Garage Sale Tips and Tricks

Happy Monday!

Every year I host a garage sale.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I live for these garage sales!  They are one of my favorite things to do and my opportunity to purge my house of any unwanted clutter - which adds up pretty quick around here.


I thought I'd share some of my tips and tricks for a successful garage sale for any of you who are wanting to have one sometime soon.  The beginning of the year is always a great time to get rid of things and start fresh!

1. Pick a location that is near a busy street or intersection.  I always have my garage sales at my mom's house, sure it's a pain to lug all of my things there but it's well worth it because she lives near two very busy streets and I'm bound to sell most of my things quicker because of the traffic that is near her house.
2. Price all things before the garage sale.  Nothing is worse than pricing the day of while people are lining up to buy.
3. Price things reasonably, remember people shop at garage sales for deals!
4. Always price things a few dollars more than you really want to sell for, that way when you negotiate with people you're getting the price you really want for the item.
5. Advertise on Craig's List.  I always do this and have gotten great results!  One year, a family that had just moved to the area found our garage sale through Craig's List and literally bought half of what we had to sell since they needed it to furnish their new place.
6. Invest in garage sale signs and put them on intersections near by .
7. Have batteries in things that need them or an extension cord near by so people can test their items before they buy them if need be.
8. Group similar inexpensive items together and price as one price - aka costume jewelry
9. Rubber-band pairs of shoes so people can easily find the matching pair to purchase
10. NEVER bring home the things that didn't sell at your garage sale - pack it all up in your car and donate it!  You'll love yourself for not bringing unwanted clutter back into your home.  

Those are all of my tips.  When I implement these, my sales are usually smooth sailing!  Do you enjoy hosting garage sales?  What are some of your tips for hosting a successful one?

Laundry Made Easy

I don't know about you, but I never felt like I could keep up with the laundry in the house.  Every time I did laundry I felt overwhelmed and like it would take up most of my day, especially the kids' clothes.  I would let two weeks pass sometimes before I washed their clothes, until basically they barely had anything left to wear and then I would be stuck with huge amounts to fold.  And if you've ever folded kids clothes you know what I mean - the basket never empties because their clothes are so little!  It was bad, and I was guilty of not wanting to fold them and most likely living out of a basket until I finally folded them.  Another thing -  my husband used to do his own laundry, which I know - sounds great, but he would wait until the last minute to wash, and his clothes would be piled HIGH in the laundry room - ugh!

I decided that we needed to make a change with our laundry habits and quick!  So I made a schedule and have stuck with it.  The schedule is that I wash, fold and put away one load of laundry per day.  This has made me happy, especially when I walk into the laundry room and don't see mountains of clothes.

How do you handle the laundry in your house?  Do you use a schedule too?  I swear it has been the best time saver!


PS - Don't forget to enter the $125 Amazon gift card giveaway and the Kate Spade giveaway!

Cleaning Schedule

Good morning!  I hope everyone is staying warm.  We had a little cold spell here in FL, but nothing close to what the rest of the country is going through - burr!  It was actually a nice little change for us since we've barely had a winter.

On Monday's post I said how I was trying to find ways to save some money and one of the ways was letting go of our cleaning lady (I'm crazy I know) so I made up a cleaning schedule for our house.  I plan to stick to this so our house is always clean, or as clean as it can be with little kiddos around.

I made the schedule so that I could clean something everyday and yet still have time for the kids, errands and just life in general.  I'm thinking everyday these chores will probably take about an hour or so to complete, except laundry - I hate laundry, folding is the worst and I find myself living out of a basket for a few days - total laziness!

Anyway, if you like the schedule feel free to use it too!  

Have a great Thursday! 

Cleaning Schedule

Good Morning!

I'm finally awake enough to type this, I had a rough night with Jonah who decided to be up from 2:30-4:30. He always does this when he is teething - I hate it because I wake up exhausted! Hopefully tonight will be a better one.

I'm always looking for a good daily cleaning checklist.  With the kids, husband and all of the mess that they make (I'm practically perfect in every way) I like to tidy up before bed to make sure the house is picked up and ready for the chaos the next day will bring. 

I came across this checklist on RealSimple's website and I thought it was a great one to keep handy and mentally check everything off daily.  I already do most of these chores daily and the ones that I don't do daily, I should start doing (like the bathroom ones - I typically do that stuff once-twice a week).

Without further adieu here is the checklist:

Kitchen

• Clear out and wipe down the sink (5 minutes).
  No piles of dirty dishes! Move them into the dishwasher, and wipe the sink with a sponge.
• Wipe down countertops and stove (1 minute).
  Clean splatters and spills with a damp cloth or sponge and an all-purpose cleanser.
• Wipe problem spots on the floor (2 minutes).
  You can save a full-floor mop for the weekend, but use the same cloth (once you’ve finished with the countertops) to quickly clean any spills or sticky spots, which will attract dirt and get more noticeable if left alone.
• Fold or hang dish towels (30 seconds).
  Even if they’re clean, a jumble of dish towels on the counter can look messy. Take a few moments to fold or hang them.

Bathroom

• Wipe out the sink (30 seconds).
  If you use a premoistened cloth to wipe your face, swipe the sink bowl and faucet handles with it, too. Or use a washcloth, paper towel, or a product like Windex Glass and Surface Wipes, which don’t leave streaks on chrome or mirror.
• Clean splatters off the mirror (15 seconds).
  Got foamy toothpaste spray on the mirror? Do a quick swipe with the same cloth you used on the sink.
• Wipe the toilet seat and rim (15 seconds).
  Same cloth! Just do the toilet last.
• Swoosh the toilet bowl with a brush (15 seconds).
  If you see a ring, give it a quick scrub.
• Squeegee the shower door (30 seconds).
  Wipe down glass doors to remove water droplets that can cause spotting. No squeegee? Use a dry towel.
• Spray the shower and curtain liner with a shower mist (15 seconds).
  A quick spray with a daily cleanser will reduce buildup of mildew and soap scum.

Bedroom

• Make your bed (2 minutes).
  Even a fluffy down comforter pulled up over messy sheets will look polished.
• Fold or hang clothes and put away jewelry (4 minutes).
  Even better: Resist the urge to toss them somewhere in the first place! Put them away as you take them off.
• Straighten out the night-table surface (30 seconds).
  Take last night’s water glass to the kitchen, stow your reading glasses in a drawer, and straighten books or magazines.

Living Room

• Tidy the sofa (2 minutes).
  It’s likely the focus of the room, so neaten it. Fluff the pillows and fold the throws.
• Pick up crumbs with a handheld vacuum (1 minute).
  Concentrate on surfaces in plain sight: sofa cushions, coffee table, and rugs in the middle of the room. Look for dust bunnies, too.
• Wipe tables and spot-clean cabinets where you see fingerprints (1 minute).
  Use a microfiber cloth or a Swiffer cloth to pick up dust. If the surfaces are streaked or sticky, use a moist cloth.
• Straighten coffee table books and magazines (2 minutes).
  Toss old newspapers and corral the remote controls into one place (a drawer, if possible).
• Clear major clutter (5 minutes).
  Stash video games, toys, and anything else you might trip over.

Do you follow a checklist?  How do you handle the house chores - are you a daily cleaner or do you save it all for the weekend?

Have a great day!