We managed to clear out more than 100 items faster than expected (see the full list of purged items here), so on a whim we organized a last-minute moving sale this past Saturday. We wanted to keep momentum going and get rid of things while we still had that decisive streak — before we started second-guessing what to keep. Our previous yard sale had about two weeks of planning (details here), so deciding to run this one with only two days’ notice felt a bit risky. But the forecast promised sunshine and 69-degree weather, so we figured there was no time like the present.
We posted a free ad on Craigslist and put up bright directional signs around the neighborhood. If you want practical advice on running a sale, that earlier yard sale post has a lot of useful tips.
Despite our worry that mid-November shoppers would be scarce, the sale was a success. Traffic was steady, Clara slept through the busiest first two hours, and we brought in over $300. While the cash was welcome, the real win was clearing out about 85% of our items — things we no longer have to box, move, or store. That saves time and energy we can now spend on unpacking, painting, and the other tasks we’re actually excited about.
Here’s what our driveway looked like near the start of the sale — I didn’t get a proper “before” shot because early-bird customers had us busy right away.
And here’s what remained by the end of the day. Everything left over was donated within an hour of the sale closing, since we had a strict rule: nothing goes back into the house.
Hosting a yard sale turned out to be more entertaining than we expected. Some highlights from the day:
- The only pair of shoes Sherry sold ended up fitting an 11-year-old girl. Apparently Sherry has petite feet — most pairs were around a size 5.5, which made selling shoes to adults a bit of a challenge.
- A group of neighborhood kids arrived on bikes near the end of the sale and purchased a variety of small items, some of which they clearly weren’t sure how to use. They were convinced, for example, that a glass spoon rest was a shoehorn. Kids and imagination — always amusing.
- We met our new neighbors who bought the charming “bed-and-breakfast” house on the block (we’ve admired it for a while). At least now our patio furniture will have a happy new home there.
- Two blog readers stopped by after stumbling upon the sale and surprised us by recognizing us. We don’t publicize our address for privacy reasons, so it was a pleasant surprise to meet them in person.
- One neighbor, who recognized us from our evening walks but didn’t know our names, dubbed us “the baby-chihuahua family.” We kind of love that nickname and hope it sticks.
- A customer told us about the local Book Exchange in Midlothian, where we later traded our unsold books for store credit — credit we promptly used to buy two new books for Clara. She now has two more things to get obsessed with, which is probably inevitable.
- As the day warmed up, the sale turned into an impromptu neighborhood get-together. People lingered, chatted, and shared local news. It was a lovely way to spend an unexpectedly sunny November afternoon.
- Like at our last sale, a loose dog came by to visit. This one was much calmer than the previous rogue pup, which had ended up taking a swim in our old backyard pond — a memory we won’t forget.
That’s the story of our little moving sale. It felt great to clear out so much and to add a bit of cash to our pockets. We don’t anticipate needing another yard sale anytime soon, but if you have tips or memorable yard-sale stories, we’d love to hear them. Do stray dogs always show up at your sales? Or do you have unusually small feet that make selling shoes to adults tricky?
Psst — we recently shared how we updated our diaper and wipes routine over on BabyCenter. It was fun to rethink our setup.