Yard Sales, Earning Extra Cash

Now that summer is finally here, you're sure to find a barrage of those tiny, almost hard to read, "yard sale" signs popping up on just about every busy intersection, boulevard and street post. It's yard sale season!

Yard sales are a great way to earn some extra (often times, much needed) cash, either for a bit of extra spending money, or that little extra to help pay some bills. There is also the added benefit of ridding your house and garage of the clutter that has accumulated over the years.

Yard sales have become extremely popular over the past decade. As they say, one person's junk can be another person's treasure. Yard sales have even been expanded to entire communities that boast "the World's BIGGEST garage sale" (and they do get bigger and better every year), where either individuals or organizations can all gather in one venue for the convenience of both the bargain hunter and the seller. Flea markets, a very close cousin to the yard/garage sale, have also become very popular. They have become so popular and profitable, that some people make it a full-time business venture.

People are always looking for a bargain and if you can purchase something that almost looks new, why pay full retail price? This is the premise behind the success of yard sales, especially when most people are watching their ever-decreasing disposable income. Flea markets, yard and garage sales (and even estate sales) can net the economical, thrifty consumer great buys in clothing, house wares, furniture, children's necessities and toys, and even electronics and tools.

Holding your own yard sale can be both enjoyable and a test in patience and frustration, however. Ah, those ever-constant, frugal hagglers who try to get an already low-priced article down to half of what you're asking, can sometimes be a test to your good nature and sunny disposition. But at the end of the day, when you're counting the money you've made, the hard work and frustrations are soon forgotten. After all, what can be better than actually making some money off of things you no longer use and that have just been taking up space in your home for years? Even at half the price, that item has made you more profit than sitting, forgotten and unused, in the basement or the back of a closet.

Every year, I always tell myself that this is the last and final yard sale I'm ever going to have. However, it seems as soon as that last bit of icy, winter chill in the air subsides, I'm already rummaging through my house looking for items for the next sale. There's something about that first hint of spring that makes you want to do a thorough cleaning, and subsequently, a purging of more items you find you no longer need or use. There's also a great sense of accomplishment when you've de-cluttered your home and made a little bit of extra cash in the process.

As a matter of fact, I'm readying for the first yard sale of the season at this very moment. It's almost hard to believe that after years of yard sales (sometimes even having a few each year), that I still have junk (err rather "treasures") to sell. My daughter called me the other day to ask if we'd be having yet another one. She had a few items she wanted to put in a sale, yet not enough to warrant having one on her own. So, by combining with other family members, we could have a bigger, more successful sale. How could I turn her down? The prospect of making a few dollars for myself was also appealing.

Being that we live on a high traffic street, our yard is the best option over that of my daughters. We don't even have to advertise. We just put some brightly colored balloons on a post (an instant, universal declaration of "yard sale in the vicinity"), stick it in the front hedges and no matter where drivers are on their way to, they will inevitably stop to see what bargains they might find. We usually do fairly well, as each yard sale often nets us between $300 to $500, collectively. Not bad for a weekend's worth of work, sitting in the sun and visiting with my children and the neighbors, not to mention, ridding the house of clutter.

Yet another advantage to yard sales is that if you recently had new neighbors move in, it's a great way to introduce yourselves and get to know each other better. Often times, new neighbors will stop by, using the yard sale as a way to meet you.

So, as I now anticipate the next sunny weekend, hoping the rains will take a bit of a break, I continue to dig through closets, drawers and cupboards, looking for things that I'd almost forgotten I had and no longer use. The exact sorts of articles for the very purpose of a successful yard sale, and wondering if this yard sale will in fact be the last one (probably not)!