Hi folks,
The site was down for a few hours earlier today because of tech problems. My superb tech staff figured it out within a few hours. Thank you Sean and Andrew!
There are still a few kinks in the system but with some luck they will not interfere or bring the site down again. Thanks for your patience and for reading Bargain babe!
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
I’m in the Bay Area helping my Mom clean out her attic by running her garage sale tomorrow. (And I’ll be here to celebrate Mother’s Day in person on Sunday!) It’s the beginning of garage sale season so I thought I would share how I prepare for a garage sale:
+ In the week leading up to the sale, gather everything to be sold into one room.
+ Two nights before the sale sort your stuff into piles according to price for: free, $.50, $1, $2, $3, $5, $7, $10…If you have a LOT of stuff, the sorting process may take two nights.
+ Bigger items that are clean and in top condition can go for as much as 50% of what you paid for them. If they are worn or damaged, reduce the price even more.
+ Make signs for each price category (i.e. $1 pile, $2 pile) or put stickers/tags on each item. People may be too shy to ask or think you are ripping them off if you are not upfront about your prices. If you do not want to label each item individually, jot down your prices on a master list. At the minimum, mark your higher priced items.
+ Cleanliness REALLY helps sales. A damp rag removes dust and dirt quickly.
+ The morning before, post your sale on Craigslist. In the post list your top items, any hot brands you are selling, your unusual items, and mention if you have a free pile. The more detailed you are, the better the chance someone looking for these items will find you. If you have enough free items, post them on Freecycle.org (free membership required to post).
+ The night before your sale make 5-10 signs. I like to write in bold letters “SALE” with an arrow pointing to my yard on manilla folders. In smaller letters I write the date and start time. The address is usually irrelevant because yard sales are a visual magnet.
+ The morning of the sale haul your stuff out while keeping your items grouped by price, which makes it easy for customers to assess what you have. Be prepared for aggressive “early birds” who will want to wheel and deal before you have finished dragging everything else out.
+ Presentation is key. Put everything on tables, blankets or in buckets. Clothes have a better chance of selling if they are hung up.
+ Have a few low bills and quarters to make change.
+ As soon as traffic starts dying down, roughly two to three hours after the start time, cut prices. Wouldn’t you rather make a buck or two off an old pair of shoes than drag them to Goodwill?
+ Load up whatever does not sell into your car and drop them off at Goodwill or Salvation Army.
Here’s how the sale turned out!
I’m not entirely pleased with Feedblitz, the software I use to email you all my deals. (If you don’t already receive them, sign up here.)
Feedblitz is free and I’m definitely getting what I’m paying for! In the past three weeks the email, which is scheduled to go out between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., has been delivered hours late. At least twice I’m fairly certain Feedblitz did not send it.
I have also received a few complaints from readers that links did not work or they could not download pictures, both of which could be issues with that person’s computer, not Feedblitz. But ya gotta wonder.
I could switch but it would be a big hassle for you and for me. Basically, we would all have to sign up again. So I’m wondering…
[poll id="21"]
I love reading comments! They make Bargain babe a conversation about saving money, not a one-sided rant. So to show my appreciation I’m going to highlight one comment each Friday.
Here is the inaugural comment of the week. (If you have not been reading the comments, just click on the “comments” link at the bottom of each post. My sister says they are the best part of the blog!)
I chose this comment, written by a reader called AB, because s/he explains why my urgent plea to buy Forever stamps is off base. I argued that the upcoming 5 percent rate hike meant hoarding stamps was savvy.
AB’s logic has me nearly convinced I was wrong and that Forever stamps are not a great deal at all. What do you think?