Is this a dumb financial move?

Avatar for sohappilyme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Is this a dumb financial move?
4
Mon, 11-02-2009 - 11:22am

I'll try to make this story as short as possible, LOL. My mom had a shed that all of the "attic" stuff was in. It was at my grandparents' house and had to be emptied asap due to health/death. She's got boxes all over her house, and I'm taking some here as well as trying to get through my own junk. (I only want seasonal stuff in storage and the rare item that can be handed down from one of my kids to another - otherwise I get rid of it.) We've been having yard sales to get rid of what we've gotten rid of so far, but those are just tedious. We clear about $100 after paying for the ad in the paper and the yard sale license. Not bad, but when you consider I devote about 7-8 hours to the yard sale and I earn $20-$30 an hour freelancing, I'm technically in the hole at the end of the day if I spent the time working. (I've not been out of work a single time since I started freelancing a year and a half ago). So financially, it seems like a wash to do the yard sale.

So my idea is just to put the stuff out by the road on a nice day spread out "like" a yard sale, skip the pricing stuff, and just give it away. It's a LOT less work, I don't have to get up way early and go to my mom's (where I have yard sales b/c we live in the middle of nowhere), and I get to help other folks out who are all experiencing the crunch. I don't have any stellar, amazing deals or goldmines I'm sitting on. It would make me feel good and I know it would help someone else out, and I could just stick to free advertising avenues. Plus I wouldn't have to sit out there all day.

On the other hand, $100 is $100 but really...I could write an article and make that much in the same morning. But a freebie yard sale would feel good, as long as I wasn't totally shooting myself in the foot. And can I just say how incredible it would feel to get the stuff out of the house? I'm SICK of looking at it! DH hates the boxes everywhere, although he's been more than patient about it. But who wants to walk past a stack of boxes every day? Anyway, WDYT? Anything that no one took would go off to charity, as if we don't have enough tax deductions already (eye roll, LOL).

Thanks for your opinions!

Photobucket


FIVE KIDS.

Sarah
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2009
Mon, 11-02-2009 - 12:33pm

Have you decided against donating them for the tax write-off for some reason?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2008
Mon, 11-02-2009 - 1:18pm

Here's my suggestion.

Norma


"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-21-2003
Mon, 11-02-2009 - 3:09pm
I thought the same thing when we moved in and my garage had to be emptied, I thought, oh to heck with it, I just give it away, because I am too lazy to do all the work with organizing a yard sale. Now luckily my neighbor let me participate in her yard sale and I am sure glad I did. I made 100 Dollars in 4 hours selling basically junk. Sure was fun though and we are doing it again. (still got junk that has to go)
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-25-2008
Tue, 11-03-2009 - 12:49am

I agree with giving it away for the tax write off.