Would you rather do a lot of work in a short amount of time, or a little bit of work over a long period of time? There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. Given the situation, sometimes cramming is more beneficial, and sometimes slow and steady is how it needs to be done.
When it comes to planning and hosting your own yard sale, I believe that the slow and steady model is the way to go. I have done both. Organizing and planning for a yard sale in a week is possible, but is so hectic! Imagine doing all of your Christmas shopping, wrapping, and planning in one weekend…oh my! (I write this knowing that many of you are actually really good at the last minute Christmas shopping :))
On the other hand, planning for a yard sale months in advance allows you to work at a calm (versus a frantic) pace that is more manageable. And imagine, if you begin collecting and sorting things months in advance, by the time you have your yard sale you should have a gigantic load of treasures to sale! (equaling more money!!)
One of my favorite moneymaking hobbies is to host a LARGE yard sale every other year. I have been doing this for years now, and have come up with a planning system that really seems to do the trick.
At one point, there were 39 people in my backyard!
There are so many details of yard sale planning that I want to share with you over time, but for today I’m just going to give you my general timeline of how I get ready:
Six Months Out:
- choose location
- begin collecting “merchandise”
- price “merchandise” as you collect
One to Two Months Out:
- sort and organize “merchandise”
- make signs
One Week Out:
- advertise
Day Before:
- set up your area
Ok, it may sound a little nuts to start planning for a yard sale six months in advance. But in my opinion, if I’m going to get up at the crack of dawn and spend all day in the sun negotiating prices with hundreds of people, I want to come out having made A LOT of money!! And the best way to make a lot of money from a yard sale is to work hard and do it right.
People were shopping before the sun even came up!
I have recently published my first book, The Yard Sale Book. Obviously, it is a book about yard sales. 🙂 I go into great detail about planning and hosting a successful, lucrative yard sale. So if you’re interested in learning more, check it out!
Yard sales are really fun…whether you’re shopping at one or hosting! If you’re shopping, you’re saving money; and if you’re hosting, you’re making money!!
Any good yard sale hosting experiences out there? I would love to hear!
