Spending Less 101 » Groceries

Crazy Savings: Saving Money on Pickles

John — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:09:29 +0000

I know this might seem kind of strange, but I thought I’d get back into blogging about saving money, and I am starting by passing on information on saving money on pickle.

Really, the only way to save money on pickles is to can your own, so here are some links on canning your own pickles:

Why pickles? It was the first thing that came to mind. More tomorrow.

Keeping your money in your wallet

John — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:00:11 +0000

I was talking with the father of one of my daughter’s friends recently. He mentioned that he shops on an as-needed basis. I thought about this in comparison to the way I shop, which is to load up on items at a bulk discount, so as to save money.

It appears that his approach is to make sure that he remains liquid. If you are really low on money, this approach will make sure you have money in your pocket at all times. You will always be able to buy gas to get to work, etc. The only problem is that things cost more, each time you make a purchase.

The way I make my purchases is to alot a certain amount of money for 2 weeks of groceries. It’s usually more than is needed, which means I am able to stock up on some things. I would prefer to have 4 weeks of groceries at the house than to have that money in my pocket.

You decide…and let me know how you handle the whole grocery thing.

9 Recession Survival Tips

John — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:19:31 +0000

As the economy continues to slow here are 9 tips to survive and thrive through the recession.

1. Value Not Price.

When you go to the store don’t assume the lowest priced product is the “cheapest.” You have to look at a number of factors when choosing what is the best use of your money. Factors including: lifespan, quality of result, and ongoing operating costs. Many times the more expensive product will be a much better value and save you money in the long term.

2. Buy Store Brands.

Selecting store brands over name brands often results in savings of 15-50% for the same quality of product. Most grocery stores have the price broken down to price per a smaller unit to be able to quickly compare the cost across a range of sizes.

3. Adjust the Thermostat.

On a monthly basis the electric bill is one of the largest monthly family expenses. According to Nevada Power setting the thermostat to 78* in the summer and 68* in the winter will save 10-25% a month. To make a room feel cooler use fans to improve air circulation when you are there.

4. Start a Home Business.

Home business owners have many advantages over their non-business owning neighbors. The two biggest reasons are additional income and preferential tax status.

Robert Kiyosaki the author of rich dad poor dad advocates participation in network marketing. Network marketing allows an individual to open a business for very little money down and a small ongoing operating cost. The real power of networking is the ability to create leverage. That is you get paid on your retail sales and you receive an override on sales made by those you recruit into the business. The overrides while a fraction of the personal sales commission can create an ongoing residual income that can last for years.

Finding the right company can be difficult. There are a large variety of products, services and compensation plans to make the decision confusing and difficult.

I recommend a company called Financial Destination Inc. The company provides a variety of financial solutions that are in great demand and will be needed for years to come. All of the services are provided by experts. Independent representatives are only responsible for recruiting members and helping others who wish to participate in the business opportunity.

Go to www.FDIAMERICA.com to learn more.

Owning your own home business also opens up a world of tax deductions that can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars every April 15th.

5. Plan Your Errands & Route.

Before you start driving around town write down all the places you have to go and plan your route. By planning ahead you can often do all your errands in less time and drive fewer miles saving on gas.

6. Don’t Neglect Regular Scheduled Car Maintenance.

Your mechanic will tell you it is cheaper to maintain the health of your car than fix it after it breaks.

Having a clean air filter keeps your car breathing easy. Properly inflated tires are safer and more efficient. While not a major difference over the long haul it will save you money on fuel and the tires will last the expected lifetime.

If you have full synthetic oil in your car it is likely that you should be changing your oil every 4,500 – 6,000 instead of every 3,000. This saves you 1 or 2 oil changes a year that can be $40-100 a year.

7. Discount Card Programs.

There are discount cards for just about everything. Prescriptions, vision, dental, restaurants and retail shopping. These discount programs can help you save 10-50% on many of the things you already purchase on a regular basis.

8. Downgrade Your Cable or Satellite.

999 channels and nothings on. Look at what premium channels you watch on a regular basis and what channels you only have for one show. Most of the most popular shows on TV you can buy individually and through the internet. Instead of spending $20 a month for Showtime to watch 15 episodes of Weeds you can buy the entire third season from iTunes for $29. A savings of $211 a year.

9. Go on a Diet.

Portion sizes have increased dramatically in the last 50 years, so have peoples pants sizes. You can save money and your health by cutting down on the size of meals you cook and eat. If you are not big on cooking in the weekly grocery store mailers you will find Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meals are almost always on sale at one of the major grocery store chains.

While times are tough it is often the small things that you can change easily and still maintain your comfortable lifestyle.

Bob Firestone
bobfirestone.us

Bob specializes in building home businesses that create residual passive streams of income. Visit his website http://www.bobfirestone.us for more information on available business opportunities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_B_Firestone

Digest for 12/15/08

John — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:11:47 +0000

Grocery Store Round-up

John — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:14:00 +0000

I’ve posted quite a few items on how to save money at the grocery store. I figured I’d round them up for you so you don’t have to go hunting for them.

Buy Generic – Don’t worry. You’ll find that a lot of the generic items taste just as good as the name-brand items. In some cases, they are actually the same items, purchased from the brand-name manufacturer and re-branded with the store’s name. I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that the Schnucks store brand sandwich bread is re-branded Wonder sandwich bread.

Keep track of what you buy – You can do this on paper, but the post describes an application that does a pretty good job.

Eat before you shop – This one should be pretty obvious.

Freeze It – Using your freezer can keep you from wasting food.

Make A List – Don’t just wander the store aimlessly. Also, organize your list to the layout of the store to save time.

Use Coupons – Don’t throw your cash out with the Sunday paper.

Use cash – You got me. I didn’t post about this one yet, but what it comes down to is planning to spend a certain amount and using cash only will help you stick to that amount, or rather the thought of the embarassment you will experience if you get to the checkout lane and don’t have enough cash to pay for your purchases.

