Lighten the load before you move – it’s not too late for a garage sale!

Even our best laid plans sometimes require a move in winter.  Snow, slush, the cold — not the best forecast for moving day. De-cluttering and reducing the number of items to move can save money on the move itself.  So why not consider a winter garage sale? You  could make a bit of ‘cold hard cash’ before you move to offset expenses.  An added benefit is that your discarded items might be timely gifts or well needed winter wear and gear for shoppers.

Believe it or not, it’s still garage sale season.  By our count we found over 100 in the Twin City area scheduled for this week.

Garage saling in the winter is not for faint hearted.  If you are a shopper; dress warm, wear some lightweight gloves so you can pick up and examine items and bring along a thermos of coffee, cocoa or soup to keep you toasty.  If you are the garage sale host; plan to set up in your garage with a couple of heaters, offer coffee or tea to shoppers, highlight sale items on your signs and in ads to attract interest, and make some extra signs as they are easy to post in snow banks.  Make sure your sidewalks and driveway are clean and clear of snow.  Use some ice melt or sand if needed on the slippery spots.

Benefits of late fall and winter garage sales

As a shopper you are likely to find different items than the typical spring and summer sales.  Winter wear and holiday items are popular and timely items to grab up.  Sleds, ice skates and outdoor snow gear is a difficult buy in the spring but easy now that the season is upon us.

As the host, have fun getting rid of the baskets we all seem to have too many of by assembling gift baskets of like items.  Offer gift wrapping for gently used or new items.  Have winter wear washed and ready to use by the new buyer.  Play a video for younger shoppers to be entertained while their parents shop.  Finally, plan to donate all leftover items right away – do not bring the items back inside, that would  defeat the purpose of de-cluttering.

Where can you find or where should you post notice of your garage or yard sale?

Listings of garage sales, moving sales, and yard sales are published in local newspapers and online.  Here are a couple of our favorites for this time of year.

• Find garage or yard sales by zip code within Minnesota.  There are over 100 listed for this week, November 4-11^th alone!
• Craigslist garage sales for the Twin Cities area
• Garage Sales on the Map

Many of us find ourselves in the position of moving during the winter months.  Good Stuff Moving has  5 options for moving to accommodate your needs and budget.  It’s nice not to worry about the snow and bad weather with a crew of guys on hand to do the lifting and moving for you.  Call for a quote and know we can accommodate short notice moves!