@Guest - I hear you. I guess my enthusiasm for Chris's work is a little too overflowing! (Sorry).
What I meant about "only the serious".... is that a lot of people will see an e-book or product that promises to help you do this or achieve that, and they buy it because it's a nice low price. They quickly sift through the material, learn a lot, but don't truly apply the tips or really give it a second glance. Why? Because it was a nice low price and they somehow figured that osmosis would take care of the rest. When they don't achieve the desired results that the product promises, they may feel a little bit cheated.
When you fork out a larger sum of money though, something happens emotionally - you commit. You've made the financial commitment to the product - and the idea behind it - and so you apply yourself a lot more to learn the lessons contained therein.
I am really good at resisting impulse buying--I rarely go unless I'm looking for a few this in specific. Because of having a baby recently, I have even more motivation to shop them. Before I would just go to "window shop" and maybe find a steal. Now I have things like clothing, toys, and equipment I need for the little one.
As for having them, we always do really well. We make sure we have good signage, plenty of goods, and great prices to move the stuff.
I used to shop garage sales all the time, but as I am now an empty-nester and trying to pare down, I avoid all but a select few.
It's easy to get carried away and bring home things you don't need, because they are such good deals, so if you are an impulse shopper it's a good idea to have a list, or to take someone with you to help you choose wisely. After all, is it a deal if it's not going to be used?
I have had a garage sale or two in my life also and they are a lot of work, but a great way to get rid of a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. I prefer now to just donate everything that can be used by others to worthy organizations.
Mabe its because your actually out of ink! And you don't tape the contacts you tape the cartridge, the contacts are what communicate with your printer. The trick worked on my Brother MFC-5100C. It Worked on the Black, Cyan, Yellow and the Magenta Cartridges. Yeah even the color ones, amazing because I used Black electrical tape.
We do one every year. Usually late-spring, early-summer. Make about $50. Good for a family night out at the local diner. Plus you get to talk to some interesting people sometimes. Along with the occasional fool that wants to haggle over a 25c ash tray :)
I think they can be really fun. And, I really appreciate the idea of recycling old items rather than just throwing things away. But it's true that I do sometimes walk away with things that I bought on impulse and never use again.
I try to find ones that are in my neighborhood and use each sale as a stop to break up a long walk and motivate me to keep going. It also keeps me from buying things that are too large for my small apartment.
But Craig, this is all on the presumption that the person/couple did not have a long term plan in the first place. People get so worried about sticking to the "baby step" plan and not deviating from it or focus only on "getting out of debt" that they miss the goal of REAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM.
And for Christians, if the focus is not on financial obedience (Malachi) how can there be peace and real freedom (not necessarily just from money).
I grew up on yard sale-ing (both ends). We've had numerous ones in which my family would plan weeks in advance before hand to make sure everything was dusted and clean. I'm actually planning one in a couple of weeks.
I don't shop at them much anymore. I think people have now shifted into it being about getting rid of broken or out-of-date things with an inch of dust atop. But it never fails to see my grandmother out doing her "shopping" and bringing my mom along. I will never complain of them though. Most of my condo is decorated with adorable one of a kind things that they have found treasure hunting.
It's just sad that even with these pieces of unique decor I'm showered with that I still feel as though most aren't even worth it. I mean, who is really going to pay $20 for your 1995 "like new" television? Some things are meant to be donated.
We're getting ready for one. LOTS of work for what is sometimes too little of a return. I'm really in purge-mode now, bigtime so I hope we make some decent $. I do love to shop, too, but only when I'm feeling strong enough to restrain myself from unnecessary deals. Our biggest problem is that our driveway is really steep. So we haul everything to the bottom. If it rains, we can't really put it in the garage - nobody could see it or would bother walking up the driveway. :-(
This reads like a commercial. Also, Chris Guillebeau is on Zen Habits today as well... a bit of a media blitz?
"Like I said, I think the hefty price will weed out the business-building-window-shoppers from those truly serious about building on their business ideas." -- Is this supposed to be a dare? Only the truly serious will pay up?
"Anybody who pays for this course is likely to be motivated to devour the material contained herein, and will get the most benefit from it." -- Yep. Only the initiated can benefit. How does one get into this exclusive club? Pay!
I'm not trying to be negative but this tastes like snake oil to me. Next thing you know Wise Bread will be telling me to strategically default on my mortgage. Oh wait...
Another way to use balances on cards is to pay bills like your cable or other utilities online. This can allow one to use every last cent from the comfort of your home to clear out small or large balances off cards. And you pay a bill you are going to pay anyway. I use this all the time for those rrbate cards I get and the I dont have another card to carry around.
