Get Rid of Everything at Your Garage Sale

To make top dollar at your #garage, #yard or #tag sale, price everything, says How Stuff Works; you don’t want to have to make up prices on the spot. Garage-sale #bargain-shoppers will always try to #haggle, but a tagged or priced item — even if it’s in a $1 bin — will at least offer a starting point for negotiation and get closer to your desired price. Remember, you don’t want to reintegrate this #decluttered #stuff; price merchandise to move. Bulk prices and half-price Sundays are fair game. Schedule a #donation #pickup with ClothingDonations.org for the day after your sale, and you’ll never see that stuff again! #GarageSale

Ask Family Members to Help With Your Garage Sale

To stage a successful #garage, #yard or #tag sale, get your family involved, says Lady and the Blog. Ask them to “clean out every nook and cranny in the home,” leaving nothing unturned. Have kids go through their toys and sort out which they no longer play with and try on #clothes to find out which don’t fit. Since some of what’s to be sold is their stuff, you want to get them involved in the #decluttering, preparation and setup. It can create what’s known in large organizations as “buy-in” — an investment in the sale’s success. If they do a good job, consider sharing the profits! #GarageSale

Collaborate With Neighbors for Garage-Sale Success

Collaboration can make a successful #garage, #yard or #tag sale when one person or family doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of inventory on hand to sell. Band together with friends and neighbors to make it worthwhile for people to shop. Advertising is essential, so create alerts on Craigslist, Facebook and the local newspaper, says Budget Dumpster. Feature any big-ticket sale items in the ads, and clearly stae the locations, dates and times. Signs bring in serendipitous shoppers; make them simple and easy to read (with bold lettering and bright backgrounds), and place them at prominent intersections. Turn that #clutter into money! #GarageSale

Make a Fast Buck With a Garage Sale

Back-to-school time is also a great time to have a #garage, #yard or #tag sale. If you have kids, it may be obvious what they will no longer be wearing or using as the years go on; edit those things out, price them and put them out for sale on a weekend morning. Sell lot of things, and you can score enough #cash for a dinner out or a deposit in the rainy-day fund. Easier still, you can bag or box that #stuff and contact ClothingDonations.org for a #free #donation #pickup. You may not make more money, but you will be able to cut the #clutter conveniently and help fund programs that benefit the nation’s #veterans. #GarageSale

Embracing Summer’s Bounty

#Summertime offers an embarrassment of riches — warm weather, #holidays to celebrate and cookouts galore. If you don’t like the heat, there are air-conditioned #summer blockbusters, pool parties and water sports to help keep cool.

Summer delivers bounty in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, too. Whether you grow your own favorites in a backyard #garden or visit the local farmer’s market, there’s no match for fresh, flavorful produce harvested in season.

Here at The Organizing Blog, we enjoy growing heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, chard and herbs — and with the recent heat wave, are looking forward to a bumper crop. In less than a month, we’ll be running out of ways to use it all!

We’ll grill sweet corn and summer squash. We’ll bake zucchini bread and tomato-and-chard tarts. We’ll blend up potato-leek soup, basil pesto and fresh salsa. And we’ll make a host of other dishes that celebrate summer.

There are ways to keep enjoying that bounty year-round, say the chefs at The Chopping Block. Some vegetables can be blanched and frozen, and even more can be pickled and canned. And to enjoy a summery entrée later in the year, cook an extra and freeze it for a wintry day.

Even as you discover creative new ways to eat your way through the season, consider for a second whether your material bounty — your stockpile of owned, nonperishable things — is getting out of hand.

Summer is a great time to cull through those possessions and #organize. Cold weather won’t get in the way of #decluttering, and you can always stage a #garage sale to make a little money off the things you no longer want or need.

You can also #donate lightly used #clothing and household goods to ClothingDonations.org year-round with a #free #donation #pickup. Resale of those goods helps fund valuable #veterans programs.

However you choose to embrace summer’s bounty, remember that it won’t be around for long. Now’s your chance to enjoy everything that summer has to offer! #SummerBounty