Shopping and holding garage sales can be very frugal. But when you organize your garage sale into a neighborhood or multi-family sale, your tightwad ways can really pay off.
It is a great time in our country to organize a neighborhood garage sale. Many people are newly discovering frugality and living simply, which means that more people are willing to get rid of excess possessions at garage sales or pick up new purchases second hand instead of running to the store.
Having a neighborhood garage sale can pay off in a number of ways. First of all, it makes the sale more attractive to potential buyers, who want to minimize the number of wasted stops along their garage sale route. Having more people involved can also mean more advertising and word of mouth, which will make the sale more of a success. You can also split the cost of any advertising that is involved.
But what makes organizing a neighborhood garage sale really exciting for me is the opportunity to shop as well as sell. With a neighborhood sale, you can often get a preview of what your neighbors have to offer, so there is always first dibs on the good stuff. You might even be able to get some treasures for free. I always let my participating neighbors walk away with anything they like for free, with the exception of any big ticket items that might be out (usually these do better elsewhere anyway; see this earlier post).
When organizing a neighborhood garage sale, don’t forget to arrange for the charity truck to come by and pick up any leftovers. Not only is this a tax deduction, but it is extra incentive for your neighbors to participate, since it cuts down on the work involved after the sale and gets the clutter out the door for good.
Have you ever participated in a neighborhood yard sale?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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