Garage sales can be good for finding the cheapest price for pre-owned items. I only tend to go to family or friends garage sales because I get to hang out with people I know and possibly pick something up that they had which I wanted. As for other people's sales... I tend to stay away from them. I really don't like hosting them because it is just too much work. I would rather try to sell the items through ads, craigslist, amazon, etc. Anything else that does not sell gets donated.
Benefits:
1) De-clutter your life
2) Practice business skills such as marketing, salesmanship, negotiating, event planning, etc
3) Reconnect with your neighbors
4) Earn extra cash
5) Tax deductions when you donate unsold items to charity
Cons:
1) Shoplifters (however, you can combine your sale with family, neighbors, and friends for more coverage)
2) Aggressive cheapskates whose over-negotiations will wear you down (yes, this has happened)
3) Poor marketing (but this is a opportunity to learn how to do better next time)
4) Rain (again, another learning experience)
I love going to garage sales. Just this weekend, I found outdoor Christmas trees I had been looking for for $2 each, a nice knit top that I can wear to work this summer for $1, a bowl I had been needing for our sea shells we picked up on our last vacation (50 cents), 10 fern plants for 50 cents each (needed for edging around yard/woods) and 4 CD's for $2 each. It was a community-wide yard sale a short distance from us and I spent about 3 hours going to them. I ran into some old friends, chatted with the elderly gentleman about flowers while he was digging up the ferns and laughed at some of the kids when they would find their "treasure." All in all, it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning and it sure beat watching DH and his friend pour concrete for our patio.
I think yard sales are great! Sometimes I go to estate sales too. It's a great way to be nosey. :-) I am an attorney who lives in the South. So, I really enjoy observing the negotiations taking place at a yard sale. Mind you being a negotiator in this context is more of a challenge- all that charm and Southern sweetness.
I have hosted some yard sales in the past. In fact I hosted one a month ago. It was not successful at all. I find that people in the South tend to look for antiques and very cheap furniture and clothes. I had mostly art supplies and kitchen goods.
my condo association has a tag sale every september. individual units handle their own stuff, but the association does the advertising. it is a great way to clean out storage units. we usually get a big dumpster the week after so everyone can toss the junk (err, quality stuff) that doesn't sell. everyone wins!
I am an avid garage sale girl. During times when finances were extremely low it is a way to get my shopping fix in while having some time to myself. I've been unemployed for almost one year. I have found the best items that I have in my home at garage sales. All of my kitchen gadgets, plates, glasses, wine racks and even lap blankets come from these great sales. People get tired of their things, so people like me can put them to good use and treasure them. Give me a roll of quarters and a garage sale and I am in heaven.
I like to browse, but rarely buy. It's too much work to host. I think I will try to sell my stuff on craigslist, if it's worth more than $20, otherwise all my clutter goes to Goodwill.
I love garage sales, it's where I get most of my furniture. But I won't be holding my own sale any time soon: the best days to hold your own garage sale happen to be the best days to go looking for other garage sales. Instead I sell my own stuff online.
I love going to yard sales (and estate sales) and have found some amazing deals (like a $1200 sewing machine in a cabinet for only $125!). I've also held a few sales (the last one returned about $700). One big help is to word the ad correctly so you stand out: for our sale, I called it an "Eclectic Sale" (which it was -- lots of weird things). So many people use variations of "large", and after a while those just get meaningless.
It also helps to have the sale in a visible location with easy parking. We live on a main road, so it was easy to attract attention. Our signs were also large and had LARGE PRINT done with very thick letters so people could read them from far away. So many signs I see look like they're done in pencil and are totally unreadable unless you're a few feet away... certainly not easy to read from a moving vehicle!
I hosted my first garage sale last year, and it was so much effort for only $60 made. Cleaning my house, going through old stuff, making sure everything still worked, advertising... For some reason I'm still thinking of doing it again this year.
I don't hold garage sales myself, prefering to donate any items I'm ready to get rid of to my church for their yearly garage sale to raise money for summer mission trips. But I do enjoy garage sale shopping as long as the sale is well organized, the items are relatively clean and items are clearly priced. If I don't see prices I walk away quickly.
@Guest - I hear you. I guess my enthusiasm for Chris's work is a little too overflowing! (Sorry).
What I meant about "only the serious".... is that a lot of people will see an e-book or product that promises to help you do this or achieve that, and they buy it because it's a nice low price. They quickly sift through the material, learn a lot, but don't truly apply the tips or really give it a second glance. Why? Because it was a nice low price and they somehow figured that osmosis would take care of the rest. When they don't achieve the desired results that the product promises, they may feel a little bit cheated.