Have a tip to save money on grocery shopping. My readers and I would love to find out what it is. Please leave a comment and share your tip with the world.

Money Hacks

John — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:42:42 +0000

I found this post that talks about Money Hacks and I thought I would pass it on. Some of the things they talk about are:

Don’t buy bottled water
Where’s the beef?
Don’t bring the children
Watch those non-grocery items
Eat before you shop
Make a list
Plan your meals
Go natural
Time is money
Free video rentals!
A big hand for secondhand
Small hands also give secondhand a big hand
Secondhand toys, too.
Shop tax-free
No impulse buys

Digest for 09/15/08

John — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:06:57 +0000

Cut Your Grocery Bill

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:27:46 +0000

An easy way to cut your grocery bill week after week is to purchase generic or store brand items. Generic brands are better than they were years ago. If you haven’t bought generic recently, try a few items, you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Another way to save is to cut coupons, but make sure the final price is less than the generic brand price. Some stores have double coupon days where they will double the value of your coupons up to a certain limit. Check out the policies of your favorite stores.

Convenience foods sometimes cost more than making things from scratch, but not always. For example: a batch chocolate chip cookies made from scratch (which only takes a few minutes) is 1/3 the cost of prepared cookie dough. But, you may to able to buy generic brand prepared cookies for less than the cost of making cookies from scratch.

There are several types of grocery stores and you should figure out the most cost effective way to use them – traditional grocery stores, discount stores, and wholesale stores. Traditional stores usually have a good variety and frequently offer special sale prices. Pay close attention to the specials and stock up. The discount stores often have less variety but offer everyday low prices that are often substantially less than a traditional store. Even if you don’t buy all your food at a discount store, you should shop there and buy as much as you can. The wholesale stores offer items in bulk quantities. If there are items that you use frequently and they won’t go bad before you use it all, this may be a good option. You could also shop with a friend and split the items.

It helps to plan your meals ahead of time. You can make index cards that list one menu per card and all the items needed to make that meal. It will take a few hours to get the index cards written out, but then each week you can easily flip through them and pull out the ones you want to use that week. If the menu includes something that you need a recipe for, the ingredients can be listed on the bottom of the index card. The cards can then be used to write out your shopping list.

When you have to run to the store several times because you forgot something, you often leave the store spending $35 even though you only needed one $3 item. Here is a trick that can help. Make up a list of the items you purchase most frequently. Group the items by department – produce, frozen, dairy, canned goods, dry goods, household, etc. Then save the list on your computer or make copies. When you are ready to make out your shopping list just put a check by the items you need that week. You can leave a few blank spaces in each group to write in items that were not on your master list.

Once you get the food home you need to eliminate any waste. Items that can spoil should be used early in the week. If you frequently throw out fresh vegetables before you have a chance to cook them, purchase frozen vegetables instead. They taste fresh and will last for months in the freezer. Along the same line, canned fruit will not spoil like fresh fruit does, so consider replacing some of the fresh fruit you buy with canned fruit. There is a good variety of canned fruit to choose from – things like single serving fruit cocktail and individual strawberry applesauce. Even if the cost per ounce is a little more, if less is wasted it could save you in the long run.

Try to use all of your leftovers. You would never throw a $5 bill in the trash, but it is no different than throwing half a pan of lasagna in the trash. Remember – The freezer is your friend. Divide leftovers into single serving microwavable containers and freeze. You can take the containers to work and enjoy a free lunch. If you have a recipe that calls for a small onion and all you have is a large onion, chop the large onion up, use half in your recipe and freeze the other half. Next time you need a small chopped onion for a recipe it will be there for you. Many foods are freezable, so get them frozen before they go bad.

Some families eat out frequently because of the convenience. If you find this is the case, simply having food available for a couple of easy dinners could help – things like grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup, or frozen pizza and a salad. Don’t let your pantry get too low or you will be more tempted to eat out.

Bringing your lunch to work at least four days per week is a good habit. Breakfast should be eaten at home and the coffee stop should be an occasional treat instead of a daily event.

By Michelle Siebert / http://www.endofyourmoney.com
Ms. Siebert has over twenty years of financial management experience. Her website End of Your Money.com was created to provide families with information that will help them become financially strong and confident about their future. It contains information on how to budget, reduce expenses, and increase income.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Siebert

How organization will save you money

John — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:37:45 +0000

I’ll bet you’re wondering what organization has to do with saving money.

Actually quite a bit!

Imagine that you’ve been looking all over your house for that book/DVD/sunglasses/whatever and you can’t find it. Or imagine that you’re at the store and can’t remember if you still have any bananas or jars of strawberry jam.

Simple things, right?

Well, when we can’t remember what we have and don’t know where to find what we have, we usually end up buying it again. And then, before you know it, you’re like my aunt with 17 umbrellas.

My mother always says that once you replace something you can’t find, you’ll find the original missing item. I’m sure many of you have heard that as well. But for as many times as we’ve heard this, we still do not take action and bring some organization into our lives to avoid spending money when did not need to spend in the first place.

So, what do we do about this? The answer to almost every organizing problem is to have a system. Why a system? Because we are creatures of habit and mostly prefer to do things the same way every time. Not only that but with a system you have less to remember. You just follow the system.

There are a couple of systems you can put in place to help you save money in various areas of your life. Here are 4 areas in which you will want to find a system that works for you to help save you tons of money in the end.

1. Grocery Shopping

How many times have you been at the grocery store, without your list, and wondered if you should be an item you’re not really sure if you have or need?

I’m willing to be it happens a lot. It happens more when you don’t have a list. It happens even more when you don’t know what you have in your kitchen.

Here’s what I suggest. Go through your cabinets and fridge before you attempt to make a shopping list. The list you’re about to make is what you can see that you’re missing or low on. Next, depending on how often you shop (I suggest no more than weekly) and plan your menus accordingly. So, plan menus weekly if you shop weekly, two weeks at a time if you shop bi-weekly, etc.

