My $508 Garage Sale: An In-Depth Analysis

My $508 Garage Sale - picture of garage sale

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Earlier this week, I wrote about how I made $883 in cash money this weekend.  As I mentioned in that post, $275 was scored solely from signing up for some bangin’ Chase banking deals.  Basically, they gave me some free money just for signing up.  On top of that, I let everyone know that I made an amazing $508 at my garage sale.  In the comments, a lot of you asked how I managed to pull in that much cash.  And to be honest, I’m not really sure.  I really didn’t think that I had that much stuff!  However, the numbers sure don’t lie and I actually did make $508 over the course of my 1 1/2 day sale.  In case you’re interested, here is a basic rundown of the stuff that I sold:

  • Chest Freezer: $125
  • Playstation 2: $30
  • Deer stand and bow: $30
  • Small dresser: $25
  • Swingset: $25
  • Baby clothes: .50 each
  • Adult clothes: $1 each

On top of that, I had a whole rack of really nice clothing that was separately priced at $3-$10 each.  I also had all kinds of miscellaneous items: baby stuff, a baby monitor, home décor, small appliances, cups, mugs, and all kinds of other things.  Even though I didn’t sell any expensive items other than my chest freezer, I had a lot of stuff.  Over the day and a half of the sale, it added up quick.  And amazingly, I pulled in a lot more than I have in the past.  Winning!

In other news, I still have an armoire and television for sale for $150. Will someone please buy this f*$%king thing?
In other news, I still have an armoire and television for sale for $150. Will someone please buy this f*$%king thing?

So, what should I do with the cash?

I’m going to give it to a bunch of Mexicans.  Yeah, you read that right. 

My garage sale’s timing was perfect due to the fact that we’re leaving for Mexico next week.  I’m going to use the hundreds of one dollar bills currently in my possession to tip some Mexicans for their hard work.  And who knows, if I tip enough I might be able to lure someone down to the beach over and over to bring me and my friends some cocktails.  Maybe not, but I’m sure going to try!  I always do. 

Of course, I don’t plan on tipping $508 dollars in just a week’s time.  Let’s face it: I’m just not that generous.  I usually bring about $250 in one dollar bills for a week’s stay and I’ll need another $100 for round trip transportation to and from the resort.  I’ll also need to pay for lunch at the airport on the way home.  The rest of the money that is left over went straight into my bank account.  Boring, I know.

My little cutie.....
My little cutie…..

My Daughter’s First Lemonade Stand

I’m completely aware that everyone thinks that their children are adorable.  However, my child really is adorable!  And more than that, she’s an excellent lemonade saleswoman.  She’s well spoken and not afraid of rejection at all.  As a result of her sales skills, she pulled in $5.50 in straight-up cash, homie.

Overall, the sale was a huge success.  And I absolutely hate having a garage sale so the fact that I am saying anything positive at all is absolutely amazing.

How about you guys?  Are you having a garage sale this summer?  Or, have you already had one?  Please tell us all about it in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

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60 Comments

    1. Sweet! I wish I could sell that armoire on craigslist. No takers so far!

  1. Very cute picture! And $5.50 is really good. We’re not having a garage sale but we are clearing out a room for the baby and have some stuff to get rid of. I’ve always been awful at selling things online, but like Mrs. Pop I’ll be trying my hand at craigslist. I may even hit up ebay if I get adventurous.

    1. Hey, there ya go!

      I like ebay for certain things but sometimes its too much of a hassle.

  2. No garage = no garage sale. However, when I was little I used to have lemonade stands. I would have my little brother harass people down the street and around the block, telling them that lemonade sales were our only means to buy baseball cards because our parents hated us, or another similar reason why we had to make sales due to our parents neglecting us. Most people knew my parents and thought this was really funny, and so we made a good amount of money for little kids with mean streaks and a willingness to throw their parents under the bus for a chance at a rookie card.

  3. Yep we had a garage sale a month and a half ago and it was definitely a success! I can’t remember the exact total, but I think we made close to $300 despite it raining in the afternoon. Definitely nice to get rid of some junk and make $! Congrats on your daughter – a future entrepreneur!

  4. Lemonade stand! That’s awesome, I remember having one of those as a kid. That’s a good price, $0.25/glass, there was a few kids in our neighborhood last week doing the same but $1/glass. Still bought one. It was good too!

    Have fun in Mexico!

  5. Your daughter is already got her side hustle on! We have never had a garage sale before just usually put things on Craigslist and Ebay if we dont mind shipping. Did you get any takers on the armoire? Havent seen one of those in a while.

    1. Nope, no takers. I’m going to put it back on craigslist after I get back from vacation.

  6. Good job! Haha I would hate to have a garage sale, but we need to have one soon.

  7. Nice! Also, I think your daughter is adorable too, and so blond! That’s crazy cute. I really, really, really need to have a garage sale. But with the wedding, honeymoon, and now going to Quebec City for a Paul McCartney concert on Tuesday, there just hasn’t been time. Hopefully August will be the month!

  8. How big is a $250 stack in $1? You will sure get a guy to bring you cocktails on the beach, the tipping culture is almost non existent in Mexico. Take care with housekeeping for your cash, I would bring the $250 and change them in pesos as I go, tipping 10 pesos or so, like this you don’t have so much cash in your room.

