TOTAL LIQUIDATION at Our Place: A Garage Sale Event

Where DOES it all come from?

 
Though we're just getting Frugowlity started here, part of the slow roll is due to a deep clearance event in progress right on our own premises. Beyond decluttering, we're practically minimalizing even our maximalist storage spaces with an "everything must go" attitude. No nonsense about whether the thing makes us happy or brings back memories or whatever. If it ain't getting used, if it's lacking real significance or value, if it's just taking up space, it's outta here.

Even as a 3-year-old, I recall always having to get my room totally organized before playing with my toys, which for some reason meant they could then be placed in a battlefield configuration for a fight. (Classically unorthodox, I s'pose.) Coincidentally, we appear to have reached the militant phase of clearing out useless stuff, but once each space is combed through a weight is definitely lifted, making even the storage spaces more usable and enjoyable.

So as we clear the space, and simultaneously our heads, here's a bit of how we're processing.

The Clearing
We've had lots of clearance events over the years, and our removal techniques keep getting refined. There's now very little concern about keeping it because someone gave it as a gift, and the idea that it "might be useful down the road" was largely obliterated long ago. If you've never used it, odds are you never will.

We've already moved a few items out, gifting some of it to others to enjoy. Anything borrowed is back to the original owners. Magazines are being read and recycled, and we've removed ourselves from some mailing lists so those no longer stack up. It's a clearance blowout.

The Gathering
To start with, we're gathering up all the less valuables for a serious garage sale. The gathering part looks like our basement exploded, but getting all this stuff out now will be a great help ahead of a major downstairs plumbing issue and subsequent remodel that needs to happen soon, giving us more space to move and store the keeper items when we're forced to clear the space, which has also been a great motivator for this round.


The Keeping
The great thing about clearing stuff out is rediscovering what you actually have. For instance, I was considering purchasing some basic kitchen towels when I realized we might already have some gifted ones at home. Sure enough, along with piles of brand new seasonal items was a pristine, generic set with tags still on. Why pay for it when you can shop your own home?

We're also verifying what items might have more value to be sold outright or online. Google Lens is often a great tool for finding the rough value of an item just by snapping a picture with your phone and seeing how others have things priced. Then you can consider whether you'd like to try selling local using sites like Facebook Marketplace, or perhaps go broader through something like ebay or Etsy. I'm also investigating a free, personal eCommerce site that might eliminate any third party site fees, so stay tuned as I see how that works.

On a different note, an emptied storage tub has now become a refuge for items we might give away as gifts. Remember those brand new, seasonal towels? In they go, along with all sorts of other acquisitions perfect for kids' birthdays, white elephants and just-thinking-of-yous.

Of course, significant objects stay, especially tied to things like school or relatives or life events, but we continue to work out better organization and storage. This will also include some beloved toys that might not even go until I do.

And there's always the cool keeper stuff for decor or what have you. Only now that the rest is cleared away, it can be better arranged or featured more prominently. BONUS: There's way less stuff to dust too.

The Pricing
This is always the weird part of a garage sale to me. You want to let it go, but you wanna make some dough. We try to price stuff to sell, but we try to be fair to ourselves too, especially on bigger ticket items like musical instruments that can fetch more. Quality, working order, original packaging or inserts, collectability and other factors all play a role in pricing.

I usually consult current charts about going yard sales rate, and given the inflation situation I notice things are running a little higher as well. Of course, it's all arbitrary, and buyers are certainly welcome to try haggling, but fairness and honesty are most key.

The Sale
Sale day is always early and busy, but it's my favorite day of all because you get to meet so many people, and buyers tend to walk away so happy clutching their special prizes. One thing I love about selling is how meaningful it can be to the purchaser, so there's even another benefit beyond clearance and commerce.

The Event
This year, I've also taken up the mantle of helping promote a neighborhood garage sale, formerly the task of local realtors who've since moved on. It helps that I'm on our trustee board, that the event was already popular, and that the former hosts provided some previously used signs to repurpose. But clearly it would only take a few interested neighbors, some volunteers to promote in a few spots online, and some entrance signage with the date and time placed out a few weeks ahead to make an event like this work wherever you live.


So that's where we stand for now. We'll see how it all goes and follow up with what happens after the big sale, but it's already a fantastic feeling to dramatically clear the space and clear the mind.


Up Next: Garage Sale Goals: Promo Pricing & Presentation


Got more tips on prepping for and hosting a garage sale or yard sale? Let us know with a comment below.