Do you get buried in an avalanche of miscellaneous ‘stuff’ every time you open a closet door or cabinet in your home? If the answer is yes, I think it’s time for a garage sale! Having a garage sale is an easy and fun way to rid yourself of items in your home that you never use. Also, a sale is a great way to relieve yourself of items that you think you may use at some point, but in your heart you know you won’t. For this week’s blog, I have some garage sale tips that reveal nine of the best places to look in your home for items to put into your sale. I also outline some ways you can make preparing for the sale simple and efficient.
Some Great Places to Look in Your Home for Garage Sale Items
The Front Hall Closet
Oftentimes, the front hall closet serves as the storage place for winter coats, jackets, hats, ball caps and gloves. I suggest you look here in search of items that the kids have outgrown. You may find that you have a cute pair of Scooby-Doo mittens that your son wore in kindergarten. Now that your son is sixteen, it’s safe to say he no longer needs them. Setting up a section in your garage sale for cold weather apparel is an effective way to display gently used winter outerwear.
The Closet in the Kids’ Room
This is one of the best garage sale tips I can offer you. So, stir up your courage and dig through the items that have been shoved into the back of your kids’ closets. You may find things that are particularly popular items to sell such as board games, old video games and toys that the kids have outgrown. A big part of garage sale preparation is taking the time to make sure that board games have all of their pieces and toys have all of their parts. Not surprisingly, toys in good shape are desirable to shoppers with a lot of kids. Cleaning the dust off these items after they’ve been in a kid’s version of storage can also help boost their appeal to shoppers.
The Drawer Beneath the Oven
I’ve found this drawer to be a place where many kitchen-related gifts from friends and family end up. Some of the contents you find may include a waffle iron that was used one time, a S’mores maker or a crepe maker. With a quick wash, these items can look brand new and enticing to shoppers with a love of preparing delicious treats.
Storage Drawers in the Garage
In the garage storage drawers beneath your work counter you can find lots of miscellaneous yet useful items including a new pair of work gloves you didn’t need, an extra hammer or a tape measure. Also, remember that power tools get attention at a sale. An old drill found in a garage storage drawer could fetch a good price. Displaying all of these items beneath a sign that says ‘Organize Your Garage’ can really grab shoppers’ attention. By the way, watch out for spiders.
The Kitchen Pantry
Aside from canned goods and boxed cereal, a kitchen pantry can hold treasures to put into your sale. You may find a popcorn maker, extra utensils and several cute cooking aprons. You may be able to sell these items a little more easily if you put them into a single box and advertise it as ‘Useful and Fun Kitchen Items!’
The Cabinets Beneath the Bathroom Sink
This may seem like a strange place to look for treasures to stick into your sale, but you may find items you completely forgot you had. For example, you may find an electric toothbrush that is still in its box, a collection of decorative soaps you received as a gift or an extra toilet brush that you bought on a whim. As long as the items are new, they may appeal to a visitor to your sale.
The Basement
I’m guessing that the things you find in your basement may take up a lot of room at your sale. A basement holds lots of treasures such as picture frames, sheet music and classic magazine issues. Also, dishes and kitchen items are very popular with shoppers. Baby playpens and swings are useful baby-related items that often end up in the basement. In addition, books are a favorite item at a sale and they are a familiar sight on shelves in many basements.
The Junk Drawer in the Kitchen
I’ve noticed that many families have a version of this drawer in their kitchen. Check inside it. You may find things like new pencils, unopened pads of paper, key chains, CDs and pocket flashlights. CDs are one of the best things to sell at a garage sale. The other little doodads can play a surprisingly big part in your garage sale preparation activities.
On Top of the Refrigerator
Sometimes when there is nowhere else to put an item, it goes on top of the refrigerator. One example is a rotisserie. You may not be a person who uses a rotisserie, but didn’t want to throw it away. Other examples of things you may find here are knife holders, extra ice cube trays and additional flashlights.
Finally, when you stumble upon an item you may wonder, who would buy it? Just remember the timeless quote: ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ Happy selling!-Alan
