Reasons to Have a Yard Sale...Plus a few good tips

Shaun Yurcaba

1.  Purge your stuff!  In the land of abundance where we all live, it is much too easy to accumulate stuff.  Cheap stuff.  Expensive stuff.  Sentimental stuff.  Doesn’t really matter how you define it—we’ve got it all.  We don’t even really know how it happens so easily, but it does.  We have the tendency to acquire and hoard things for ourselves, our house, our kids, our yard.  Little by little our houses become mini storage facilities for things we only use once or perhaps never use at all.  I don’t know if you have this phenomenon in your house, but in mine, stuff seems to multiply and repopulate on its own while we sleep.  Closets. Basements.  Attics. Underneath beds.  Everywhere.  Whether it’s our 6-year-old’s collection of paperclips, rocks, and rubber bands or my husband’s hat collection or my drawer of 86 handbags for various occasions, there they are.  So, a yard sale makes a great rescue option.  It’s an opportunity to go forth and purge and get rid of some of that ever-increasing stuff.
 
2.  Yard sales promote recycling, reusing, and reducing waste. Why do some people only want shiny and new things when perfectly wonderful second and third hand items are just fine? Our society continues to be fooled by fancy marketing and advertising that only promotes fleeting trends and chronic consumerism.  By hosting or shopping at a yard sale,   we are recycling in its simplest form. We are reusing.  We are reducing waste.  Let’s all do more of this.  Yes, please and thank you for being part of the three Rs!
 
3.  Your junk is someone else’s treasure.  It may be cliché but it’s true. Looking for those candelabra for a special occasion or a special tool to fix the leaky sink?  Or a wheelbarrow for the garden?  Chances are you’ll find it all at a yard sale.  I once found a great wheelbarrow that only needed the wooden handle replaced.  Once we replaced it, the wheelbarrow was as good as new!  Set out your treasures for someone to find….and go find some new ones for yourself!  The Point Breeze Yard Sale map (available online a few days before the sale and in limited quantities at various locations the day of) includes a listing of “hot items” and where they can be found.  In the meantime, get a preview of the map here.  (Click here for 2018 map.  Detailed 2018 map available a few days before the sale.)
 
4.  And, after the sale:  Donate unsold items!  Good news!  What doesn’t sell can be easily donated afterwards. Your stuff is already out of the house, and you’ve released it both mentally and physically, so please don’t bring it back inside the home. Make that a rule.  Stand your ground. Be strong, donate, and pass it on.  There are so many who could use shoes, clothes, jackets, furniture, and housewares.  Throw away anything that’s junk.  Then put your good unsold items right in your car to take to a person in need or go to one of the donation drop off locations.  Check out organizations that will take your donations here.
 
5.  Show off our neighborhood and gather with your neighbors!  The Point Breeze Yard Sale brings hundreds of people from all over the city and beyond.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to show off our neighborhood and the amazing people who call it home.  Mix and mingle with your neighbors as you set up and enjoy buying and selling.  Meet someone new.  Catch up with an old friend or neighbor you haven’t seen in a while.  Laugh together in good fun about the apparent hoarding issues you have and be one another’s cheerleader for finally cleaning out that garage or basement.  One of the top reasons people have enjoyed previous Point Breeze Yard Sales is exactly for this Reason #5 – gathering with neighbors and showing off our amazing neighborhood. 
 
6.  Make some cash!  Yard sales can help generate some quick cash for your pocket.  Multifamily yard sales are especially successful because the critical mass of participants helps draw loads of shoppers and bargain buyers.  If your prices are set right – and you engage your visitors – you really can have a successful yard sale. Give yourself a little extra time to thoughtfully display your items in an organized and appealing way. Consider reducing prices in half or setting up a “buy one get one free” table for the last hour of the yard sale.  You’ll have fun and make some extra cash by the end of the day.
 
7.  It’s fun!  Play music. Offer treats or coffee.  Have your kids set up a hot cocoa or lemonade stand.  Engage in conversation.  Ask browsers if there’s anything they’re looking for or need.  Have grocery bags ready for shoppers to take home their wares if they buy several things. Get creative and most of all have fun! 
 
8.Refine your yard sale skills at www.yardsalequeen.com.

​Register and pay online for the Point Breeze Neighborhood Yard Sale here or find a printable registration form here.   To be included on the yard sale map, please register by September 9.

Shaun Yurcaba is one of the founders of the Point Breeze Neighborhood Yard Sale.  Although she now lives in Atlanta, she remains a Breezer at heart and a dedicated supporter of our neighborhood's annual yard sale.
​