Oh you know you need some extra spending money. Whether you are saving for something extra special, you need the extra money for bills/life (which can get SO expensive!) or you are on a “no-buy” and are desperate to actually BUY something, I think we all just wish we had some extra cash just chillin’ around.

SO, Mell and I decided to have a garage sale over this past weekend! We got ready in true American woman form and boozed up on some Redd’s Apple Ale, tipsy Facebook posted ridiculous things that no one cared about, and priced things randomly. Let’s just say getting ready was a good time.

Mell had a lot of children’s clothes and some plus size clothing. I had a ton of shoes and jewelry and plus size clothing. All the things we were getting rid of were things we would have otherwise donated to charity, but it was so easy to make a bit of money on our things! It helped that we priced things really reasonably.

Most items were anywhere from 10 cents to $4. Of course, we both did have a few big ticket items like her King sized comforter and my Coach shoes. We took offers on everything which helped us sell things we might not have if we stuck it out and didn’t budge. Then around 1pm, we put out a sign that said HALF OFF EVERYTHING! We planned on taking everything left to Goodwill, so instead we made about $60 more bucks.

Long story short, we made over $300 combined! Not too shabby for sitting on a front porch, sipping lemonade, chatting with friends and playing with two of the cutest babies in the world! YOU can make money having a garage sale too!

Check out my 5 sure-fire steps to an awesome yard sale!!

1. Gather all your STUFF. Once you’ve gathered, go through and gather some more. The only regret I had was that I didn’t make a third comb through my stuff. Making money is addictive!
2. Price things reasonably! Don’t price a t-shirt you bought for $20 and wore 3 times at $15 because it’s like new. You’re setting at a garage sale. A t-shirt goes for $1-3 TOPS. Be cool.
3. Be willing to separate. Don’t be that guy. The one who puts something in and then someone brings it up and you say something like “Oh man! This wasn’t supposed to come out here!!” That’s lame. Just let it go like you planned.
4. Surround your sale with happy. Do a sale with your friends or family, but ONLY the ones who make you happy. Don’t do one with your sister just because she’s been bugging you to do it if you know you will just fight the whole time! It won’t be an enjoyable day if you’re surrounded by people you’re annoyed by.
5. Set a goal and meet it! Mell and I both had goals going into the sale. We stayed put on the porch until we met them. I know neither of us regret staying out for a few extra hours. We likey the money our perseverance brought us!

Pro Tip!

Bring an interesting element to your sale! You could have a lemonade stand, bake sale, karaoke set-up…the sky is the limit! We had a local artist set up a table at our sale. It was mutually beneficial and it was awesome to get to know her better. (Mell and her are old friends, I had never really talked to her.) She’s an awesome person, and she is an AMAZING artist. Check her out here.

Happy Selling!