Once you know what you’re going to make, you can look at what you’re missing (from your first list), and make your shopping list accordingly.

When you get to the store, do not deviate from this list. Take appropriate coupons if you want to, but don’t go hungry and leave the kids at home.

2. Shoes

What woman doesn’t like to have a variety of shoes? Unlike men, we must have different shoes for different outfits, occasions, and seasons. However, this love of shoes can go overboard.

This has happened to me, I must admit. While shopping for something totally unrelated, I saw a great pair of gray houndstooth heels in Target. The only problem was the heel was a little too high and the size 11 was probably one size or so more than I needed.

I reasoned that my feet would swell and I wouldn’t be standing long anyway. Plus, the shoes weren’t expensive. Well, I stood for a long time on the day I wore them, it rained, and they were too big. They were worn once and are now on their way to charity. What a waste!

I should have taken stock of what I had and thought about what I was going to wear on that occasion. Had I done that, I would have saved my feet and my money.

So, take note: know what you have before you start adding to your collection.

3. Clothing

What goes for shoes also goes for clothing.

I used to get clothing as gifts from my parents and internally wondered where they thought a 14 year old was going to wear a white ruffled shirt in 1995. (I eventually found a use for that shirt in one of the plays I was in.)

The point is, even though they were trying to be nice about it, the clothing choices didn’t fit my existing lifestyle. We do that sometimes. Whether it’s a trend or something great we saw on someone else, we figure it’s just something we have to have. But, by thinking this way, we often ignore the fact that it’s not our style, it’s not flattering, or it’s out of our budget.

The organization here also revolves around knowing what you have. This will help you determine what you actually need and if there is room in your budget and your closet for the things you want.

4. Bills

The key to organization and paying bills is really simple. Pay your bills on time.

One more time: pay your bills on time.

This advice is most important when the bill is a credit card or loan. Late fees and over the limit fees (sometimes as a result of late fees) can seriously hinder your ability to eventually be debt free. (Who wants to stay in debt forever?)

There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can pay the bills as you receive them in the mail (if you still get paper bills) or as you receive notification by email for electronic bills. Or, to make this more automated and ensure the bills are paid on time, sign up for a 3rd party service, one at your bank, or one offered by your creditor where the payment is automatically debited from a designated checking account each month.

There are a number of ways to have as much or as little control over this process as possible, but the point is to set up a system and stick with it so that you don’t lose money to late fees and penalties.

5. Miscellaneous Items

This is the area where so many people get into trouble.

We find ourselves at the store and we see something we like. We think we have one at home, but we’re not sure. So, instead of waiting until we get home to verify (or call someone who is at home), we purchase the item anyway and end up with multiples. (Remember the 17 umbrellas?)

It’s good to wait to make some purchases anyway, but the more organized you become, the more aware you are of what you have. When you know what you have, then you also know what needs to be replaced or what you’re lacking.

Once you start organizing, you will find a surprising number of items you have bought and you can’t remember why or what it is even for. You will also find the things you thought were lost but were really just buried under foolishness and mayhem called clutter.

Do yourself and your family a favor and stop the foolishness. Get organized and save money. You’ll be glad you did.

How Organization Will Save You Money
Copyright 2008
Wendy Stewart
All Rights Reserved

NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active.

Wendy Stewart is your Go-to-girl for being in the know about small business, personal finance, personal style, and wellness. For more free tips on personal finance, visit her blog, Personal Finance Success, at http://personal-finance-manager.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Stewart

There really are ways to save on prescriptions

John — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Prescription costs are high these days so here are some ways to save money on prescriptions:

Shop around – You may have to give up a little loyalty to your pharmacy if you want to save some money. A lot of pharmacies have deals if you transfer. They tend to offer gift cards of $5, $10, $20, or more.
Check price – Yes, the cost of a prescription can vary from place to place. Check around to find out the true cost.
Get generic scripts – Make sure your doctor has checked the “substitutions allowed” box on your prescription. Sometimes, doctors over look this and if the doctor does not have a specific reason for having you take the name brand, you want to make sure you are taking the generic.
Get it for free – There are grocery stores that are offering free generic prescriptions. They do this to get you into the store, but the benefit is still good.
Ask for samples – The drug companies have reps that go from doctor’s office to doctor’s office trying to get them to push their medications. As an incentive, they give the doctor’s office samples. Sometimes, the doctors don’t even thing to give out the samples and they end up being taking by the office staff. Ask the doctor to give you samples.

Garage Sale Report

John — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:08:38 +0000

Sorry this took so long to post, but here is the outcome of my garage sale.

I spent 9 hours in my garage or running back and forth between the garage and the house. It was very tiring.
I went from place to place picking up things for the garage sale, spending lots of time on the road and gas.
I spent the entire evening before the garage sale, going from grocery store to grocery store, putting up signs for the sale.
I took time off from work the Thursday before to get the garage sale set up.
I made $150.
I lost $150+ by taking time off the Thursday before the sale.

The moral of the story is, garage sales are good only if you expend very little to prepare for them. Don’t take time off work. Don’t buy materials for signs, etc. Don’t buy things to sell in the sale. Don’t go from store to store putting up signs. Also, don’t run around picking up stuff to sell. I lost more than I gained. It will be a while before I do that again.

Here are some links to some sites that can help you have a better garage sale than I did:

Money For College

John — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:07:40 +0000

Do you have kids in grade school or high school right now? If so, you should read this post.

Upromise is a system that connects to your credit cards, and based on the usage of those cards, gives a percentage of that usage to a college fund for the child or children of your choice. According to the Upromise web site:

Upromise is a free service that helps families earn extra money for education. It’s that simple.

We do this by partnering with hundreds of like-minded companies who share our mission. Our partners agree to provide YOU, the Upromise member, with rewards for using their products and services… and these rewards go into your Upromise account, where they become actual savings for college, grad school or even paying down a loan.

highlights

Upromise savings can build up just by doing what you normally do: shopping, dining, gassing up, buying groceries…you name it.

