Wade and I (mostly I) and some friends recently held a yard sale at our home -- our first ever. It was quite an experience, and while quite a bit of stuff sold there was an awful lot left over that went back into the basement, unfortunately. Here is an article I wrote for the Lynden Tribune April 18, 2007 edition about the preparation process (hope I'm not breaking any copyrights here, but seeing as I am the author I think I'm okay).
I'm Selling my Soul on a Yard Saleby Kerri Lynn HowardReporter
Recently I decided to hold a yard sale -- a pretty major thing for a sentimental pack-rat who develops an emotional attachment to everything her children touch.
But our basement demands it. Baby gear, toddler beds and boxes of outgrown clothes and infant toys have turned our once orderly back room into a jungle. Something has got to go (lots of stuff has got to go!) if we're ever going to find our tent, cooler and picnic basket in time for camping season.
I started with the boxes of clothes. There were the tiny pajamas each of the boys wore home from the hospital, the adorable hats and booties, itty-bitty onesies covered in trucks and puppies, overalls (at least two pairs in every size) and piles more.
I can't get rid of these! These clothes are a part of my children's babyhood! I imagined myself going through boxes of baby clothes 20 years from now, sorting through them like a wardrobe photo album.
No, I don't need these. They're taking up too much room. I have lots of pictures of the kids in all of these outfits -- I don't need the original articles! Fifty cents. There. Good. Only 200 more to go. And so I began. I admit though, a few of the more dear-to-my-heart outfits went in a separate box that will live forever in my basement, always there for me to look through.
Going through the toys was also difficult. There were the stuffed animals our children loved and then forgot about, toys that were given as birthday and Christmas gifts, some I thought were cool but the boys showed no interest in, and others I thought were tacky that they took with them everywhere -- all of them special.
Thankfully our boys are still young enough that I didn't even have to consider parting with the blocks, Legos, matchbox cars, puzzles, books or Tinkertoys. Only a few things made it out of the toy box and into the sale box.
On to the baby gear. These are the real space-taker-uppers -- the swing, car seats, stroller, walkers, toddler beds, bouncy seats. And these are also the items I've heard can fetch a decent price at yard sales. And since I'm not as emotionally attached to these things, you'd think this part would have been easy. Unfortunately not.
We'd better keep at least one crib for when we babysit our grandkids someday. Never-mind the fact our eldest is only 5.
And a stroller, the swing and a bouncy seat in case I babysit little nieces and nephews. Our only married siblings live out of state, the engaged one one is moving to the East Coast, and my single brother is, well, single.
Wade isn't much of a help. "You can keep that stuff if you want, but it's the reason our basement looks the way it does," he said.
I also unpacked a few things that hadn't been un-boxed since we last moved (4 years ago) or possibly before. One was a small collection of miniature pewter silver frames I collected during junior high and high school. They held photos of friends, family and a long-since-deceased cat. A few held pictures as recent as my college years. As I took the photos out and stuck the price stickers on, I felt like I was selling my soul.
Sure, just throw away photos of your friends for the sake of another 50 cents. Come on, those were good times, these were your best friends. You don't want to forget this stuff! The collection has been in a box for years!
A few home decor items that don't quite fit our home, books I don't care to re-read, outfits I haven't worn this millennium and a few other odds and ends rounded out the "to sell" pile. Now I wait for the weekend, try not to change my mind about too many of the nostalgia items, and hope everything sells (except all those items I'm still a little attached to!).
My family -- on the left my sister Kristin and her fiance Jonathan (who are getting married in only 11 days!!! Ahhhh!), my Dad and Mom, my brother Kenner, and Wade and I and all our little ones.
Luke and Elijah lounging -- those kiddie chairs have gotten so much use!
Wade and the boys did swim one day even though it never got terribly warm.
My Mom and Isaac playing Scrabble - yeah right. Okay, Mom teaching Isaac how to spell.
There are a few of these outbuildings in the Ross Lake National Forest Area and they are hands-down the finest, most attractive, least smelly, most sanitary non-flush no-plumbing commodes. And for nearly $30,000 a piece, according to the forest ranger, they should be. Roomy, wheelchair accesible, well ventilated and equiped with hand sanitizer dispensers, these are the luxery edition of outhouses. These fine outbuildings get a full 10 points out of 10 on our campground rating scale. I could go on, but I'll spare you.
