Selling everything but the kitchen sink

What is the old saying - "one man's junk is another man's treasure?" Perhaps you like to spend your Saturday checking out everyone elses junk and seeing if you must have it but most of us could probably honestly have a yard sale every spring/summer to clear out some unused/unwanted items just laying around. And why not? You could make a few hundred dollars. Here are some tips to get the most bang out your stuff for sale.

1) Plan. Plan. Plan. Honestly, you can't throw it together the day before. Look at your calendar now and see what weekend works for you and your family. If you do this right you can be on your way to the lake by 1:00pm at the latest, so it doesn't have to throw a wrench in your WHOLE weekend. Ask neighbors or friends if they want to get in on the action too. In the yard sale world the more is merrier!

2) Gather your bearings. You will need some extra card tables to set up so ask friends if you can borrow them in advance. I have a friend that has a clothes rack and that works super if you have some nicer clothes to showcase them. But ask ahead. That clothes rack is busy almost all summer. Stop by the dollar store and grab some price stickers and bright colored paper for signs. