The Spring cleaning season is here! This is the time of year that many of us dig to the back of the closets and the bottom of drawers and decide what’s ready for a garage sale. Deciding what should go and what should stay can sometimes be a difficult decision. On one hand, you don’t want to sell something that you may need or want again in the future. On the other hand, you need to free up space in your home in order to stay organized and tidy. How do you decide what stays and what goes?
Here is a list of questions to ask yourself when trying to decide what’s ready for your next family garage sale:
1. Have you used this item in the last year? If so, how often? The reason you should look at the past year is because some items are seasonal (like Christmas decorations) that only come out once a year. If you haven’t used the item in the last year, it may be time to donate or sell it.
2. Does the item have sentimental value? It’s always difficult to part with something that has a special sentimental value, but sometimes when deciding to part with something, we unconsciously create a sentimental bond with the item. You’ll have to decide which sentimental items (such as your child’s first favorite stuffed animal or those tickets from a concert) are worth hanging onto.
3. Ask your children to participate in the process of Spring cleaning as well. They can be responsible for deciding which toys they’ve outgrown and which they’d like to hang onto. It may be difficult for them to part with some of their belongings, but you can help them by explaining that their old toys may make another boy or girl very happy.
4. There may be items in your home that you no longer use but you still have a difficult time parting with. Perhaps you’ve saved all of your baby items in case you decide to add another little member to your family. Rather than deciding to sell them at this point, is there someone else in your circle of family and friends who could make use of these items?
5. Is the item broken? If you’ve been hanging onto a broken toy or a ripped piece of clothing for a few months with the intention of fixing it, now is the chance to decide if it’s worth fixing or if you are ready to part with it.
Now that you’ve decided what to sell and what to save, you’ll need to decide what is worth selling in a garage sale and what can go straight to the garbage or recycling bin. For the garage sale items that don’t sell, what will happen to them when the sale ends? Rather than drag them back into the house or store them for a future garage sale, you could donate these items to a local charity.
When is the last time you did Spring cleaning?
Cheryl is a married mother of one. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with a strong interest in parties and event planning. She is the owner and writer for Moms & Munchkins (www.momsandmunchkins.ca), which is filled with ideas for family fun, activities for kids, party ideas, party planning tips, holiday fun, moms’ night out ideas and more.
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