As many of you know Andrew and I have just come out of a so called "in-between" time. Andrew's internship ended in May and we did not start our new jobs until this month. By the world's standards not ideal right? But really, God's timing is so much better than ours, because we ended up with a lot of sweet family time. It was a wonderful season despite the lack of money!
But how do you make it with out months of pay?
That is a good question.
I don't claim that we did these all perfectly, because we didn't...
but I do have a few tips.
First and most important-
Trust God to provide.
There were a number of checks we did not expect to get and things that we thought we would have to pay for and didn't. And even when things did not seem ideal, God made a way.
Strategies Before the "Inbetween"
Establish Good Spending Habits.
If you learn to budget on a regular basis, it will be easier when you "have to." Plus it is being a good steward when you choose to budget.
Establish an Emergency Fund
Most people recommend having 3-6 months worth of living expenses saved up for such a time as this.
Go Reusable When You Can
We did not have to buy a diaper, paper towel, paper napkin or zip lock baggie during the in-between. We had reusable versions of all of these things saving us a lot of spending (especially those cloth diapers)!
Strategies During the "In-between"
Spend the Minimum
You may not follow your normal budget. You cut things like eating out and clothing.
Forge an Income… Even if it is Small
Look around your house. Is there anything you could sell on Facebook garage sale pages or eBay?
Could you have a garage sale? Most of us have way more stuff than we think and need. You would be surprised what you can make selling your own unused stuff!
Accept Help
This is big. I think sometimes we think we have to be an island. Especially with in our families and the Christian community, we were meant to help each other. Don't be too prideful to accept help.
Make Sacrifices and Smart Decisions
Most times there are ways to make sacrifices and save money. When we moved we could have gone straight to an apartment. But we knew the smartest decision was to live with Andrew's parents for a little bit.
Strategies After the "In-between"
Continue to Budget and Spend Wisely
There is the temptation to go a little crazy with spending again once you have an income. Try to continue to budget and be good steward of what God has given you!
Rebuild Your Emergency Fund
Chances are you will have depleted this quite a bit. Take the time to bring it back, you never know when another "in-between" will come.
Give to Others in Need
Become more observant. Are there people around you family, friends, that are in need? Give:).
What about you? Have you ever been in an in-between? What suggestions do you have?
Since January we have been trying to simplify. But not just simplify, redirect that attention to God. One thing we discovered is we have too much stuff, plain and simple.
Stuff shoved in closets.
Stuff under beds.
Stuff covering every square inch of our house.
So after gathering a bunch that we did not need, we decided to do 4 different things with the stuff…
1. Give it away.
2. Sell it on Ebay.
3. Sell it on online Garage Sale pages on Facebook.
4. Have a garage sale.
Each had its pluses and minuses. But I think the biggest plus of all is that we don't have so much stuff in our lives to distract us from God :).
For the next few weeks I am going to share a post on our experience with each… and I highly encourage you to simplify too, it has been a great experience!
So let's get down to it…. the weather is nice and it is
Garage Sale Season!
This was *by far* my favorite sales method, easily trumping eBay and Facebook. There was just something about how quick it happened- Saturday 7-12, boom a bunch of stuff is gone, boom you have made a chunk of change. Also it just felt so much more personal. I loved talking to our customers and to family as we organized and executed the day. So here are my pointers…
Before the Garage Sale…
*Okay, I am just going to go out on a limb and say this, even though every other site and blog says the opposite… you just don't need to spend that much time preparing. We didn't really until the night before and the morning of, and our sale was still really successful! I think this really saves you on the time investment.
*In the weeks leading up to the sale put stuff aside in a specified area that you plan to sell. What should you sell? Really anything. You would be surprised what people buy!
*Create an easy pricing system by color like the one we did
This way you are not writing on every sticker for every item. Quick, easy, painless way to price things.
*In the days leading up to the sale post your garage sale on Craig's list and garage sale finder pages online. We started about a week before and reposted every couple days.
*Do a little research on your big ticket items (furniture, interments etc), and decide on a price for those. Posts those on Craig's list the day or two before. We were not willing to meet up with people (this saved time and brought them to our garage sale). This just brings people in that are willing to pay full price for your big ticket items.
*You might want to put an ad in the paper. This may seem a little old school, but ours came with some price stickers and a few signs. The price was worth it just for the signs themselves!