You can earn rewards when you take a trip, buy or sell your house, move or refinance.

We can even help with 529 college savings plans?, as well as student loan options.

Upromise members take great pride in knowing how to make every little (and not so little) thing they do more rewarding.

how it works

earn rewards

Earn from 1% to 25% in college savings from Upromise partners when you shop online or in-store, eat out, buy groceries, travel and so much more.
Learn more

save smart

Start early and reach your goals sooner. We can help introduce you to many college savings options.
Learn more

pay for college

Need additional money to pay for school? From loans to scholarships and work-study programs, we?ll guide you on your many options.

I’ve been in it for a while and have a couple hundred dollars ready to go into a 529 plan.

Save money to send your kids to college. Join Upromise.

How to Hold a Successful Garage Sale

John — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:49:27 +0000

How to Hold a Successful Garage Sale

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Looking for a great way to get rid of your household clutter and make some extra cash at the same time? A garage sale or yard sale may be just the ticket. Garage sales are easy to plan and manage, and they can turn large, unwieldy old lamps and dishes into smaller, more manageable piles of cash. Depending on how much you have to sell, you could realistically make $1,000 or more in a weekend. Let the selling begin!

Steps

Gather items for sale. Go through those boxes in the attic, shed or garage and select items you can sell. Then walk from room to room in your home, identifying things you no longer need. Most of us have trouble parting with things, even if we never use them: if you haven’t used something for over a year, it’s a good sign you won’t miss it!
Inventory each item on a sheet of paper as you identify it for sale. A lot of people skip this step, but it can make your sale go a lot smoother. Price tags have a strange way of getting lost at garage sales, and it’s hard to come up with a fair price on the spot, especially if you’ve got other people asking you questions or if you’re working a multi-family sale. An inventory list solves this problem. Keep in mind, you don’t need to inventory everything: if you’ve got a box of books that are all 25 cents each, inventorying each of them is a waste of time.
Review your completed inventory sheet and assign a price to each item. If you really just want to get rid of an old knick-knack, price it accordingly. For items that are more valuable, a general rule is to price at 1/4 of what you paid or less. Obviously, you may want to make exceptions for some things, such as those that are nearly new or valuable antiques. Remember, though, garage sale shoppers are looking for bargains, and if you don’t want to have to pack everything back in your house at the end of the day, you’ve got to give people the low prices they’re looking for. Some people won’t pay over 10% of the retail price when they go garage-saling.
Attach a clearly written price label to each item. Using brightly colored labels will make it easier for your customers to find the price and will save you time on the day of the sale. You can purchase adhesive labels, or you can use a “sticker gun.” If you have a lot of similar items that are all the same price (e.g. books), don’t bother pricing them individually. Put them all in one box and label the box. If you don’t have sticker labels, you can also use small pieces of masking tape.
Check with your city or homeowner’s association and obtain a permit if one is required. Many cities place restrictions details such as placement of signage, hours of operation, frequency & etc. It’s better to take the time to do your research and pay the $5-$20 for a permit than risk losing more money than you made in fines.
Set a date and place for your sale. A two-day garage sale is usually perfect, and summer weekends—-especially Fridays and Saturdays—-are the best times. Check your weather forecast and try to avoid rain, and be careful about scheduling your sale during special events and holidays, as many potential customers will have something better to do. Also, avoid holding a sale when there is road construction occurring on the main route to your sale location. If you’re just having a single-family sale, your location is pretty much set, but if you’re having a multi-family or charity sale, be sure to pick a spot that is large enough for everybody’s wares, and choose a location that is easy to find and to get to, preferably close to, but not necessarily on, a major thoroughfare.
Advertise your sale. Your local paper probably offers a deal for garage sales. For a Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday sale, you only need to advertise on Thursday, Friday, and possibly Saturday, but you’ll want to make sure to get your ad in to the paper before the deadline, which could be several days in advance. You should also advertise in free weekly community shopping papers, such as Pennysavers or Thrifty Nickels, and on community bulletin boards in grocery stores and laundromats. Don’t overlook the internet, either: a good, free place to start if you’re in a metropolitan area is on Craigslist (check the external links below). Be sure to include the basics—days and times of the sale and the address (and directions or landmarks if it’s hard to find)-—and list specific items you have for sale, particularly big-ticket items or antiques. You can also look into posting your sale for free at Salenook.com, which caters to garage sales with Google Maps integration. If you choose to advertise your sale, one possible drawback is that occasionally people will show up before the sale (sometimes in the wee hours) to try to get the pick of the best items.
Tidy up your yard and/or garage. You’d clean up your house if you were trying to sell it, right? Garage sale customers are more likely to buy (and to buy at higher prices) if it looks like the merchandise came from a good home with owners that care for their things. They’re also more likely to feel comfortable stopping and browsing if your sale space is attractive and clean.
Make signs the day before the sale. You can buy signs or you can make your own out of posterboard or cardboard. Children need a lot of guidance if they will be making the signs. Plain, bold colors, simple lettering, and sturdy posting hardware are essential. Remember that the sign should be perfectly legible to people driving by, and may have to stand up to wind, rain, or heat if you post it a few days early. Give the date and time of the sale, the location and–if you have room–list some items for sale.
Hang your signs the day before the sale in places where they will be noticed by many a passersby. Make all your signage distinctive in some way, and make them all the same. This will be especially important if there are a lot of other sales that particular weekend. If you live near a major road, hang the signs on telephone poles or street signs at an intersection on that road (intersections with stop signs or traffic signals are particularly good). Draw arrows on the signs pointing the way to your sale. It’s a good idea to first check your municipality’s or homeowners association’s rules regarding signs so you don’t run afoul of the local authorities. If you live in an out-of-the-way area, be sure to construct a “path” with your signs that is easy to follow. Post one sign at each corner where a shopper should turn. People might not be able to read your sign very well, so one missing sign could lose your customers.
Make sure you have enough table space. While customers do see and buy items that are on the ground, it’s important to have enough tables to display small items to protect them and to ensure that people can easily inspect them. You can use tables and bookshelves from your house or you can rent folding tables if you don’t have enough.
Get plenty of change and petty cash. Unless you’ve got a lot of change at home, chances are you’ll need to visit the bank the day before the sale to get some rolls of quarters and plenty of dollar bills. You’re going to be making change for a lot of customers, so be sure to have a fanny pack to organize your money.
Set up the morning of the sale. Get up early so you’ll have plenty of time to arrange your vending area. Seasoned garage sale customers often arrive before the posted times to get a first crack at the premium merchandise, and these customers come ready to buy. Make sure you have everything ready an hour or two before your advertised start time.
Keep your display visually attractive. Many potential customers will drive by first, and you want to make your sale look intriguing and well-organized so that they stop. Place premium items (nearly-new merchandise, antiques, large tools, etc.) close to the street. Arrange your tables so items are neatly displayed with enough room between items to allow people to comfortably inspect them. Instead of folding clothes on tables, hang them from a clothesline strung from trees or from your garage ceiling near the door. Hanging clothes are easier to look through, and you won’t have to worry about refolding them on the table.
Be an active seller. Running a garage sale is a lot like working at a retail establishment, so bring out the salesman (or saleswoman) in you. Greet your customers with a friendly smile as they arrive. You want people to feel comfortable at your sale, so greet them as you would if you were a business owner. Tout your wares proudly. Offer package deals (if a person buys a blender, for example, why shouldn’t they buy those margarita glasses as well?), and reward big buyers with bulk discounts. Don’t just hope things sell themselves.
As your sale progresses, things will unavoidably get disheveled and disorganized (possibly even broken). If you want to sell as much as possible, you should try to keep things looking nice. Keep all books with spines showing. Keep all clothes on hangers. You might need to refold clothes or linens frequently. Keep all the brightly-colored, newest-looking things in front of your yard, and on the tops of all the piles.
Negotiate with hagglers. Even though your prices are clearly marked, some people will try to haggle. Play along; haggling can be a fun experience, and you’ll likely make a lot more sales if you’re willing to reward these bargain hunters. Don’t be afraid to decline an offer, but consider all offers. After all, you’re trying to get rid of this stuff. Be sure not to drop your price early in the day. A successful rebuttal to a haggler would be ‘I can’t drop the price before 10 am, we just got started’. If you’ve done the previous steps, you should have plenty of traffic that will pay full price.
Offer last-minute deals. If you’ve still got things left over during the final scheduled hours of your sale, go ahead and slash prices. Offer buy-one-get-one deals or bulk discounts. Do everything you can to make the sale, especially if you plan on throwing away or giving away the items anyway.
Hold a free garage sale after the sale. Once you’re done selling, place an ad on www.craigslist.org or your local freecycle.org and advertise the remaining stuff for free. You can leave it right out in the yard and stay inside counting your money while people come pick stuff up. Don’t throw potentially useful items away, and don’t take unwanted clutter back into your house just because it didn’t sell.
Take down your signs after the sale, right at closing time. Be a good neighbor and community member! Nobody likes to show up at a garage sale after it’s already closed, and nobody likes to see old, faded, sagging signs taped to poles, either.
Ask your friends to participate, Even though you have alot by now, close friends may be wanting to sell at least 2-3 large items and/or clothing at your sale. You have organized it, now reap the rewards! Make sure they have done inventory to avoid hassle later on. Haggling on friends’ items should only be done with their permission. “It’s not mine, so I have to stick with that price for you and the other buyers” is a positive line if somebody is not willing to compromise on their bargain.

