'Tis the season for tag sales. Read these tips from guest blogger, Janna Lufkin.

Garage sales, tag sales, yard sales - whatever you call them – they can be fun, profitableand give you your garage back.

Summer is the perfect time to tackle this project. If you encourage your family to pitch in, by the end of the day you’ll not only have a few extra dollars in your pockets, you will have cleared some much-needed real estate.

Here are a few tips and tricks to organizing these weekend money-makers:

Give yourself time to organize. A month before your sale, clear your house and garage of saleable items, go room by room clearing out closets and drawers and don’t forget to look under the beds! Box and price as you go.
Choose a sale date that is NOT a holiday weekend. Families often leave town during these typical summer holidays. You’ll want as many people around as possible to attend your event.
Purchase tags or stickers in different bright colors. Assign each family member their own color. When an item sells, keep the tag (stick or staple it to a sheet of paper so you don’t lose it.) At the end of the day, each family member will know just how much they sold.
Make sure all electronics are in working order. Have an extension cord handy for potential buyers. Nobody wants to purchase something only to get it home and find it doesn’t work.
Group items together. Set up tables for smaller items such as vases, knick-knacks, dishes and glassware. Group larger items as well, tools, garden items, furniture, kids toys, etc. Make sure everything is clean and in working order.
Advertise your sale. Craig’s List is a great way to get the word out. Bright colored, large, neatly printed signs work well to grab a neighborhood passerby as well as a classified ad in the local newspaper.
Have enough small bills and loose change on hand when the sale starts. Wear a carpenter’s apron to keep money handy and safe. Every few hours, stash the cash you’ve made in a secure place away from the sale site.
Set up a free coffee table in the morning. Turn it into a .25 cent lemonade stand in the afternoon and get the kids to help. They make a little money – or – you could donate the proceeds to a worthy cause.
After the sale. Immediately pack up and donate unsold items. Don’t put them back in the garage!
Last but not least. Park your car in the garage – it’s a great feeling!

-Janna

Organizing Tips

TAG (Sale) – You’re it!