Garage Sales - Are They Worth It?

Friday and Saturday my best friends and I hosted a garage sale at my house. Our total take was over $600, mine was close to $200. Not bad, but the question remains: are garage sales worth it? And the answer is...

Yes and No.

I have a fairly good idea what my time is worth. Working hard all last week and then manning the sale from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for two days, plus spending money on snacks and other items - I know I did not make money in the long run. However, if you turn it around and consider the positives, I have to say I am really glad I did it. Here's why:

1. I got rid of a lot of stuff that was laying around the house - things that I didn't need or didn't want to look at anymore, like the topiaries I made for my wedding - gone! I went through the house from attic to basement, and now I can say with authority that while I may not need everything I have, I know what I have and made the choice to keep it. That's a pretty good feeling.

2. If I hadn't sold it, I would have given it to St. Vincent De Paul. It wasn't like these were things that I wanted to keep - selling it got me a few shekels and saved me the expense of driving it to the mission. In addition, there were some items that remained that I will be selling on eBay. I promised my friends I would split it 50/50 with them, so money will continue to trickle in.

3. The most important reason - I got to spend two days with my best friends in the world, sitting outside, enjoying the gorgeous weather, talking, laughing and generally enjoying ourselves. I don't know that we will have enough junk laying around to have a sale every year, but I could see this being a bi-annual thing, if only for the opportunity to spend time with hanging out!