In keeping with the theme of our web site we will be exploring different ways to raise cash quickly, and the first post I would like to make is regarding garage sales.Depending the on the weather and your personality, a garage sale could be the most fun you’ve ever had raising quick cash – or absolute misery, depending on your personality and your level of ego. Before you even contemplate this option, ask yourself, am I willing to make deals with the general public, and see all of your neighbors coming through your back alley or to the front of your house rummaging through all of your personal items from yesteryear. I will tell a funny story about this later in this post.

You need to ask yourself some simple questions. Can a set of firm price? Can I tell someone they cannot use my bathroom or go inside my house, but that the gas station at the end of the block has a public washroom? If the answer is yes, you could be off to the races. However, there are many other options available to raise quick cash that are less work and far less aggravation.

There are certain steps that must be taken to ensure that your garage sale succeeds. First and most important is timing. Some things like the weather cannot be cured and must be endured. Keep your eyes wide open for any evidence of garage sales. Call the city. See when the block closings are for garage sales before you schedule yours. More than any other factor, your garage sale depends on enough what traffic to attract sufficient lookers and shoppers (bargain shoppers) that you can turn into buyers.

Second, think big and plan early. Can you do a block white garage sale? Some shoppers might not come over for one, but who could resist ten at once. This option only works if you have the time.

Assuming you are only interested in doing a sale for your family, then you need to keep the costs as low as possible and increase the profits by getting as much stuff as possible out to attract buyers. Some specific hints for this are having a wide variety of items for adults and children. Lighting is very important as well. The inventory needs to be as well that is possible.

Another helpful hint is to make your prices end with $.25 increments (quarters) so you don’t need to make any change. When pricing items, you want to make it as simple as possible. Crews a couple of other garage sales in your neighborhood to get a reasonable estimate, then price everything solidly in the middle.

One of the key developments you need to consider very seriously is security for your profits as well as yourself. Garage sales that really hit, can generate hundreds of dollars if not thousands of dollars. Think about what you are going to do with the money. Take a hint from farmers market vendors – avoid cash boxes because it’s just too easy for someone to come up, reached in, and steal it. Instead where an apron and keep the cash on your person were it’s harder to steal.

Secondly, many businesses make sure they never have too much cash on hand by making several cash drops throughout the day. Have a partner available who can run the money to where you are stashing it periodically. It’s not a good idea to run any sale by yourself, if you can help it. Two people are usually safer than one. So be sure to get a partner.

There are many good books available to help in planning a garage sale including; Have a garage sale and make some money by Sally Rofe, and Garage Sale Magic: How to turn your trash into cash by Pam Williams. There are also quite a few checklists for garage sales on the Internet.

A Funny Thing Happened At My Sister’s Garage Sale

Here is that funny story I promised you about a garage sale mishap. My sister had a garage sale when she was moving out of her apartment to move in with her fiance. The apartment building where she lived allowed tenants to hold garage sales in the back parking lot on Saturday afternoons.

So this particular Saturday she had her friends and relatives (including me) move all for furniture and all for items down the apartment building elevator and out to the back parking lot and then have them set up on tables. She was doing a clean sweep and must plan to get rid of all for items and furniture, and even most of her clothing, because she was moving in with her fiancé and will be buying all new clothing and using his furniture.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we set up all of her furniture and priced everything with the stickers that you provided. She was very organized as she is with all things in life and before you knew it, there were many people sifting, poking, reading, and searching through all for items.

And elderly gentlemen was in the market for a cheap nightstand set for him and his wife, and he was diligently looking through the different pieces of furniture until he came across my sister’s nightstand. Of course he had to open the drawers to see the condition of the drawers and the quality workmanship. He was not ready for what he found.

You see my sister hasis very liberal and sexually unabashed. She kept her very private items in her nightstand including her favorite books, the Bible, her passport, her diary, and of course……..her 12 inch purple and massive vibrating dildo. The look on the old man’s face was possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but not the funniest thing, because when he pulled it out in shock he waved around enough that everybody in the parking lot saw my sister’s little friend (or should I say they friend). The reaction of all the people the parking lot is something I can never forget.

So let this be a lesson. Make sure you go through all of your items and make sure that nothing private and personal is going to be on view for your strangers, your neighbors, and any other shoppers that my becoming by to pick out a great bargain.

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