*The night before and the morning of (or you could do it in advance, but we didn't find that necessary) price everything. To be honest, we actually did not price everything. All the sites tell you to, but I didn't find it that inconvenient to throw a price on items we did not have time to put tags on. I found people still picked them up (sometimes even before asking the price!).
*Set up tables both in and outside your garage. Tables are MUCH better than putting things on the ground. We found that people were more likely to buy things on the tables as a general rule.
The first picture is much better than the second… we just ran out of tables. When we do it again I will borrow from a friend!
*Take out some cash for making change. A couple of $20s, $10s and $5s. 20 $1 bills and a roll of quarters would probably do the trick!
*If you can do your garage sale with multiple people or families, this brings more stuff and more business.
*Price things to sell. You are not out to make a million bucks, you are out to get rid of stuff and make a little money in the process.
*Organize like things together and make signs- home decor, baby, women, books, DVDS, etc.
During the Garage Sale…
* Make a designated pay here area with a person that is just in charge of money. This made things run so smoothly. We did not even have seperate areas for the different people to pay. we just kept track of it on a white board. This also kept the money safe from anyone who might get "sticky fingers."
*Keep an eye on your stuff too. we never had anyone try to take anything, but I hear it happens.
*Walk around and be social with your customers. Ask if they are looking for anything in particular.
*Group things for deals. If someone is buying a pile of stuff add it up and knock off a dollar or round down to a nearest dollar amount. This makes them feel like they are getting as deal AND they are more likely to buy more things!
*Decide if you are going to take early birds, because they will show up before your designated start time. We did just because we were motivated to get rid of stuff, but I know most people don't.
*We keep our hours short and sweet and do a one day sale- 7-12 on Saturday. This ended up being a great profit for the time we spent!
*Keep your sale open for the time you say it will be opened. You will be crazy busy for the first hour or so. Literally you will be thinking, "Do people really get up a 6 every weekend to go to garage sales?" But they do . After that initial rush it is pretty slow and steady. we found that around 11 it really slowed down and we started to pack up. We completely shut down just before 12. We watched at least 5 cars drive up and then drive away. If we had stayed open a little longer we would have probably made a little more.
After the Garage Sale…
*Stop. Don't even bring that stuff back in the house. Give everything left to those in need.
*It may be beneficial to make a list of all the stuff you end up donating for tax purposes.
*Go ahead and clean up. It may be tempting to take a break, but the clean up is so quick! You will be gal d you didm't put it off.
*Consider giving a portion of your profits. Do you have a friend adopting? What about a single mom in need?
*Kick back and relax… you are done! :)
Have you ever had a garage sale? What suggestions do you have?
Since January we have been trying to simplify. But not just simplify, redirect that attention to God. One thing we discovered is we have too much stuff, plain and simple.
Stuff shoved in closets.
Stuff under beds.
Stuff covering every square inch of our house.
So after gathering a bunch that we did not need, we decided to do 4 different things with the stuff…
1. Give it away.
2. Sell it on Ebay.
3. Sell it on online Garage Sale pages on Facebook.
4. Have a garage sale.
Each had its pluses and minuses. But I think the biggest plus of all is that we don't have so much stuff in our lives to distract us from God :).
For the next few weeks I am going to share a post on our experience with each… and I highly encourage you to simplify too, it has been a great experience!
So let's get down to it… Sell stuff online on Garage Sale pages on Facebook.
The pros and the cons-
pros- make more $$$ than garage sale, can post anytime, do not have to have an abundance of stuff to sell, great for things not nice enough for eBay
cons- takes longer sometimes, storing stuff while you are waiting to sell it, traveling and meeting with people, sometimes people back out
*Find groups in your area. Sometimes you can just search for these. But I would really talk to people and have someone invite you to the ones they recommend.
*Pay attention to specific group rules. Some groups have specific things they allow and/or specific rules to follow. Once I unintentionally posted something incorrectly and was booted from the group all together! And I lost the opportunity to sell other things that would have sold best on that board.
*Find groups that sell specific things. I have especially found success with this with baby stuff. People always love to buy it used and you can post to with a group uncluttered with furniture, broken iPhones and DVDs.
*Group things if you can. I try not to sell anything that I am not going to make at least $3 on. Then I also try to put like things together so that I can sell more items.
*Plan your drop offs in a safe public place. I think this goes with out saying :).
*Plan your drop offs for when you are already out. Making a special trip out to make a few bucks probably isn't worth your time or money. I always try to plan around when I am coming home from work or when I have to go to the grocery store.
