TheGardenofGrace I am a Wife, Momma and Entrepreneur! Hence my nickname MOMMA-PRENEUR™.... I love to: create, decorate, domesticate, write and share! My writings include: articles (that can be found here), columns, curriculum, poetry, short stories, and more! I was an Executive Secretary for 12 years in the "Big City"; and thankfully I have had the privilege to be a Wife, Momma, Author, Entrepreneur and Teacher for the past 15 years! I am very blessed to have been given such a wonderful family and the gift of writing. I love being at home, first and foremost. I also enjoy: The ABCs of Homemaking; Blogging; Writing and being with family and friends. I consider myself to be a frugal and savory shopper, always looking for the latest deals for my family and to share with you. I do not believe in spending top dollar for name brand stuff, when you can use coupons and discounts to get the same items much cheaper and even for FREE. "Cheap is good ~ FREE is even better!" I am an early riser and so enjoy sitting on my veranda sipping coffee ~~ blogging, researching and writing! I also enjoy watching the wildlife that surrounds me. Thank you for allowing me to share a little bit about myself! [URL]http://www.homemakershaven.net[/URL] View all articles | Contact author

Now that summer is here you might have some free time to use up. You can start by turning your "hidden treasures," into some money-making time -- by hosting a garage/yard sale. I know from experience, that a garage sale is a fantastic way to purge your home from all of those "hidden treasures" -- as well as make some extra needed cash. So come on, get up and start purging that house, clear out the closets and cash in on some of your "hidden treasures."
 
By following these short steps you can obtain garage sale success:

•  Pick a date that works best for you and where you live. I've noticed that in my neighborhood, Thursday is the best day, while Friday is slower. See if your neighborhood is hosting a multi-sale; if you want to join your neighbors, you might attract more traffic to your sale.

• Sort and organize all of your "treasures." Even though this might be more time consuming, it is definitely worth it! Make sure that everything has all their parts and that everything is in working order. Be sure to wash old clothes and toys -- display them easily for people to browse through your selection. After all, nobody wants to purchase dirty-dusty items.

• Price all merchandise. I did this by creating a price list very easily on my computer. After printing off the list, I then cut it into either rectangles and/or circle shapes and labeled every item with tape. Not only is this a neat, clean and pretty presentation; it saved me time having to repeat the prices to customers. REMEMBER: be reasonable on your pricing. If grouping items, make sure your price is clear -- (set of 4 for $5.00, etc.)

• Advertise your Sale. If you are fortunate enough to live off of a busy highway and/or main artery in your town, that can save you tons of advertising money. But if you do not, by all means, utilize the garage sale advertisers in your area. The most avid garage sale shoppers do check the weekly ads, both in the paper and online. When using signs to advertise your sale, make sure they are marked appropriately and clearly. There is nothing worse than a confusing sign to a passerby. Mark your sign with the following: Time, Date, Location, Directions (an arrow), Hours and Specials.

• Be Prepared! This is so important for your own piece of mind because on the day of the sale most likely you are going to have "early birds." Have your money ready and safely hidden. You should start with at least $5 in small coins; $15 in singles; and $10 in fives. Also make sure that you provide used grocery store bags so that your eager shoppers can carry away their new found treasures. This is also a great way to recycle those unwanted bags.

• At the end of the day! Hopefully you have had a successful day and now it is time to call it quits, but you probably have leftover items. Now what? Box them up right away! Do not bring them back into your house. Either keep them right in your garage for another quick sale and/or donate all of these "leftover treasures" to a local charity, shelter, and/or thrift store. REMEMBER: "One man's junk is another man's treasure."

• CHA-CHING! Count your new made moolah and head to the bank!

Karina Struven

You can find all my deals, freebies and money saving tips at: http://karinastruven.blogspot.com a/k/a Karina's Garden of Grace!

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