While yard sale season is the perfect time to get rid of all the items you no longer love or use, what happens when you miss the deadline for the neighborhood or community yard sale? You know, that has already been organized and advertised. Wait until next year? Hold on to your clutter? This year, I was incredibly excited for our neighborhood yard sale. The girls have always loved them: lemonade stands, learning about money, earning money, and finding new homes for old things. I had organized all of our items into boxes, did an insane amount of decluttering (okay, a little more than usual), and what happened? It rained.

How many times have you dealt with this situation? Weather happens, your yard sale is postponed, or you miss the deadline for the community one. Yard sales can creep up on you. Or, maybe you feel you don’t have enough time to declutter and organize everything you need to? No one likes to miss a deadline or postpone a major transformation, especially when you’ve put in all of the hard work.

There are several strategies for when you’ve missed the community deadline or the one in your head. The most important thing to remember, though, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR and hold on to your clutter. Feel free to call your favorite and most fabulous friends to discuss the utter annoyance of missing the community yard sale, and even go as far as asking to join in on their neighborhood yard sales. OR, plan your own yard sale! There are even online yard sale options.

Just think about it. There are people whose main thrill in life is bargaining! These people will be delighted to discover you’ve planned your own yard sale, even if it takes place immediately after the community one, and they will be happy to take on (and even pay for!) what you find is clutter. No matter what the case, whether your yard sale is on time, during a treacherous rainstorm, or in December, you need to maximize the time, and get the most out of it.

Here are some of my tips for a better yard sale:

• Set up the yard sale to feel like you are going into a store. It should be easy for people to buy because items are clearly categorized.
• Clearly label prices. If you like negotiation, go for it. Negotiation can be part of the fun. However, promise me, even if the prices are clearly labeled, your favorite frugal customers will want a better deal, and you have to act! Labeling prices will give you a starting point for negotiation. And it is all about getting the clutter out.
• Set up your donations ahead of time. That way, items won’t come back into the house! Remember, the point was to rid yourself of clutter, not supplement your income. Earning money from a yard sale can be fun, but the detox and declutter (did I mention free space?) is exhilarating!
• Be organized with your advertising ahead of time, especially if you plan your own yard sale! Take full advantage of social media.
• You must know people are about deals, and be okay with it. Negotiating is an absolutely necessary skill to have as an adult, and involving the kids is a practical way for them to learn about money and business!
• Get the whole family involved.