A Real Return on Your Rummage Sale

Photos by Bob Gregory

The sorting, the set up, the signs…having a rummage sale is a lot of work so of course you want to make as much as possible on yours.  And you can!  The savvy Frugalitarian^TM mastered the art of maximizing rummage sale profits long ago.  Here’s what you need to know:

The Madison Avenue Strategy.  Yes, you do need to advertise so start with an ad in the local paper, but not just any old ad.  This is your chance to create an image for your sale.  Is it elegant? Modern? Are you selling name brand clothing? Let people know!  We ran an ad saying, “Three Trendy Women Redecorate.  Come and Get the Castoffs.”  The turnout was fantastic and everyone said they came to meet the trendy ladies.  Never underestimate the power of a creative ad!

The Urban Planning Strategy.  You need bold, beautifully decorated, easy to read signs placed at key intersections.  No Sharpie on cardboard, please.  Your signs reflect your taste in these instances.  Live in a town where ordinances don’t allow posting rummage sale signs?  No problem.  Park two cars at busy intersections and display your signs on the windshield and rear of each car.

The Barneys New York Strategy.  Passersby are window-shopping.  It’s your job to lure them in.  Your best stuff should be artfully arranged and closest to the curb.  Categorize everything just like a department store.  There’s the house wares department, toy department, jewelry and accessories department and so on.  Put everything on tables.  Nothing should be on the ground.  Neatly display everything with your best items marked with attractive price tags affixed with raffia.  People like to know they’re getting lovely treasures from classy, stylish sellers.

True story: Jodi and a friend shopped a rummage sale where two women sat on each side of a small card table.  The table displayed used underwear for 25¢ each.  Jodi’s friend said she wouldn’t sit there with her used underwear for a million dollars.  Jodi said she would, but here’s what she’d do differently:  put a lovely vase of white roses in the center of the table, add a gorgeous tablecloth and mark each item with a hanging tag in the shape of a rose. If you’re going to sell your underwear, then be remembered as the elegant woman with the boutique style rummage sale featuring delicates, foundational garments and lingerie.

The Fashionable Strategy.  Put a little effort into what you wear.  After all, you’re the face of your rummage sale and you’ve worked hard to create an image and set the stage.  Put on a stylish outfit and use a pretty apron stocked with plenty of quarters, $1 and $5 dollar bills to make fast change.  And don’t forget to wear a smile.  People love to do business with a warm, friendly proprietor.

Make your rummage sale a social event.  Make friends, laugh a lot and enjoy the experience.  Never turn anyone away if they come before you open.  You are there to make money, right?  Sell with enthusiasm, rearrange your displays during lulls and never bargain on day one.  Give yourself the chance to get top dollar.  Politely tell people to come back tomorrow and if the item is still there, you’ll sell it for half price in the afternoon.  If you say it with a smile, chances are they’ll give you your asking price on the spot.

Good luck and many happy returns!

A Kitchen Remodel for LE$$

It’s the crown jewel of remodeling – the kitchen.  Who hasn’t walked into a gorgeously renovated kitchen and pined, “If only!”?  Though we may admire and desire a beautiful new kitchen, many of us are petrified by the price tag.  The Frugalitarian^TM knows the way to the kitchen of our dreams: Save, Salvage, Splurge.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

By Maurita Jasper

We have a few mottos, and one of our favorites is ‘If we can’t eat it or wear it, then we’re not spending money on it.’  Heat definitely falls into that category.  Other than keeping us alive, heat has very few benefits and far too many drawbacks – dry skin; flat, static-y hair; dry noses; static electric shocks when we touch almost anything; it’s noisy; it’s still, stale air; it’s cold downstairs and hot upstairs; and on and on. 

The Frugalitarian^TM Family Tree

Photo by Bob Gregory

So many family photos and heirlooms, so few ideas for storing these treasures.  The Frugalitarian^TM says, don’t!  Instead of buying more bins, boxes and albums, why not re-imagine your family tree in an artful montage on your wall?  Just a few thrift store finds can help you create something masterful.  Our favorite three tips?:

Choose a large wall.  Staircases make excellent galleries.  Typically, there’s plenty of wall space waiting to be adorned.  Turn your barren tunnel or wall into a mini museum of memories you’ll admire a hundred times a day while you go about the more mundane business of life.