When you fork out a larger sum of money though, something happens emotionally - you commit. You've made the financial commitment to the product - and the idea behind it - and so you apply yourself a lot more to learn the lessons contained therein.
...at least that's what I would do...
I love going to and holding garage sales.
I am really good at resisting impulse buying--I rarely go unless I'm looking for a few this in specific. Because of having a baby recently, I have even more motivation to shop them. Before I would just go to "window shop" and maybe find a steal. Now I have things like clothing, toys, and equipment I need for the little one.
As for having them, we always do really well. We make sure we have good signage, plenty of goods, and great prices to move the stuff.
I used to shop garage sales all the time, but as I am now an empty-nester and trying to pare down, I avoid all but a select few.
It's easy to get carried away and bring home things you don't need, because they are such good deals, so if you are an impulse shopper it's a good idea to have a list, or to take someone with you to help you choose wisely. After all, is it a deal if it's not going to be used?
I have had a garage sale or two in my life also and they are a lot of work, but a great way to get rid of a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. I prefer now to just donate everything that can be used by others to worthy organizations.
Mabe its because your actually out of ink! And you don't tape the contacts you tape the cartridge, the contacts are what communicate with your printer. The trick worked on my Brother MFC-5100C. It Worked on the Black, Cyan, Yellow and the Magenta Cartridges. Yeah even the color ones, amazing because I used Black electrical tape.
We do one every year. Usually late-spring, early-summer. Make about $50. Good for a family night out at the local diner. Plus you get to talk to some interesting people sometimes. Along with the occasional fool that wants to haggle over a 25c ash tray :)
I think they can be really fun. And, I really appreciate the idea of recycling old items rather than just throwing things away. But it's true that I do sometimes walk away with things that I bought on impulse and never use again.
I try to find ones that are in my neighborhood and use each sale as a stop to break up a long walk and motivate me to keep going. It also keeps me from buying things that are too large for my small apartment.
I do not go to them, but I have had a few. They are fun actually. I liked doing mine. I gave out banan bread and that helped with sales. :)
But Craig, this is all on the presumption that the person/couple did not have a long term plan in the first place. People get so worried about sticking to the "baby step" plan and not deviating from it or focus only on "getting out of debt" that they miss the goal of REAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM.
And for Christians, if the focus is not on financial obedience (Malachi) how can there be peace and real freedom (not necessarily just from money).
I grew up on yard sale-ing (both ends). We've had numerous ones in which my family would plan weeks in advance before hand to make sure everything was dusted and clean. I'm actually planning one in a couple of weeks.
I don't shop at them much anymore. I think people have now shifted into it being about getting rid of broken or out-of-date things with an inch of dust atop. But it never fails to see my grandmother out doing her "shopping" and bringing my mom along. I will never complain of them though. Most of my condo is decorated with adorable one of a kind things that they have found treasure hunting.
It's just sad that even with these pieces of unique decor I'm showered with that I still feel as though most aren't even worth it. I mean, who is really going to pay $20 for your 1995 "like new" television? Some things are meant to be donated.
We're getting ready for one. LOTS of work for what is sometimes too little of a return. I'm really in purge-mode now, bigtime so I hope we make some decent $. I do love to shop, too, but only when I'm feeling strong enough to restrain myself from unnecessary deals. Our biggest problem is that our driveway is really steep. So we haul everything to the bottom. If it rains, we can't really put it in the garage - nobody could see it or would bother walking up the driveway. :-(
This reads like a commercial. Also, Chris Guillebeau is on Zen Habits today as well... a bit of a media blitz?
"Like I said, I think the hefty price will weed out the business-building-window-shoppers from those truly serious about building on their business ideas." -- Is this supposed to be a dare? Only the truly serious will pay up?
"Anybody who pays for this course is likely to be motivated to devour the material contained herein, and will get the most benefit from it." -- Yep. Only the initiated can benefit. How does one get into this exclusive club? Pay!
I'm not trying to be negative but this tastes like snake oil to me. Next thing you know Wise Bread will be telling me to strategically default on my mortgage. Oh wait...
Another way to use balances on cards is to pay bills like your cable or other utilities online. This can allow one to use every last cent from the comfort of your home to clear out small or large balances off cards. And you pay a bill you are going to pay anyway. I use this all the time for those rrbate cards I get and the I dont have another card to carry around.
