Tips for Throwing Out & Throwing a Garage Sale (before it gets too hot)

It’s official: America has Marie Kondo fever. Even if you haven’t seen her smash Netflix hit “Tidying Up,” you have probably heard of Marie Kondo and maybe even heard her name used as a verb—it seems like everyone is “Marie Kondo-ing” their homes and lives. If you’re ready to take charge and “tidy up” this spring, we recommend a clean-up and yard sale before the full heat of summer hits Houston.

Tidying Up

First things first: decide what to donate and what to keep and sell. Some items are not appropriate for sale, but could be donated—used towels might be too worn to sell, for example, but can be useful to a local dog rescue.

Leave pricing your sale items for later; concentrate on sorting, organizing, and decision-making. Once you are done sorting, it’s time to turn all of your attention to the “sale” pile.

Organizing a Garage Sale

If organizing a day-long garage sale seems stressful, use these tips to help you get organized:

• Set the date: Weekends are best, and an early start time accommodates early birds and warm afternoon temperatures.
• Purchase supplies: Your local office supply store will have everything you need from blank labels to pricing stickers to sign-making supplies.
• Set prices: It can be hard to decide how much your stuff is worth, so ask a friend to help and/or consult the Internet for “going prices” and suggested garage sale prices.
• Make it a party: Ask neighbors to join and have a bigger, better garage sale to attract more customers.
• Advertise: Put up signs and grab the eye of passers-by with balloons and brightly-colored signage. Other good places to advertise are Facebook, church/coffee shop bulletin boards, and local papers.

Be Prepared

The day of your garage sale will be a busy one! Keep things running smoothly by being prepared:

• Have plenty of change on hand for cash purposes. You may also want to consider accepting online payments via an app such as PayPal or Venmo.
• Be prepared to negotiate—be flexible and reasonable; knowing the value of items before the sale will help you set fair prices.
• Display matters, so spend a little time cleaning up items (e.g. sports equipment), grouping like items, and making signs if necessary.

Are you ready for a kitchen makeover in 2019? Call 713-627-8970 to make an appointment with us! Don’t forget to stay connected with Cabinets & Designs on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Houzz.