling, so we invited them to browse our sorted piles, and they even found an item for personal use. In another case, we left out a snowblower that might be difficult to repair, and a passing neighbor inquired before taking it off our hands. In past, we had a buyer return to peruse some sheet music. Love your neighbors by giving them a shot at what's left, and maybe make a little extra this way as well.

So, those are just some of the ways we try to spread the love and support the community at the same time, with bonus points for keeping all that stuff out of the landfill. You might have other great options in your area as well.

We'll probably peel off the next layer a bit more slowly, and between purges we often just take stuff straight to the places listed above. But for now it's fine to relax a minute, take a breath and enjoy that extra space.


Have a favorite reseller or place to donate? Let us know with a comment below.