March is here and Spring is right around the corner. This is the time of year I get the itch to start cleaning and organizing our house after a long winter of boots, layers of clothes, a messy woodpile, and sealed up windows. This inevitably starts some angst among my family as the piles of things going to Goodwill grow larger. There have been many tears shed as they see something they “love” become destined to pass on. (I will comment on this later in the post.) So this year, we have a goal….we’re hosting a yard sale in the summer.

Why a YARD SALE?…

• You can make a family goal for how to use the earned money.
  • All winter my children have been talking about going to a water/amusement park this summer. They sing the jingle and talk about all the rides they see on the commercials (don’t get me started on my annoyance for advertising on kids channels…that is for another post). I happened to look up the admission price last week – $35 a person!? That times 5, plus gas to get there, food for the day and this event is going to be quite the budget killer if we decide to go. Our family sat down and talked about the cost of going to such a park. Then I presented them with an idea:  If we had a yard sale, we could use the money made to make this dream a reality. It would take work, but we could do it. They are now all in. We have a goal!
  • Maybe your family has a different goal in mind than a special family outing. Maybe you want to save up to buy something special for the family (my son initially wanted the yard sale profits to go towards a family ferret.  It took a while to convince him that was his special want, not our whole family’s.) A new television? Hammock for the backyard? Snowshoes for next year? Brainstorm ideas with your family.  A goal will help to motivate them for the work that goes into having a yard sale.
• You can make room for something special.
  • Would you like a craft room or a sewing room in your house? Wouldn’t the kids love to have their own room in which to “hang out” in the basement? Boxing up and moving out extra possessions can clear out space to make a new, exciting room in your house! Instead of cluttering up your home with things you don’t need, sell them at a yard sale and make room for a space you really want in your home.
• It’s a great motivator to clean out your house.
  • Okay, now you have a goal in mind and something to motivate your whole family to get to work! My children, especially have done a great job scrutinizing their shelves and the toy box for things they have outgrown. When pickings are slim, I make a pile of things I notice are not being used and present them with it. They are allowed to rescue 1 special item IF they can propose a good reason to keep it. I keep that photo of the amusement park close by so their eye is literally on the prize when they are weighing between the trip and keeping all seven of those teddy bears.
• The actual event can really teach your children about money and positive social skills.
  • Yard Sales can be really super learning experiences for your family. You need to price items. Set them out in an eye-pleasing fashion. Use time management to make sure everything is ready for the big day. Practice spelling and lettering to make your advertisements. The day itself is a great way to practice social skills like making eye contact and responding to people’s questions. Plus there is the whole world of counting money and making change. You could get a whole day of learning into your yard sale experience!
• What has inspired you to have a yard sale?
  • Your whole family is up at the crack of dawn posting the YARD SALE THIS WAY signs around the neighborhood. Everyone has a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate and then the people start rolling in. If you live in a “good spot”, interesting people will constantly be roaming your wares. In the meantime your family can take time to sit around your yard and enjoy each other’s company. Share a funny story about that tea pot and sugar and creamer set you are selling. Throw around that old football until it gets a new home. (But be warned…don’t let your 4 year old play too much with her old Sesame Street set…she’ll want it back in no time!) At the end of the night, clean up together (and put everything not sold in the back of the van to donate TOMORROW!), count your earnings, and celebrate a great day!
• You will be more motivated to keep your house clutter-free afterward.
  • Now once you walk back into your organized, clutter-free home, take time to breathe in its simplicity and make a pledge right then to “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” (William Morris).  Remember how good it felt to purge and how much work your yard sale was…it should help to motivate you and your family to not let your house get overrun any time soon.

What has motivated your family to clean up and have a yard sale?  Do you like to shop at yard sales?  What are your best tips?

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