Get Ready for the Summer Sale Season: Springtime is Sorting Time

Do you have heaps of clothes your kids have outgrown this winter laying around in the laundry room? How about the old house wares in the basement that were replaced by nice new Christmas gifts? Are there toys stuffed into closets that aren't played with anymore? Do you have some items in your own closet that you haven't worn in over a year?

If you've answered yes to these questions, then you need to do some Summer Sale preparation. Whether you plan on having a garage sale this summer or prefer to donate the items to charity, springtime is a great time to begin sorting. If you start getting these unwanted items organized now, you won't feel so overwhelmed later.

If you look outside you may still see snow. Some may see plain, yucky grey and brown. Others may simply see lots and lots of rain. It seems to be a good time to begin making room in drawers, closets, basements, and attics. The garage, shed and barn can wait for nicer weather.

Pick a room to work in. Don't try to do it all in one day; we are trying to avoid a stressful situation here. Start in a small room first, maybe even the closet or a toy box.

Keep in mind when sorting a child's room; you may have to do it twice. I like to sort with the child first then I'll go through again just before the sale. Kids love the idea of making money, so if you let them keep the money for some of their items sold you'll be creating an excitement of getting rid of unused toys as well as teaching responsibility with money.

Sort clothes by gender and size. Discard stained items. If you plan on taking them to Goodwill or another charity resale shop you may wish to record how many tops, pants, shorts, etc on a piece of paper. If you use Turbo Tax, there is a formula to calculate the monetary amount you can claim on your taxes. Staple your record to the receipt you receive when you drop the clothes off and save for your taxes. If you choose to take your clothes to a resale shop, you may receive more money than you would at a rummage sale but keep in mind the items must be clean and up to date for them to accept them.

Kids clothes are great items to sell at summer sales. They draw people in and sell fast. Package like and same sized items together, such as socks, underwear, bra and panty sets, one piece baby undershirts, baby items. You'll get a better price for them as a package. When you're sorting these items, put them into Ziploc baggies and label them with a size.

Box up old books. If you don't want to save them for your summer sale check with your local library or neighborhood school if they will be hosting a used book sale. If so, they will be more than willing to accept your donation of books. Again, count how many hardcover and paper back books you donate, they can be calculated for a tax deduction too.

For easy storage, you may wish to invest in some good plastic bins or totes. This is a space saving technique as well. There are different kinds of totes. Some have ventilation. These are great for storing items that need to "breathe" such as purses, handbags, shoes, sporting goods, and leather products. Other bins are labels as "stackable" or "nesting" bins. These totes are made to nest when they are empty, and securely stack when being used. A 15-qt or an 18 gal tote is perfect for storage. It can hold a lot without becoming overly heavy or cumbersome.

Good and inexpensive totes or bins can be purchased from Aco Hardware, Wal-Mart, or Target. When they are on sale, they can be purchase for as little as $4 each. If you really want to save visit Target on line and purchase in bulk; a set of twelve 15-qt sweater boxes will cost $49.99.

So on that next rainy spring day when it's too early to do spring cleaning, do some spring sorting. It will lead to making some money for you in the summer. Happy Sorting!