*Make a designated area/box for the stuff you are selling. Much like my eBay box, this kept all the stuff I was selling available and organized!
*Post with pictures and price. The pictures do not have to be as thorough (especially in number) as eBay but they do have to be decent.
*Post and repost. Most groups allow you to post and repost every so often. Repost at different times a day so different people can see your post.
*Watch your time investment. I try to make at least $15 an hour with a goal of $20 an hour that I work. this includes the time it takes to take pictures, post and make the sale! Remember your time is worth money too.
* If you are unsuccessful, get rid of it! Not everything will sell… don't keep the junk laying around. Look out for my next post about garage sales… a great way to get rid of a bunch of junk stuff quick!
Since January we have been trying to simplify. But not just simplify, redirect that attention to God. One thing we discovered is we have too much stuff, plain and simple.
Stuff shoved in closets.
Stuff under beds.
Stuff covering every square inch of our house.
So after gathering a bunch that we did not need, we decided to do 4 different things with the stuff…
1. Give it away.
2. Sell it on Ebay.
3. Sell it on online Garage Sale pages on Facebook.
4. Have a garage sale.
Each had its pluses and minuses. But I think the biggest plus of all is that we don't have so much stuff in our lives to distract us from God :).
For the next few weeks I am going to share a post on our experience with each… and I highly encourage you to simplify too, it has been a great experience!
So let's get down to it… pointers for selling on EBAY. I got many of this from my friend Sarah who is about the best Ebay seller I have ever met!
*If you have never bought or sold on eBay before you may have to build a reputation. If you buy things and pay on time that is a great way to get some initial positive feedback. You become more popular as a seller if you have more positive feedback and usually make more per item. People are just more willing to buy from you if you have a good reputation. I found that I could buy my favorite makeup on eBay, new, for cheap. So I bought a little in the beginning to boost my rep. As time goes on and people give you good feedback, your reputation improves as well!
*When I started to make piles of junk stuff I barely used, I made a separate pile for things that were name brand. Buyers almost always search by brand, so on eBay brand is key. Name brand popular labels. For the most part that is all I ever try to sell on eBay.
*When eBay shoppers search, it is based on your title line! The title line is of the utmost importance. Adorable dress means nothing. Pack that title with as much MEANINGFUL detail as you can muster. Brand, condition (new with tags-NWT, new with out rage NWOT, etc), size color, type of item. I often include women's, men's, etc if necessary.
*Take good pictures. This is the biggest pain to me. You get 12 pictures for free… use them. Tags, seams, all parts of the item! As you are taking the pictures think, would these make me want to buy this product?
*Include a brief thank you note and let your buyer know that you really appreciate their business. This will encourage them to leave you some positive feedback.
*Ship fast and ship well. I try to ship the next day as much as possible.I am obsessed with these shipping bags. Thanks again Sarah :) I have them on hand. You can arrange a carrier pick up too if you don't want to go to the post office!
* Be organized. I keep a box with all of the stuff I am currently selling on Ebay, packing tape and bags ready!
That's all I can think of for now!:) Do you have any other suggestions???
Since January we have been trying to simplify. But not just simplify, redirect that attention to God. One thing we discovered is we have too much stuff, plain and simple.
Stuff shoved in closets.
Stuff under beds.
Stuff covering every square inch of our house.
So after gathering a bunch that we did not need, we decided to do 4 different things with the stuff…
1. Give it away.
2. Sell it on Ebay.
3. Sell it on online Garage Sale pages on Facebook.
4. Have a garage sale.
Each had its pluses and minuses. But I think the biggest plus of all is that we don't have so much stuff in our lives to distract us from God :).
For the next few weeks I am going to share a post on our experience with each… and I highly encourage you to simplify too, it has been a great experience!
1. Give it away.
I list this one first, because it is where we need to land first and so keep our eyes open to throughout the whole process. Really all the time. There are always opportunities to give. And when I say give away, I don't just mean drop at Goodwill ( though there is a time and place for that). But look for real needs and fulfill them.
One awesome example was a friend of a girl in our small group had a fire and lost of her stuff. Said friend happened to be the same size as me! I was able to give her four bags full of all sorts of clothes!
We also have a local thrift store and food pantry that proceeds go to support ministry. We gave there too.
We are still looking for ways to give. What I have learned is that it is way easy to say, "I don't have anything to give," when in actuality, we have an abundance of things we can share with others.
So take a peer around your house. Is there something you have 2,3,5,11 or more of that you can provide to someone else's need?
