Last time I said that “The most common way to get people’s attention and to invite them to your yard sale is simply by putting up yard sale signs.” Today I’ll be giving more tips on what to do when making a ward sale sign.
2. Use arrows - Always make sure that your signs have arrows that point people to the RIGHT DIRECTION. Last time the yard sale sign illustration was a perfect example of a very clear sign using huge easy to read fonts and contrasting colors. However, if you notice, it didn’t have any arrows. Aside from merely using arrows make sure that the direction the arrow points to is clear, especially if the road splits in several directions.
3. Place signs in strategic locations - A clearly written sign with clear arrows are useless if they are not strategically located. Place the yard sale signs on corners/bends. This is not so important in dead ends but very important in intersections and forks.
4. Keep it clutter-free - You can offer additional info such as your address in smaller letters but DO NOT list down all the great items you have on sale. However, if you are putting up a yard sale sign near an antique shop you might want to places antiques for sale. Just showcase one item/item class for each sign WHEN APPROPRIATE.
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If you want to have a successful yard sale the first thing you should make sure is that your “junk” is still worth buying. They may not be in the best condition but things need to still be serviceable or those that do not work any longer should be salvageable. Assuming that the stuff put out for sale can still be sold the next thing you should make sure you do to have a successful yard sale is to find a way to attract your costumers.
The most common way to get people’s attention and to invite them to your yard sale is simply by putting up yard sale signs. When making a yard sale sign make sure that:
1. It can be seen clearly - What this means is that you should make the signs and the lettering on the signs large enough. This also means that you should write in a clear handwriting. It is best to use block letters. You should also choose colors that easily gets attention. Large clear white letters on a black or red backdrop should work. There is no best color but just make sure that the letters contrast against the background.
Another aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked would be the placement of the signage, If you want it to be seen clearly then post it somewhere prominent enough. Place it eye level or slightly above eye level. You should also place it in posts/walls where there aren’t too many other signs posted, otherwise your sign will “get lost” behind all that clutter.
to be continued…
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With the waning economy you can bet that more and more people are thinking about and actually holding yard sales. This is the best time to get rid of your junk and also give those who need them the opportunity to get something they need at a cheap price.
Those who have experienced not so successful yard sales might, however, feel a little skeptical about being able to actually sell most of the items they put out. If you are one of those who feel a bit skeptical about holding your own yard sale remember that there are great benefits to having one including:
Making some money - This provides enough motivation for most people!
Cleaning up your house - IF you do clean up after the yard sale. At the least it will lessen the number of junk lying around.
Getting a jumpstart at beating consumerism - I’ve posted several times on consumerism. Holding a yard sale should make you realise how much unused (which means they’re not needed) stuff you have. If you’ve got that much stuff then why go one acquiring more stuff you don’t really need?
Helping the environment - Selling off all your extras means that they wouldn’t go to waste. They’ll be re-used, which is what more people need to do.
Family time - If you have a family the yard sale can be a family project. This will allow younger kids to learn more about responsibility, could be a time for you to instill goo values, and of course will be good quality time spent with everybody.
On my next post I will be giving some tips on how to get people to come to your yard sale.
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Leaving your credit card(s) at home - If you are on a tight budget and have a clear amount of money you want to spend when you go out to shop or dine leave your credit card at home intentionally. Bring a little extra cash but make sure you do not have too much in your wallet. This way even if you encounter a product on sale that you don’t really need you won’t be able to buy it since you only have enough in your wallet. Even if you do end up buying that product you’ll end up not buying something you don’t need in order to make ends meet.
Invest - If your money is tied on (profitable) investments you will have less money to spend whenever you want to. In addition to this by making wise investments you will be ensuring that your money will grow hopefully at least enough to offset inflation. Remember to stay away from risky investments though because even though promised interest rates may be high if the investment falls flat you’ll lose your money.
Make it a family effort - Educate your kids about consumerism and its negative effects. Help them find new ways to enjoy themselves without having to rely on things, whether newly bought or not. This way you’ll be reaping several benefits such as more family time, decreased expenses, and an educated next generation.
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Budgeting - Though most of us have a loose budget in mind not many actually take the time to write out a detailed weekly/monthly budget. Having a budget should help you lessen impulse buying because you know exactly where your money should go and what important things you’ll need to sacrifice if you don’t stick to your budget. If you don’t have a budget there’s a bigger chance of blowing your money on things you don’t really need or even want that badly without even realising it.
Acquire a cheap but rewarding hobby - If you love to wile your time away shopping on the mall or even online then you simply have too much time on your hands. Find other hobbies to spend your extra time on that wouldn’t tempt you as much to keep on buying things. Examples of fun and meaningful but cheap hobbies include: volunteering at a pet shelter, home for the elderly or something similar; walking/jogging; gardening; taking lessons (If you always dreamed of learning some skill now would be the time to invest in it. You will still end up spending money but you’ll be spending in on a skill and a new skill is always a good thing.); starting or joining a club (Just make sure it isn’t a shopping club or something that encourages consumerism); and blogging (You can even make money from this!).
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Here are more habits you should cultivate so as not to be a victim of consumerism. Note that most of them will not only help you save lots of money some can even potentially make you some money. And lets not forget the positive effects to the environment as well!
Reuse - Instead of buying new stuff reuse some of the old stuff at home. This is important for non-biodegradable products. If you really have no use for something any more but it is still serviceable give it away to someone who can use it. You can find reuse centers in your area to give away your things to.