Tips

Add more interest to your sale by offering craft items, home baked goods,or beverages. These will attract lookers, but don’t expect to sell much. Most garage-salers are very serious about getting only bargains.
Have an electrical outlet or extension cord available so that people can test electric products. You’ll get a better price if people can verify that something actually works, and if something doesn’t work, you shouldn’t try to sell it as if it did.
Have empty boxes and cardboard trays available for shoppers to use as a “shopping basket” if their hands are full.
People will buy just about anything. While there are certain hot sellers (children’s toys, old tools, books, antiques, and simple kitchen items, for example) don’t be afraid to try to sell things you can’t imagine anyone buying. Remember the quote: “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”
Ask your neighbors to contribute their items or have a multi-family sale. Customers are more likely to stop at a bigger sale. If you mix items in a multi-family sale, color code your price tags or otherwise clearly mark the items so that your cashier will know who should get the money for each item.
Make sure merchandise is fairly clean and not broken so that it could injure someone. As mentioned, however, you might be surprised how many people will buy broken hardware items, old, kinked hoses, old doors, and other seemingly undesirable items.
Spread the word through your local neighborhood grapevine.
Use a sturdy material for your garage sale signs, like a couple of layers of posterboard or corrugated cardboard, so that wind won’t bend them. Use a light-colored background and large dark letters at least a few inches high, so that people casually driving by the sign can read it at a glance. Do not put writing smaller than about 2″ high on a sign. If you are staking them into the ground, make sure they are placed firmly enough that a little wind won’t knock them over. A fallen sign can keep anyone from finding your house and sale.
Helium balloons are an inexpensive way to draw attention to your sale. Hang them on your tables or at the end of your street.
Remember, you’re out to get rid of your stuff, not make a huge profit. No one is going to buy an overpriced item—-they don’t care what you paid for it! Price your merchandise to sell and you’ll make money.
When you are pricing, look at each item with critical eyes, and ask yourself what you would want to pay for it, if you wanted to buy it. Coming up with an amount you would like to get for each item isn’t realistic. The item is only worth what someone would really pay for it. That is what the word “worth” means. If you want to sell it on ebay, then sell it on ebay, but don’t expect to get ebay (or craigslist) prices at a garage sale. It’s not going to happen, unless the purchaser happens to be a close friend.
Consider a ‘back-yard’ sale. Since folks can’t see all your stuff, it will pull in a lot of the ‘drive-byers’ who will only take a few moments to examine your wares from the street. It also prevents having to haul everything in and out when you are having a two day sale.
Check with local charities and missions. Some will pick up items that you don’t sell and put them (or proceeds from their sale) to good use. This is even easier than a post-sale “free sale”.