Almost 2 months through the year… and here we are!
Home
1. Fix Nursery Canvas and Decor
2. Learn to Make Natural Cleaning Supplies
3. Clean out and organize stockpile
4. Some how display the places we have lived
5. Some how display the places we have visited
6. Have an organized move this summer (because we will probably move this summer)
7. Set up new home (because we will probably move someplace new this summer)
Blogger
8. Learn how to put hovering pintrest buttons on my pictures
9. Learn how to do my own graphics and design
10. Start Facebook page see Facebook page here
11. Reach 100 followers
12. Update everything on the blog… about me, pic, etc. (mainly to include BD)
Business/Money Making
13. Go through all our clothes… sell what we don't use
14. Have a garage sale- scheduled for March 8th
15. Go through books and DVDs… sell what we don't use
16. Get my Ebay shop really going
17. Research/Become cloth diaper consultant see my shop here!:)
18. Research/Become car seat technician - researched and went with the cloth diaper consultant… felt like I would enjoy that more… but if you want to learn about how to make sure your child is as safe as possible in the car check out this FB group- Car Seats for the Littles!
Personal
19. Read Allegiant- Can we please talk about how I have been on the waiting list for this book since September… really September! And I finally got to read it!
20-24. Read 5 other books just for fun
* The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
*Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
* Seven: A Mutany on Excess by Jen Hatmaker
25. Have silent time… to just be this is continual… but it is happening most days :)
26. Run 2nd half marathon- beat first time- February 23rd!
27. Memorize at least a verse of scripture a week
28. Read through the whole Bible
29. Read through Acts in depth
30. Publish an ebook (probably a lofty goal… but I am going to shoot for the moon!)
31. Learn to bake cakes/cupcakes- working on this for BD's bday!
32. Become a better cook- working on this… kind of anyway :)
Family
33. Organize and back up all pictures
34-38. Photo album year 1-5 of marriage
39. Work on some family traditions
40. Have a picnic
41. Create online address book
42. Go through Bible for Kids together each night- continual… but it is happening most days :)
BD
43. Make family picture book- Want to get this done before BD's birthday!
44. Make a map of the missionaries we know/are praying for
45. Plan and put on an awesome 1st birthday for BD- on a budget!- working on this!
46. Write weekly in BD prayer journal- working on this!
47. Research "homeschool" toddler activities and plans
Marriage
48. Go on at least 1 "real" date a month- continual… but it is happening most months :)
49. Breakfast/Coffee/Cheap/Free Dates 1 time a week- continual… but it is happening weeks :)
50. Have one getaway weekend Not sure if it counts if we bring BD, but since I am still her food source we will count it… weekend in Hilton Head… so fun and relaxing
51. Complete Shepherding a Child's Heart -It only took us almost a year
52. Complete Grace Based Parenting
53. Complete Give them Grace
Adventures/For Fun
54. Go on a girls trip
55. Christmas Cookie Party
56. Go to NOLA so fun… check out our trip here and here
57. Visit Grandparents in Annapolis
58. Visit Grandparents in Florida (possible Disney trip while there?) This is happening right now… here are some pictures so far!
59. Visit PeePaw in Alabama - Last weekend and we had so much fun for his 87th birthday!
60. Go to a UGA game
Others
61. Sponsor a child
62. Surprise someone with something wonderful
63. Donate as much as we spend at Christmas time (or more) to missions
64. Find a way to continually serve our local community
65. Help fund an adoption- Working on this
My mother-in-law and I are having a garage sale on March 8th. Now I have never really done a garage sale, except being present at the ones my mama did when I was little. But If you know me, like any new adventure I take on, it always starts with research.
Considering I have not had a garage sale yet, taking advise from me *might* not be a good idea.
Soooooo… I created a pintrest board of other peoples pointers for garage sales. Check it out HERE.
This way you can check out some… other people's ideas in one place.
On that note I do have some of the top reasons we are having a garage sale.
one
STUFF. Too much of it. Lately I have been overcome by the amount of stuff we have accumulated and it sickens me a little.
two
Also it gives someone a chance to reuse your stuff, thus not generating more stuff.
three
Quick way to generate some money. Are you going to make a million bucks… no. But it give you an opportunity to sell stuff that you aren't using anyway to make some money.
four
On the money note… it is an opportunity to give. Andrew and I want to use a portion of our earnings to give to help fund another couple's adoption!
Are there any other reasons for doing a garage sale???
