Getting Buyers to Your Sale

Part 2 of 3

• Signage - Colored paper plates make the easiest signs!

— mark a bunch of same-colored plates with bold arrows
— attach one plate to each of your larger signs; put at main intersections
— use rest of plates to simply direct turns, no more info needed
— people will easily spot your guiding signs even from a distance
— mark your yard in balloons in the same color

Sale Sign No-No’s
• too much info
• too small writing
• too faint writing
• inconsistent look

• Advertise - www.craigslist.com, www.garagesalehunter.com, www.yardsalesearch.com, local paper

• Every city is a bit different. Personally, I never do anything but day-of-sale signs and get great results. Look around this coming weekend and see what works in your area.

• Plan for weather - do you have a carport, a covered porch or a shade tent…just in case it’s rainy or swelteringly hot?

• Clarify - Do you have beautiful garden art or furniture? Mark with “Not For Sale” signs if you don’t want to be asked a dozen times if it’s for sale.

Come back tomorrow for part 3 of 3 . . .

Labor Day Yard Sale ~ Have Some Fun!

Part 1 of 3

With the line up of cars the past few Sundays at our local Goodwill drop-off location, purging is clearly a major part of summer weekends for many people. With the Labor Day weekend fast approaching, perhaps you and a neighbor want to consider sharing the front lawn to make some money on your no longer needed or wanted possessions.

Remember –> Be realistic ~ yard sales won’t fund your retirement, but they can be a fun and social way to make a bit of money, meet your neighbors, and clear some clutter!

Before Your Sale ~ PURGE!!!

• Clear a corner of the room nearest to where the Yard Sale will be held

• Build stacks and begin categorizing. This can be by types of items, values, sizes….just save a step and decide some groupings as you cull. We suggest:

• Go room by room and consider what is excess, burden or clutter and move these items to the sale stacks. Ask yourself:
• Take the time to wipe down items, gather parts in baggies and do any minor repairs that will help something sell. Kids plastic toys clean up fast and easy in the dishwasher!

Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of 3 . . .

Here is a last-minute plug for a great event both Laurie and I have supported for years — both as a committee member for 6 years and as attendees.

Taste of the Nation’s 20th year celebration tomorrow night is a fabulous annual fundraiser with the mission of Ending Childhood Hunger.

The Taste of the Nation events promote awareness of Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger and raise funds to help ensure that all children have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. The funds raised through Taste of the Nation support effective community-based programs that feed hungry children and partner with advocates pursuing long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger, both locally and nationally.

The area charities that will benefit from this year’s event are FareStart, Food Lifeline, Solid Ground, The Pike Place Market Foundation and Children’s Alliance. Since 1987, Taste of the Nation events have raised more than $61 million nationwide, including more than $2.5 million from efforts in Seattle alone.
12.6 million children face hunger in the U.S. every day.
In Washington State last year, 1.2 million people went to food banks for help, 40% of them children. Their families are categorized as “working poor,” the result of low wage jobs and our state’s high housing, food and other costs of living. A family of four, deemed food-insecure, has $12 per day for groceries total or roughly $1 per person for each meal.

“An end to childhood hunger in our country is within reach” said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “With all the participants in Taste of the Nation Seattle sharing their strengths we are creating more resources for the greater good of Seattle and our great nation.”

Share Our Strength believes the way to end childhood hunger is to surround every child with nutritious food in the places they live, learn, play and pray. To do so, we work with local organizations to help families help themselves through three important areas: increasing access to the public and private programs that can provide food to those who need it, strengthening the community infrastructure for getting healthy food to children and improving nutrition education.

Tickets start at $75 and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26TASTE or visiting www.strength.org.