Warnings

If your sale is out in the yard, be prepared to move your merchandise into a garage or sheltered area in case of rain. Items on tables may be covered with tarps if you don’t want to cart them all in.
Keep an eye on your customers. A garage sale brings all kinds of people, including shoplifters. As long as people know you’re watching, you probably won’t run into much trouble, but if somebody does steal a small item, it’s probably not worth confronting them. If you suspect somebody has stolen something valuable, confront them tactfully, and call police if necessary, but do not detain them.
Always have several people at the sale – it’s important for personal security.
Remember that each customer that visits your sale is your guest, and you have certain legal and financial obligations to your guests if they get hurt on your property. Reduce your liability exposure by tidying up your yard and garage and taking precautions to prevent injuries, especially to children. Place sharp or potentially dangerous objects out of kids’ reach.
Watch your cashbox. Anybody can come up to it and steal the money you made, so make sure someone is attending it at all times. Try not to keep more than $20 or so in it at a time. That way, if somebody does steal it, they’re not getting too much. Better yet, don’t use a cash box. Someone could steal all of your money, or even try to buy your cashbox! Use a fanny pack instead, and keep large bills (50′s and 100′s) in your home if possible. A good fanny pack has two pockets, and you can keep the bills in the large compartment, and the coins in the smaller compartment.
If someone really needs to go to the bathroom, make sure someone in your family (or you) takes the person there and waits until they get out so that they don’t steal anything while inside the house. In general, you do not have to let anyone into your house, even to use the restroom, but you might consider making exceptions for small children or the elderly.
Telephone poles and street signs are usually “no bills” zoned and you can get into trouble by posting signs on them. In general, posting signs on someone else’s property without their permission is illegal and if discovered, will not be kindly viewed. Plus, they know where you live now.
Sometimes, shoppers try to get items for free with the following ploy: They bring you a small, one-dollar item, and hand you a $100 bill to pay for it. What they expect is that this instant drain of all your change will make you throw up your hands in frustration, and exclaim, “Oh, just take it!” You can make the choice to give them the item, ask them to go get change, or have extra change ready for this possibility.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Garage Sales Australia Australia’s Biggest Garage Sale Website.
Garage Sales Tracker Increase your yard sale visibility, advertise with garage sale tracker.
Salenook.com Advertise your sale and continue the sale online if you choose
ZipGarage.com Post garage sale ads with annotated photos, RSS feeds, area maps, and chat
GarageSaleHunter.com Post garage sale ads, get tips
Craigslist.org Advertise your sale for free, and use the free section to give away the leftovers
http://www.yardsalequeen.com – Free tips on having a successful yardsale and tips on being a smart yardsale or garage sale shopper. Yardsale stories, yardsale message board and much more.
http://www.yardsaleAD.com – FREE, Easy to use, List your yard sale, Map listing, Custom portfolio to save your finds, Search by any criteria, – Categories, Dates, Times, Description, and Radius from your home.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Hold a Successful Garage Sale. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Freebies From FreebieFinder

John — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:54:45 +0000

Here is a little something FREE from the FreebieFinder group over on Google Groups: http://groups.google.com/group/freebiefinder

If you prefer not to join a group, then visit our ‘no membership’ freebie blog at:
http://freebiesweekly.blogspot.com/

Free Sample Of Salon Glaze

http://www.fekkai.com/index.cfm

Free Probiotic Bar – 100 per Day
http://stores.attunefoods.com/free_attune_daily.php

Free Stuff From Oral Roberts University
http://portal3.oru.edu/shop.alb.home?category_id=8&author=All&search=All

Free Issue Of Today’s Grandparents
http://cordblood.com/im/gift/grandparents/bo/frm.asp?id=A60F

Free Stickers From Wild Stickers
http://wildstickers.com/01_home/01_contactus.asp

Free Sample Of Cyber Dog Pet Food
http://www.cyberdog.com/samples.htm

Free Organ Donation Pin
http://ask.hrsa.gov/detail.cfm?PubID=HRS00275

USA Offer

Free Perfect 10 And Pantene Expressions Sample Pack
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid44326.aspx

Free Cookbook Kit
http://www.morriscookbooks.com/order/order_form.asp

Free Hearing Aid Batteries
http://www.southwesternhearingcenters.com/free_batteries.html

Free Sample Of Catnip Budz
http://www.catnipbudz.com/freeCatnip.htm

Free Sample Of ID Personal Lubricant
http://www.idlube.com/surveys/survey.php

Free Sample Of ACTIV-FLEX Lightweight Cohesive Tape
https://www.jnjsportsmedicine.com/free-sample2.jsp;jsessionid=NqtBkrK6VkxytztLITKGbP290sU

Free Posters From The USFA
https://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/publications/display.cfm?id=&mc=27&sc=318&ol=&it=&st=&sp=&sr=1&rp=5&sp=

Canada Offer

Free Sunsilk Sample And $2.00 Gift Card
http://www.sunsilk.us/samples.php?source=myspacelcw∏=

Free Sample Of Yarrah Organic Pet Food
http://www.yarrah.com/home.php?mid=300〈=english

Free Discover Healthy Living DVD
http://www.starkist.com/DlmPmt/healthyheart/default.aspx?page=healthylivingdvd

Free Sample Of Ambi
https://www.ambiskincare.com/coupon.jsp;jsessionid=rhkYazR5kCZKrSqeSfKHa-W01vU