  9. Your little is very cute and adorable. Good to see the first lemonade sale and getting $5.5 , We never had garage sale so far but plan to have one

  10. That’s an awesome pic! We’ve not had a garage sale but have sold a number of things on Craigslist totaling a couple of hundred dollars so far this summer. We were boring and put ours in our HSA account as we’re close to maxing it out for the year.

  11. Kyle @ Debt Free Diaries says:

    No garage sale for us, we don’t really have a space for it. We post most of our larger things we’d like to get rid of on Craigslist. I love shopping at garage sales! Haven’t been in a while, but there is a place nearby my house that holds a neighborhood sale (in a super nice part of town) and I can’t wait to check that out sometime!

    1. I usually go about once a month or so! It’s hard to go when I have to take my little kids with me!

  12. We always donate our stuff, either to Goodwill, or if not donatable (like children’s toys) to the school’s garage sale.

    1. Everything left over (which was a lot) went straight to Goodwill! There was a lot of nice stuff in there and I love getting that tax write off.

  13. I have been pricing stuff for a garage sale, but haven’t scheduled a date yet. My girls have outgrown their toddler beds and I really need to get rid of them, plus a whole, whole bunch of clothes and other miscellaneous stuff. When I moved last year everyone was giving me household items and I am now overloaded. Ready to get rid of some junk, just hate having garage sales!

    1. I know. I’ll probably need to have another one in a few years after the kids grow out of some more toys and clothes.

  14. I haven’t had a garage sale since I was kid and my parents had one. I just don’t have the patience to deal with the garage sale…and it’s a lot of work bringing all that stuff out. I don’t know…I might consider it. As with the lemonade…wow things really are more expensive in NYC…kids here sell the small cup for 50 cents and a big cup for a dollar!! =)

    1. I might let her crank the price up a little next time =)

  15. A lot of little kids set up lemonade stands along the beach walkway. Brilliant idea! And yes, your daughter is adorable!

  16. That’s great~! I managed to make less than $100 on my first garage sale a couple of months back. I think I’m going to do another one in the Fall and see how it turns out.

    1. Fall is the perfect time….it will (hopefully) not be so hot out!

  17. I agree – your daughter is adorable! 🙂 And I’m impressed you sold your PS2 – I gave mine away – should have tried to sell it! 🙂

  18. I had a garage sale when we downsized 15 years ago. It just about paid for our move.

  19. We had a garage sale a few years ago, with some success. Since then, we haven’t really acquired enough “stuff” to have another one. We’ve sold some baby items through Craigslist as our little boy outgrew them, but we’re holding on to most of our baby things to re-use when we decide to have another one.

    On the flip side, we have been frequent visitors to garage sales. Our little boy’s wardrobe is almost exclusively garage sale finds.

  20. Nick @ AYoungPro.com says:

    You’re daughter is very adorable! That was an awesome yard sale! I can’t believe you got $30 out of a Playstation 2. 🙂

  21. I’ve avoided garage sales as I don’t like the idea of people rejecting my great stuff. How dare they look at my sweet threads and chotchkies and then pass them by? They’d be LUCKY get some of my stuff — jerks!

    Also, it sounds like a bunch of work. 🙂 We’ve been donating so far but maybe we can follow your example, get over my insecurities, and get some cash money in the process.

    1. I hate it when people just drive by and don’t stop. Really, how you can you tell what I have if you don’t get your ass out of the car?

  22. Nice to hear someone is making some extra cash! 🙂 I have nothing left to sell, so … nope, no garage sale any time soon.

    1. Well, hey… at least you don’t have a lot of clutter then, right?

  23. Wow – $508 from a garage sale. That’s impressive! No garage sale for us, as we don’t have a garage. However, I did sell six clothing items on Ebay and netted $150 after shipping and fees. That’s not too bad! I’ve got a few more items to list, although I doubt they’ll sell for as much.

    1. What kind of clothes did you sell for $150? Nicer clothes than I have apparently!!! =)

  24. I found your blog at the perfect time! I keep meaning to gather all our stuff up for a yard sale, but it just seems like so much work. Now I have more motivation to do so! And I would definitely call $500 from a garage sale a success!! I’m also going to Mexico pretty soon, and having the extra cash would be really nice.

    Also, your daughter is adorable. 🙂

      1. We’re going to Los Cabos – we’ve been to Mexico before, but never Los Cabos, so I’m very excited!

  25. No garage sale for me! However, I have been trying to get rid of some old books and put a bunch of them for sale on Amazon.com a while back, so I guess in a way, I’ve had my own little “garage sale” going for some time. Though nothing as success as yours!

  26. $500 is awesome for one garage sale! It helps that you had a few larger items and electronics to get people to come (and to make you a bit more money). I don’t think my wife and I have enough stuff to have our own garage sale yet, but I’m sure we will at some point.

  27. Awesome job on selling so much! Sounds like you had a good plan for the extra money in place. Nothing wrong with being “boring”! And who could say no to your daughter’s smile? She’s so cute! It seems like she will be following in your path with her little side business 🙂

  28. My Wealth Desire says:

    We did not try garage sale but it is a nice idea to earn extra money. Another wow of earning $508 while you are de-cluttering your house. I think you attract more customer now due to cute sales lady plus her lemonade stand.

  29. Nice to see your garage sale was successful. I still do not have enough items to do a garage sale but I can always piggy back a friend’s garage sale if I have 2-3 items to sell…lol (with their permission of course)

  30. You are really lucky to have a so cute daughter! No garage sale yet,but going to make it very soon. Also considering Craiglist.

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