Pros and cons of hosting a garage sale

PROS

1. Squeezes a little extra dough out of the junk in your house.
2. Gives the kids something fun to do that doesn't involve a video game.
3. Lets Mom unload the toys/video games/movies that annoy her the most.
4. Allows the kids to practice their salesmanship. "Hey Mister, want to buy this stuffed pug dog? It's really cute!"
5. Gives you the chance to chat it up with the neighbors and anyone else who might stop by.

CONS

1. Turns the inside of the house into a disaster zone, as stuff is unearthed from its resting place, disturbing the other, non-sale stuff around it.
2. Makes you suspicious of anyone speaking Spanish or Chinese because you just KNOW they are saying "This lady is a sucker!"
3. Gives the neighbors a glimpse of the chaos that generally reigns in secret inside the house.
4. Requisite donuts for the kids on a garage sale day eat into the profits.
5. After-sale regrets when you find other items that make you think, "Oh! I should have put that out!"
6. You finally find out what your husband really thinks of your stuff. "Don't sell that purse/shirt/picture! I like that!"
   

All in all, we made about $75 in the 2 hours we were "open" before it started raining.

One handy tip I'll pass along is to post lists of your for-sale items on Facebook. When it's all said and done, I'll make about another $75 selling to people who saw something on Facebook and replied offering to buy it if it didn't go in the garage sale. Maybe next year, I'll skip the garage all together and just have a Facebook sale instead.