Free Sample Of Zostrix Pain Creme

http://www.zostrix.com/pages/samples.asp

Free Dark Lips Treatment Sample
http://www.nodarklips.com/index.php?page=sample

Free Sample Of Purina Cat Chow
http://www.healthfullife.com/Free-Cat-Food-Sample/Default.aspx

USA Offer

Free Prayer Cloth
http://portal3.oru.edu/shop.alb.home?category_id=8&author=All&search=Prayer+Cloth

Free Sample Of UnderJams
http://www.underjams.com/disposable-underwear/girl-landing.php?hidChk=yes

Free Sample Of GE Caulk Singles

https://gecaulksingles.offerprocessingcenter.com/

Free Note Card Samples
http://www.bluebirdmeadows.com/free-notecard-sample.htm

Free Bible – Messianic Prophecy (International)
http://www.messianicbible.com/reservenow.asp

Free Lead Testing Kit

http://www.stoptoxicimports.org/test_kit_request.asp

Free ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Magnet (US And Canada)
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_magnet

Canada Offer

Free Tree Seeds From Planting America

http://www.plantingamerica.org/seeds.html

Free DVD “Life Under A Windplant”
http://www.wvmcre.org/dvd_form/request.php

Free Glucose Gel Sample
http://www.glucoburst.com/free_sample.aspx

Free Kitten Care Kit
http://www.familytime.com/asp/familyProfile.asp?regcode=14&ps=PurinaKittenCareKit

Free Sample From Magic Herbs
http://www.ecommercegroup.net/magicherbs/freetrials.html

Free Don’t Bite Me Bug Repellant Patch

http://dontbitemepatch.com/contactus.htm

Free MenopauseRx Survival Kit
http://www.menopauserx.com/eznewsletter/signup.php

UK Offer

Free Patriotic Bracelet, from a little girl with a big heart
This is about a free bracelet, but there is much more to the story than that of a typical free trinket. This is about a young lady (Jenessa Alexis) who was 12 when she started out just wanting to do something to support her uncle who is serving in Iraq and has ended up supplying over 300,000 patriotic bracelets for free to any who requested them. Jenessa has organized others to help her make the Harms Way 4 Kids bracelets and has secured donated materials. She has appeared on the Tonight Show and has visited the troops and their families at Fort Hood.
I always ask that you only request freebies that you are going to use and it I’m making a strong request here that if you are going to request a free bracelet, you wear it in support of the troops and their families.
Also, if you have the means and are so inclined, please consider making a donation to Jenessa’s work to help pay shipping and other expenses. http://www.harmsway4kids.com/html/bracelet.htm
Grocery Stores That Double Coupons
Stores That Double the Face Value of Grocery Coupons Listed by State
Anytime we can double the face-value of a coupon, it’s a good thing. Thanks to visitors to Coupons and Bargains at About.com, we’ve been able to put together a gigantic list of stores around the country, set up by state, which double coupons. The list is always changing as stores change the policies. It is a good idea to contact the grocery store directly to verify if they still double coupons.
http://couponing.about.com/od/groceryzone/a/doublecoupons.htm

Free Sun-Maid Recipe Booklets
Sun-Maid now offers four free recipe booklets featuring raisin recipes, of course. They also offer a wealth of recipes online.
How to get the free cookbook: Visit the Sun-Maild recipes page and click on any of the recipe book links on the right. A page will load with more information about the recipe booklet and links to either download or order a free copy. If you are ordering a printed copy fill out the form with your name, address, and email address. You may also send your request by postal mail.
Offer Availability: The recipe booklets are available in the US. You may order one of each booklet per household. They may discontinue the offer at any time. http://www.sunmaid.com/en/recipes.html
Top 8 Tips to Save Money with Mail-In Sweepstakes
Stamps, envelopes, postcards, decorations… mail-in sweepstakes entries can really start to add up once you total the costs! But if you don’t send out those entries, you won’t bring in the big prizes, either. Here are some great ways to save money while still keeping your chances of winning high.
http://contests.about.com/od/mailinsweepstakes/tp/savemoney.htm

Birthday Freebies
Free Birthday Cards
100′s of Fun Designs. Add Photos, Videos, Music. It’s Quick & Easy!
www.Smilebox.com

Birthday Invitations
Find & Review the Top Birthday Invitations Sites Here.
PartyInvitations.TrustedOnline.info

Canada Offer

Printable Birthday Cards
All Kinds Of Birthday Here On One Spot.
Birthday.InfoBravo.net

All Occasion Mass Cards
Remember someone with a Mass and light a candle in their honor.
www.oblatesusa.org

Love Birthday Card
Send a Laugh! Free Birthday Cards, Thank You notes and more.
www.MyFunCards.com

Print your own coupons
to save money with coupons and also to make money watch my free movie..
jdabney.myworldpower.com

Greeting Cards
Find practical business information on greeting cards.
www.allbusiness.com

Free Family Tree Program
Create and Print Your Family Tree Easy and Free!
www.myheritage.com

Free Greeting Cards
Free Love Poems, Romantic Poetry, Love Letters, Friendship Poems
www.PassionUp.com

USA Offer

Christmas Freebies (I know its early!)
Knit Christmas Stockings
Join discussions & find answers at iVillage – the Women’s Network.
www.iVillage.com

Victorian Christmas Cards
Sale 50-80% off all Holiday Cards, Ornaments, Stockings & Candles
www.VictorianTradingCo.com

Christmas Cards
All Kinds Of Christmas Cards Here In One Spot.
PerfectFacts.net

Sewing Patterns
Find practical business information on sewing patterns.
www.allbusiness.com

Water Sports Sunglasses
SeaSpecs Make Great Holiday Gifts! SeaSpecs Stay On; Polarized; Rx Too
www.SeaSpecs.com

Clipart
Create A Free Account And Download High-Res Stock Images For Free
Dreamstime.com

USA Offer

Free Embroidery Designs
Download your Freebies Every Day Highest Quality Embroidery Designs
www.1designsbyms.com

Potty Training In 3 Days
Potty Training Secrets That Work Say Good Bye To Diapers Forever
ThePottyTrainer.com

AVJ & Creature Creations
Fantastic Cross Stitch Patterns Unique Design, Stunning Pictures
www.avj.co.nz

Free cooking magazine: cookingclub.com.
Breeder’s choice=win free pet food: http://www.breeders-choice.com/about/special_offers.htm.
Free skin care products:skinproducts. http://www.Beautycareatoz.com.
Free healthy coffee samples from Gano Excel w/ Ganoderma: http://www.coffeesample.biz.
Another member sent in this: you can find a sample of sweetener at http://www.sweetone.com.

