When your Labor Day garage or yard sale is nearing its end, “Don’t bring anything back inside your home!” says Apartment Therapy. Slash prices, make a “free” pile, and invite friends and neighbors to take what they want. Better yet, make an appointment for a donation pickup with ClothingDonations.org immediately after your sale, so that you can get rid of the things you no longer want or need. Garage sales are great for making a few extra bucks from that extra stuff, but the ultimate goal should be to get rid of it and free your physical (and mental) space of clutter.
Tag: decluttering
Labor Day Garage Sales Can Pay
Though some people will be traveling, having a Labor Day weekend garage sale can pay off, since there will be less competition. Consider starting your sale on Friday afternoon with firm prices, Garage Sale Tips says, then allow haggling or slash prices on Saturday. If you have a small amount of quality items and a good location, you can also keep your garage or yard sale short by holding it only in the morning or afternoon, and have the rest of the day to yourself. But don’t kid yourself — a successful sale requires a lot of decluttering, organization and planning.
Garage Sale Signage Tips
Some towns and counties can get rather picky about the placement of yard sale signage, says the Yard Sale Queen, and limit their use on public rights of way such as sidewalks and medians. Check with your local government to find out if there are any restrictions. Even if your town allows such signs, be careful to post them the night before your sale using heavy-duty cardboard and directionals to your location. Use crayons or permanent markers to make your signs legible and waterproof, and avoid stapling signs to utility poles (where they might pose a hazard to linemen) or trees (where they may damage the tree itself).
Considering a Labor Day Garage Sale?
Labor Day is not the best weekend to have a garage or yard sale, says Garage Sale Cow, since so many people will be out of town trying to squeeze the last little bit of fun out of their summer vacations. But if your town is hosting a Labor Day parade or rally, it may be the perfect draw for crowds of people who appreciate a bargain. Get your stuff arranged and priced in the week ahead, and you will be ready to rake in the bucks by the weekend. And if you don’t want to dedicate the entire weekend to decluttering, consider having your sale on Friday and Saturday so you can relax on the other two days.
Take Advantage of Kids’ Back-to-School Time
Many parents will be sending their kids off to school over the next two weeks, making for a bittersweet moment whether they’re heading to kindergarten or college. But what most parents don’t realize is that when summer ends and the offspring leave the house for at least part of the day, the demands on their own time will ease.
Without the kids constantly underfoot, needing rides or foraging for food, parents will have additional hours during the day to pursue their own career, learning and life goals. If you are in this situation and want to make the most of this newfound freedom, you’ll need to plot out a few projects for those extra hours.
Time management is the first step, Project Me says; without a plan, those extra kid-free hours will evaporate fast. Start by listing the things you would like to do with your extra time, such as going to the gym, starting a new work project or going back to school yourself. Identify your most important tasks, put them on a daily schedule and get started.
Decluttering is an excellent option, the site says. Step back and take an objective look at your space, create a plan of attack (doing one room at a time, for example, or targeting a number of bags and boxes to donate to ClothingDonations.org), and dive in. When each step in the task is complete, reward yourself! You’ll be much more likely to complete it if you have your eyes on a prize.
Back-to-school clutter likely needs organizing, says All Parenting’s “20 Things to Do When your Kids Go Back to School;” many areas may be cluttered with new clothing, backpacks and homework. Household cleaning tasks probably took a backseat to summer fun, too, so now’s the time to catch up on deep-cleaning the refrigerator, ceiling fans, baseboards, bathrooms and floors.
A digital decluttering can also help you get organized for the season ahead. Go through all of the summer photos on your phone(s) and camera(s); download them to a safe place and print the best ones out for framing and display. And while you’re at it, clean up your desktop and delete the mobile apps you haven’t used in months.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or work full time, you’ll find that having the kids at school will free up a little bit of your time. Plan on making the most of it!