10 Reasons to Have a Garage Sale

As I am wading through a garage full of stuff in preparation for a garage sale at the end of the month, I began thinking about why we do this virtually every year. Here's why:

1. It puts some cash in your pocket. Aside from the bulging garage, people usually go to the trouble of having a garage sale in order to recoup some cash from the things they had bought previously. Note that this isn't any form of return on investment--you are usually getting a dime on the dollar from the things you spent your hard earned money on.
2. It cleans out the garage and gives you more space. The garage becomes the "catch all" over the course of the winter, collecting all of the things we no longer want or need. This is a good way to get some more space in your garage (which you can then use to increase your prep supplies).
3. You can reorganize the things you want to keep. After you get rid of the junk and open up more space, it is much easier to organise the things you want to keep (ie: preparedness supplies, stored food, etc) in an efficient and effective manner.
4. It will make you think twice when you go shopping. Do you really need that $50 widget that you may or may not use when you know from your last garage sale experience that you may only be able to get $5 for it after you use it for a bit?
5. It is entertaining and informative. In past garage sales we have met all kinds of people--the early birds, the hard bargainers, an interesting guy who goes to garage sales for a living, fixes up his finds, then resells them.
6. It's a lesson in teamwork. When the kids lived at home, the whole family got in on the process. Now it's just the spouse and I but the teamwork to get the sale done (gathering the items, pricing them, making and posting sign, etc) requires communication and working together which is good practice for survival situations.
7. It provides some good business lessons. In this condensed event, you will learn about advertising, pricing, how to display products effectively, what sells and what doesn't, etc.
8. It gives you an opportunity for a spin-off money making opportunity. When the kids were young they would set up a lemonade stand and sell cold lemonade and sodas to make a little extra cash. At more elaborate garage sales people set up barbecues, place cars for sale next to the action, or post signs for their main business such as backhoe work (which may start a conversation and get a new customer or two).
9. You will meet the neighbors. Years ago we lived in our house for a few years prior to having a garage sale. Before the sale we had only met a couple of neighbors. During the sale they came out of the woodwork and we ended up meeting most of the people in the neighborhood. I guess this is a non-threatening way to check out the neighbors and the kind of stuff they have.
10. You will still get to practice some of your security skills. Of course keeping the money safe will be one task, watching for shoplifters (yes, people actually steal at garage sales if you can believe it), keeping your home secure during the event, and keeping the stuff in your garage that you don't want the world to see camouflaged will also need to be done.