Digest for 06/16/08

John — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:08:18 +0000

Quick Tip For 6/12/2008

John — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:56:24 +0000

One method of saving money on groceries is to make a large meal, then freeze the part that you did not eat (cook once, eat often). You can reheat the frozen portion some day in the future, and you will have a meal you do not have to cook. This will save you time and money. Just about any food can be frozen, with the exception of some canned foods and eggs in the shell.

How To Kill 3 Birds With One Cow

John — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:00:23 +0000

We’ve been talking about ways to spend less money for a while now. I’ve decided to implement a new method of saving money that will actually address several issues. I am going to get a cow. I know what you are thinking. “I want a cow. How do I get one?”

A cow can address several money-saving issues, with the primary issue being our family’s milk supply. We purchase/use a gallon of milk per week on average. With milk currently at almost $3.00 per gallon, over a year, the savings is $156. The cow will produce

The cow eats grass. With all of the rain the midwest has received over the past few months, I’ve got plenty of grass. I do not, however, have a lawn mower. Having a cow will mean I will not have to spend the money on purchasing a lawn mower.

I am planning on growing a garden. What is needed to help grow a garden? Fertilizer. Cow poop is a great fertilizer. It’s rich in nitrogen, which helps plans grow. The cow will provide plenty of that. It’s like a Circle of Life thing going on in my own back yard.

Maybe I can even trade some of the extra milk for something else that I need, in order to save even more money.

Saving Money At The Grocery Store

John — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:01:29 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9KKEk2Nhj4

How can keeping track of what you buy save you money?

John — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:03:10 +0000

Another means of saving money at the grocery store (or at any store, for that matter) is to keep track of the price and quantity of items that you buy. If I purchased a can of peas one week at Shop and Save for .50 per can, then the next week purchase the same peas at Aldi for .25 per can (regular price), I need to be going to Aldi to get peas from now on. The problem is, if I don’t keep track of how much things are at various stores, I would never know to only purchase peas at Aldi.

You’ll want to have this list with you when you go to the store so you can check each item before you put it in the cart. You can even write down the price of other items not on this trip’s list.

There are even software programs to help you with this task. One in particular (Grocery List Organizer — shown below), is free to try, but $9.99 to buy, may be worth the money because it allows you to keep prices of items at various stores, which is exactly what you need in order to get the item from the store with the lowest price.

If you have any other ideas concerning keeping track of what you buy, or, you have a story about something that you did that is related to keeping track of what you buy, please leave a comment. Share it. We’d all love to read it.

Learn How To Use Credit To Save Money…

John — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:27:52 +0000

Gas Credit Cards are meant for saving money, keeping in view the high gas prices. You have a variety of cards to choose from, and each one has a different offer. These cards offer you a rebate up to 5% on purchase of gas and also other items like grocery. The rebate is lower in the case of purchase of items other than gas. When you have earned cash back of $50 all you have to do is obtain the check from your credit card issuer.

Certain Gas Credit Cards offer comparatively higher rebates on hotel reservations and travel including flights and car, and also double rewards for the initial bills. Certain other credit cards have come up with innovative ideas like rebate on purchase of automotive parts, no interest on purchases for a certain number of days after the billing date etc. Though you are on the look out for such incentives you should be sure if you are actually going to use them, and are not going to incur loss for the kind of rewards you do not actually require.

There is ambiguity regarding any introductory offer, and before taking a decision you should pay special attention to the fine print. You can notice that in many cases the percentage of rebate offered by the Gas Credit Cards drop dramatically to less than half after a certain number of days. And even though you are happy with the functioning of your credit card the issuer may change the terms and conditions or add a clause, suddenly to your disadvantage.

Also the rebates may not be offered at all the gas stations, which may cause you inconvenience and also sometimes extra gas. Your effort always must be cash in on the rebate, you have to request for a check or money to be transferred into your account, instead of waiting for them to pay you, as the rebates may cease to exist after a given period. If you intend to carry a balance like majority of the credit card holders do, you might end up suffering loss on account of the high interest rate. The idea of the Gas Credit Card is to save you a few dollars and not accrue debt.

Because of the stiff competition in credit card business the companies are always on the look out for innovative methods to attract customers. As gas is something everyone buys, teaming up with a gas company means better business. On the other hand the gas companies themselves offer credit cards which can be used at only those gas stations. Rebates are offered for purchase of gas and items on sale at the particular gas station. Sole gas station credit cards generally offer more discounts, and in case of a gas station in your neighborhood it is a good idea, unless you are going on a trip and you run out of gas. Other advantages of using these cards besides the rebate is that you need not carry cash and expenditure on gas will not be mixed up with regular expenditure.

If you are particular about monitoring the expenditure on gas these cards offer monthly statements with list of purchase. Like other credit cards you may watch out for annual fee or other hidden charges in case of the Gas Credit Cards too.

Gas Credit Cards are credit cards that help you reduce travel expenses by offering rebate on purchase of gas, and also on certain other purchases.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

Gary L. Scurry offers advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Gas Credit Cards. To view my hot pick for Gas Credit Cards visit www.credit-cards-4-all.com/ and compare Gas Credit Cards offers.