Organizing: Garage Sale, Cleaning Out the House, Part 1

This week I am getting ready for a garage sale on Saturday.

The past few years my parents’ neighborhood has had an annual neighborhood garage sale. Almost every year we have participated. Every year it gives me a chance to clean the house out, and get rid of unwanted, too small clothing items. It is quite a satisfying feeling, really!

Since I have two small children growing way to fast, I always have a plethora of kids toys, clothing, and books to add to the garage sale pile.

Here is how I go about organizing my items to sell:

I start in the kids’ rooms and go through every drawer, cubby, and closet. The kids are involved in the process right along with me. By the time we are done with both the rooms we have quite a pile started.

Next I will work in the master bedroom. I go through old clothes, shoes, bags, and work my way around through each drawer and closet. Anything I haven’t worn in awhile, or don’t like goes straight into the garage sale pile.

Next I will peruse my bookshelf and add any cookbooks I haven’t used in a really long time, books, or kids movies.

I simply work my way around the house going through each room: kitchen, office, garage, bedrooms, and finally end up outside in our shed cleaning out gardening items.

As I am cleaning out the house I like to keep piles of like items together: boys clothes, girls clothes, gardening items, adult clothes, household items, kids toys. I gather boxes and place all like items in boxes or keep them in piles together (if they don't fit in boxes).

My house does get a little messy for a few days with the piles all over, however, it is just part of the process. I would prefer to have piles everywhere for a few days than have these unwanted items cluttering my house forever.

When I start out organized it saves a bunch of time in the end for pricing, and organizing the night before or morning of the garage sale.

 

Next up: Organizing: Garage Sales, Pricing the Items, Part 2

-Susan