Garage sales can be good for finding the cheapest price for pre-owned items. I only tend to go to family or friends garage sales because I get to hang out with people I know and possibly pick something up that they had which I wanted. As for other people's sales... I tend to stay away from them. I really don't like hosting them because it is just too much work. I would rather try to sell the items through ads, craigslist, amazon, etc. Anything else that does not sell gets donated.
To be or not to be, that is the question....
My answer: TO BE!
Benefits:
1) De-clutter your life
2) Practice business skills such as marketing, salesmanship, negotiating, event planning, etc
3) Reconnect with your neighbors
4) Earn extra cash
5) Tax deductions when you donate unsold items to charity
Cons:
1) Shoplifters (however, you can combine your sale with family, neighbors, and friends for more coverage)
2) Aggressive cheapskates whose over-negotiations will wear you down (yes, this has happened)
3) Poor marketing (but this is a opportunity to learn how to do better next time)
4) Rain (again, another learning experience)
I love going to garage sales. Just this weekend, I found outdoor Christmas trees I had been looking for for $2 each, a nice knit top that I can wear to work this summer for $1, a bowl I had been needing for our sea shells we picked up on our last vacation (50 cents), 10 fern plants for 50 cents each (needed for edging around yard/woods) and 4 CD's for $2 each. It was a community-wide yard sale a short distance from us and I spent about 3 hours going to them. I ran into some old friends, chatted with the elderly gentleman about flowers while he was digging up the ferns and laughed at some of the kids when they would find their "treasure." All in all, it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning and it sure beat watching DH and his friend pour concrete for our patio.
I think yard sales are great! Sometimes I go to estate sales too. It's a great way to be nosey. :-) I am an attorney who lives in the South. So, I really enjoy observing the negotiations taking place at a yard sale. Mind you being a negotiator in this context is more of a challenge- all that charm and Southern sweetness.
I have hosted some yard sales in the past. In fact I hosted one a month ago. It was not successful at all. I find that people in the South tend to look for antiques and very cheap furniture and clothes. I had mostly art supplies and kitchen goods.
my condo association has a tag sale every september. individual units handle their own stuff, but the association does the advertising. it is a great way to clean out storage units. we usually get a big dumpster the week after so everyone can toss the junk (err, quality stuff) that doesn't sell. everyone wins!
I am an avid garage sale girl. During times when finances were extremely low it is a way to get my shopping fix in while having some time to myself. I've been unemployed for almost one year. I have found the best items that I have in my home at garage sales. All of my kitchen gadgets, plates, glasses, wine racks and even lap blankets come from these great sales. People get tired of their things, so people like me can put them to good use and treasure them. Give me a roll of quarters and a garage sale and I am in heaven.
I like to browse, but rarely buy. It's too much work to host. I think I will try to sell my stuff on craigslist, if it's worth more than $20, otherwise all my clutter goes to Goodwill.
I love garage sales, it's where I get most of my furniture. But I won't be holding my own sale any time soon: the best days to hold your own garage sale happen to be the best days to go looking for other garage sales. Instead I sell my own stuff online.
I love going to yard sales (and estate sales) and have found some amazing deals (like a $1200 sewing machine in a cabinet for only $125!). I've also held a few sales (the last one returned about $700). One big help is to word the ad correctly so you stand out: for our sale, I called it an "Eclectic Sale" (which it was -- lots of weird things). So many people use variations of "large", and after a while those just get meaningless.
It also helps to have the sale in a visible location with easy parking. We live on a main road, so it was easy to attract attention. Our signs were also large and had LARGE PRINT done with very thick letters so people could read them from far away. So many signs I see look like they're done in pencil and are totally unreadable unless you're a few feet away... certainly not easy to read from a moving vehicle!
I like the end result of a garage sale, seeing all of the hard work put in to it having paid off. I haven't held a garage sale in quite awhile, but I recently posted about it on my community's website: first to announce the sale, http://orleans.homefronthappenings.com/annual-orleans-neighborhood-garag... and then to provide some tips, http://orleans.homefronthappenings.com/tips-for-a-successful-garage-sale/.
It was almost as much work advertising the sale as it was to prepare for actually selling!
I hosted my first garage sale last year, and it was so much effort for only $60 made. Cleaning my house, going through old stuff, making sure everything still worked, advertising... For some reason I'm still thinking of doing it again this year.
I'm getting ready to host a yard sale this weekend. There is an annual Block Sale in my neighborhood and I'm hoping it draws a crowd.
I don't hold garage sales myself, prefering to donate any items I'm ready to get rid of to my church for their yearly garage sale to raise money for summer mission trips. But I do enjoy garage sale shopping as long as the sale is well organized, the items are relatively clean and items are clearly priced. If I don't see prices I walk away quickly.