This past weekend we had a mega garage sale! We treated it as a going away party for our stuff. It was partly a FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC party complete with confetti on the driveway and reminders for people to follow their dreams. The other part was balancing emotions, lack of sleep and the chaos of getting ready. We got up at 5:30 am and by 9:30 I was in tears. They showed up unannounced and poured out of me with such a sense of urgency I couldn't help but just let them flow. As more and more of our things started to go I felt literal space opening up inside of me + the immensity of this change. It's full spectrum exciting and scary all at the same time. A lot to digest. After months of talking + dreaming about the possibility of selling (nearly) everything and living in an RV it's all happening. I'm learning + observing so much through this journey. I'm learning to give myself space + permission to take care of myself instead of muscling through. I went to bed at 5:30 pm yesterday and slept til 6 am this morning. Solid as a rock. I'm learning to ask for what I need (a biggie). I'm observing my family, friends, neighbors, strangers in their response to our decision. My family has been wildly supportive helping in every way possible by donating things to the sale, buying things from the sale, making signs, getting up early, staying up late, buying food... I could go on and on and on. We're getting hugs and congratulations from our neighbors. So many sweet old guys (almost all in suspenders with respectable bellies) came to the garage sale to buy tools and told us they wished they'd done the same thing when they were young. There are moments I'm still completely paralyzed by just how much there is to do and in others Cliff + I are noticing that we haven't been this happy and playful in a long time. It all feels so much bigger than us. It feels like a hidden door that leads somewhere really cool is about to blast wide open!
The garage sale was a huge success. We made just over 3K. At. A. Garage. Sale. I know! We can feel so many people rallying in in support of our big RV dreams! Customers offered up recommendations of places to visit...Tennessee (lots of votes for Tennessee! It's apparently super charming), New Hampshire, Minnesota, Montana. Kayla's idea to fill-a-bag-for-$5-fire-sale was a big hit! I highly recommend that method for moving out clothes + shoes! My brother-in-law, Brian could sell me my own shirt and I'd feel really good about it. One of my favorite moments was when my mom's best friend, Susan, asked a guy what he thought would be a fair price for an item. He said $7 and she said, 'OK then, $7 it is.' He turned an walked away. LOL!
Five Garage Sale Tips for Bringing in the Big Bucks ::
1. Have great signs + lots of them.
I think we had 25 or 30 signs. People stopped by and said they came just because the signs made them laugh. Make sure the day of the week + address is on each sign. Hoarders Paradise and Awesome Crap were the favorites.
2. Give people a reason to come buy your awesome crap!
Put furniture and big ticket items on the sidewalk for curb appeal! Saturday garage sales have always been the biggest money makers for us. Start early.
3. Post an ad on Craigslist the week before + share it on Facebook.
Bonus points if it's got a sense of humor! Here's mine:
This is the black Friday of yard sales!
May 24
We are selling nearly everything we own to buy an RV and travel the USA! Not kidding. Plus the neighbors are throwing in some of their items to sell.
Think THREE BEDROOM HOUSE/ 2 CAR GARAGE WORTH OF STUFF ALL FOR SALE!
----> Starts at 8 on the dot. <----- No early birds. But really, don't come early.
This is a Hoarders Paradise! A DIY'er Paradise! Need craft supplies? OH You've come to the right place! Any scrapbookers out there? Would you like a scrapbook, how about 20?
Need a canvas, how about 10? Paint supplies?
Need small appliances? Good, we've got those! Bread maker anyone!
How about TOOLS? Yeap, got those! Jacks, ramps, power tools, good old fashioned man grunting tools.
Need a TV? Or two? How about a really big flat screen tv?
Garden pots, potted plants (seriously, it's all got to go). We have 4 potted trees to sell. Need a green house? Garden hoses, Sky chair, outdoor furniture, paver stones (that cost us what felt like a fortune to buy and move, my back still hurts thinking about it.)
Loads of home decor. I *Might* have a small addiction to decorative throw pillows. Just saying. Frames galore. Framed art.
Towels. Linens. Rugs. Rugs. More Rugs.
C L O T H E S, shoes (mens + womens + baby)
Baby toys.
Pottery barn bathroom mirrors, Crate + Barrel accessories. etc etc etc.... Antique furniture. Ikea desk.
All awesome people invited! Come help us buy an amazing RV! Come get cool stuff and help us make our dream come true. Or come by and donate a buck or two because you're a dreamer too and you totally get it.
See you there!
xxxx street name city, zip
p.s. seriously no early birds. We've got a TON of stuff to set up so we need to get it all out there and then you can have your go at it!
4. When things slow down use reusable shopping bags or brown paper sacks for a $5 (or whatever amount feels best for you) Fire Sale!
They can stuff as much as they want in the bag for 5 bucks. The disbelief then excitement followed by frenzy to fill the bag is pretty awesome to watch. We never told people they had to do it quickly but hands down they always rushed through like it's Super Market Sweep!
5. Make sure you eat at regular intervals, drink lots of water + wear sunscreen! And the most important to do is to HAVE FUN!
Don't take customers personally. They don't know (or care) that vase they are haggling over was a wedding gift. Disconnect from the emotion of your things as much as humanly possible. It's all taking up space. You are creating more room for what you really want through letting it go.
We had tremendous help creating all kinds of space through this sale this weekend. Thank you Mema, Mom + Tom, Suzie, Kayla + Brian + Chloe, Cody, Kallie + Kaitlyn, Aunt Mary + Kelley, Aunt Sue. Thank you for your help. Your donations. Your purchases. Your kind words. Your love. Your support. xo, Lacy + Cliff
We're headed to pick up our new mobile abode this Wednesday! I can hardly wait to see it in person. We may even spend the night on the road on the way back home! You can follow me on Instagram @lacylike to see the journey continue to unfold!
It's getting really fun now! Lacy
P.s. You can see all the posts so far about our RV adventure here.
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