By Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch

Shifting wardrobes from spring and summer to fall and winter clothes is the perfect opportunity to streamline. As a general rule of thumb, we wear a very small percentage of the clothes we have in our closets, some people put the figure as low as 10-20%. So as you swap out filmy fabrics for thicker ones, take a long, hard look at the clothes you have and ask yourself: “do I actually wear this?”

In addition to clothes, what else is lurking in your closets that you never use? Have each family member go through their closets (and toy chests) too and put all those unused, rarely worn items aside in a few big boxes. Once everyone has gone through all of their closets and drawers and straightened and organized them, it’s time to part with what’s inside those boxes.

A great way to do that and earn a little bit of extra money for holiday spending: host a tag sale. Read on for a few tips on how to organize a successful one.

Alicia on “Planning for Success”:

“Plan the tag sale for when it makes the most sense. People generally get paid on the first and the fifteenth so pick a date very close to one of those. It can be difficult to draw crowds if the weather is too cold, so if you live in a northern area, schedule your tag sale before the end of October.

Once you’ve picked the date, set a logical time window. If you know that Saturday mornings are filled with soccer games, schedule the event for the afternoon. Whatever time you choose to start, be sure you are ready to go an hour or two from the start time. If you advertise 9 am, people have been known to show up at 7 or 8. So, if you really want to start at 9, advertise for 10.”

Sarah on “Not Getting Physical”:

“If the idea of hauling all your stuff out onto the lawn seems daunting, remember that your sale does not have to be a physical one anymore. Your real items can be sold in the virtual world. You can either sell them as individual items, package them together—like a boom box with an assortment of CD’s—or turn the whole thing into one big virtual sale. Craig’s List, for one, has a section specifically for this. Just remember to charge for shipping. And if this is a new concept for you, find a friend or family member who has done it and let that person guide you through the process.”

Here a few tips to help you through the process.

1. The Buddy System
If the process of holding a tag sale seems intimidating, lean on a friend who can help you let go. Friends often look at your things with a fresh pair of eyes and can tell you straight that the cardigan you are holding on to makes you look like a box. Another benefit to working with a friend: he or she may be your first customer.

2. Use a YUNK Box
If you just can’t bear to part with all of your things now, put half of them in a YUNK box. YUNK simply stands for YoU Never Know. If you have not touched those items six months from now, you don’t need them and you should get rid of them. This can also work really well for children who think they are just unable to part with a toy or doll. If they see that they didn’t play with it for a long period of time without even missing it, they’ll let go.

3. For the Common Good
If you don’t want to set up a tag sale of your own, consider being a part of one that could help the community. Schools, churches, and local organizations often have communal yard sales to raise money for charity. Rent a table at one that you care about and your unused items become directly responsible for giving back. This might also help you let of more stuff understanding that the more you give up, the more you are giving.

Thanks Alicia an Sarah!

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