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?

5 Things Every Blog Needs

Good morning!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I totally intended to blog on Friday but was called into a meeting at my daughter's school for the upcoming book fair, so I wasn't able to.  I always love posting on Friday's so was bummed.

It's been a while since I've shared blogging tips, and why not share some tips on a subject you're passionate about?  I know all of these articles came handy when I was starting up, and there always nice to use as a checklist on your own blog.

I've rounded out 5 things that I think every blog needs in order to keep readers coming back. 

The first way someone is drawn to your blog or not is by your homepage.  In the first few seconds your reader decides whether they are going to stay on your site, or if they are going to click out.  Just like when you first meet someone, first impressions are important! 

Here are a few things to incorporate in your blog to keep your readers coming back for more:


1)  Clean design - This is the FIRST thing people see!  You don't have to spend tons of money on a design, but it's important to have something that's clean, has legible font and catches the eye.


2) About me - Every blog needs to have a page where they can learn about the writer and see what the whole blog is about.  It's so important for it to include a picture of you, your name and that it is written in your own tone.  You also want to add a description of things you'll be writing about and what you're vision is so you're audience knows what you're about and what to expect when they read your blog and they're able to put a face to your posts.


3) Contact -  Brands and readers should have a place were they can contact you if need be for any collaborations or questions they have.  I love hearing from my readers and potential brands!


4) Search - This is so important so that you're readers can search topics you've blogged about and easily find specific things.  You don't how how many times I've used this on other blogs, it's such a time saver and a lot of times leads to other great posts that you may have missed!


5) Social media accounts with same handles - this is a great way for your readers to be able to connect with you but also a way for brands to follow you and request to work with you.  When creating your handles you want to make sure they're all the same or as similar as possible so that you're easy to find.


What are some other things you love for people to include in their blogs that you feel are beneficial?