Keeping things neat - Doing this will help you keep track of what you already have and what you don’t. As a practical example, how many times have food stuck at the back of your refrigerator gone to waste? By keeping things in order you can inventory your stuff at a glance so you can plan your meals more easily, know when you have to buy stuff, know when you need to use or give away something before it is wasted, etc.
Give to charity - If you already have too much stuff than you actually need you might want to give some (or even a lot) of them to charity. If you haven’t used something for a couple of years what are the chances you’ll ever be using them again? You can also sell old stuff on eBay and then give a percentage of the proceeds to charity. This way you get to clean house, make some money, and help those in need.
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This consumerist culture tells us that we can not be happy without our creature comforts. It tells us that we simply can not do without a newer car, or phone, or whatever new gadget that just came out. It tells us that we do not look acceptable without the latest clothes for the season. It tells us that we have to buy and buy in order to have a fulfilling life.
Well all that simply isn’t true. However, the pressure society imposes on us and our own wants make us keep on buying. This is understandable but if you can live a fulfilling life, get what you want, and do all this without being enslaved by consumerism, wouldn’t it be so much better? Of course it will be. This is why I’ll be doing a series of posts that will hopefully help everyone (including me!) beat this consumerist thinking.
Tip # 1 - Understand what consumerism is and recognize its negative effects.
In order to beat something you have to know that you need to beat it! You also need to realize that it is not a good thing because if you don’t see anything wrong with it then why even try to change things. My previous posts should hopefully help you realize the negative effects of consumerism.
Tip # 2 - Resolve to fight against it.
How corny. But it is true you should decide not to be a victim if you don’t want to be one.
Tip # 3 - Change one bad habit or start a good one.
It is easier if you do things one at a time. Pick a habit that reflects your consumerist attitude and that is pretty easy to kick so that you can get a sense of fulfillment. This way you will feel like you can do it and be encouraged to continue being less and less of a consumerist each day. A few example of bad habits you might want to kick include:
drinking bottled water - It goes without saying that this is only for people who live in areas with clean tap water. Will save you lots of money and will also lessen all those waste from the plastic bottles you use and throw away each day.
take out food - Dine in the restaurant or bring a packed meal with you. This will lessen the packaging thrown away. Packed meals/snacks are also great for the budget.
newspapers - What? Newspapers are not bad but if you login to your computer every single day you might as well read the news on the internet. Less waste and no need to pay for the news. Lots of varied resources too.
It’s little things like these that count. More tips for you next time!
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The environmental impact consumerism brings is clear and is definitely not pretty. Since a consumerist culture makes people want more and more the level of consumption grows exponentially. Add to that the exponential growth in population and it brings us to where we are now - a planet on the brink of disaster.
Two of the environmental issues brought about or at the very least contributed to by consumerism include:
Depletion of natural resources - The consumption of the resources to create products is just so rapid that it just isn’t sustainable.
Massive amounts of waste material - From the production phase to the consumption phase waste is produced resulting in all kinds of pollution (air, land, water, and even noise pollution). It is not only the big factories spewing noxious gases that are guilty of this but every individual who take out purchases from their packaging, discard old things, etc.
Even though resources will be used and waste material will naturally be produced even in a non-cosumerist society, consumerism can still be blamed simply because the amount that would other wise be used and produced can be sustainable apart from the consumerist culture.
Clearly consumerism’s negative effects to the environment has a global effect and leads (and has lead) to more serious issues than just getting into credit card debt.
With all the bleak scenarios I have painted I will be tackling ways on how to beat consumerism in your own personal life and thus help counter or, at the very least, avoid its negative effects.
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Feeling pleasure over material things is not a bad thing and in fact natural, however if your personal happiness depends a lot on the acquisition and use of material things then you belong to the ever growing number of victims of consumerism.
According to National Geographic consumerism has been existent and is pretty pervasive among Americans and Western Europeans for decades now and sadly they do not have a monopoly on it since developing countries are rapidly catching up with the “trend”. The problem with this is that it has a lot of far reaching negative effects ranging widely from the personal lives of the consumer trickling down to the environment. Just to illustrate the impact that consumerism brings let me list down a few of the personal problems it contributes to.
1. Overspending - Specially a big problem for shopaholics. Note though that thanks to the advent of credit cards even the average person (non-shopaholics) makes purchases that are not in their budget and that they have to scramble to pay for.
2. Debt - Obviously a result of overspending.
3. Self-esteem issues - More and more people are falling prey to having their self-esteem tied to brand names and other expensive status symbols.
4. False perception - Number three is actually linked to this false perception problem because people’s self-esteems are affected since they tend to believe that the more expensive the better something is. Just recently the Tyra Banks Show did a segment on “Label Mania” which showed how “label-obsessed” people felt better about themselves wearing ordinary off-the-rack clothes simply because they thought they were wearing an expensive designer label clothing.
As you can see overcoming the pull of consumerism is important because not only will it help your self perception but also because it will help save your wallets!
On my next posts I will list some of the environmental impacts of consumerism and also give some tips on how to beat it but still ensure that you live a fulfilling life surrounded by beautiful things you love - both material and not.
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I couldn’t help but write this article. You might get the wrong idea that I’m a horrible person but basically there are ways to Celebrate the holidays then just prancing around and spending money on consumer items. The Homeless for example are in great need of help. Money spent there is a great karmic investment.
Or donating to a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity is another great way to spend Christmas with the family. Instead of opening lots of gifts buy one for the family like a donation and then maybe one neccesary item for each person.
It’s about sharing and caring and remembering family and certain religious traditions if you have them. The money you save on consumer items can be reinvested back into the family and small housing and home improvement projects.
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