A great way to earn to earn some extra money at this time of year is to have a declutter and go along to your local car boot sale to sell it all. We do this twice a year usually – once at the beginning of the good weather and once at the end of the Summer.
I have a big car boot sale box in the garage that I store junk things that we plan to sell at the car boot sale and I also have a box on top of the wardrobe that I add any clothes that are too small or no longer meet the criteria of being cool!
To add to that, we use the upcoming boot sale to have a bit of a clear out and work our way through most of the rooms in the house (and the garage and garden) decluttering and adding to our boot sale pile.
We've had some really successful boot sales in the past so I thought I'd share some of my car boot sale top tips with you....
Take as many carrier bags as possible – save them for a few weeks beforehand as people will always ask you for a bag.
Take a box with a lid on to store all your lovely money in – try and make sure you have a little bit of change as well.
We take an old paste table, two scruffy blankets to go down on the floor and a clothes rail. When the boot sale man is directing us in to our spot we try and park as far back from the car in front of us so we have as much space as possible to spread out over.
When you get there, don't start unpacking your car straight away as the professional sellers can be so rude – one man actually started nosing through our boot before! They know what they're looking for and think they can get it cheap before the boot sale even starts. If you're not careful you'll see what you sold to them for a fiver up for sale on their stall five minutes later for double the amount.
We go for a cuppa or a little wander around for half an hour before we start unpacking the car – there's plenty of time as sellers are usually there so far in advance of the buyers.
I normally let the kids spread their things out on one of the blankets on the floor to the side of the paste table and they're in charge of that bit. The blanket on the other side of the paste table (if there's room) is usually shoes and bags and other things that are too big for the table. Any books go in a box just under the table and the clothes obviously go on the clothes rail. Everything else goes on the table for us.
I generally take along some sellotape, some paper and a thick marker pen with us and I put a sign on the book box saying how much they are and I price any larger or more expensive items.
A box of things like costume jewellery, daft bits of make up, hair stuff and any other little bits and bobs always attracts people to your table – I put a box in the middle of the table usually with a sign on saying everything in the box 50p and it's usually the most popular thing on the table.
Kids' toys sell very well so don't underprice them. We sold a lot of Master Frugal's Ben 10 things last time as he'd grown out of it and we made a fortune, likewise with their Moshi Monster figures and his Disney Pixar cars.
Be prepared to haggle – start your pricing slightly higher that you would be willing to sell for as people love to think they've bartered you down and got a bargain.
Take drinks and snacks so you don't end up spending all your money when you get hungry.
Try and leave the kids at home.
Don't be tempted to spend your takings at the stall opposite you, even if they are selling the cutest handbag ever.
Don't do it on your own, some people are after more of a bargain that others and you need eyes in the back of your head.
Anything you have left, donate to charity. You didn't need it before so you don't need it now.
We actually put an ad on Freecycle saying 'Free to a good home, car boot sale junk' and it was gone within two hours the same day we did the boot sale!
Enjoy spending your takings (on something sensible I hope)....
Cass is a mum of two children, aged 8 and 10. She works part time and blogs about her family and their adventures at The Diary of a Frugal Family which is a bit of a mish-mash of family fun, money saving tips and foodie ideas with lots of cupcakes and smiley faces thrown in too.
Blogs at: Frugal Family
Twitter: @frugalfamily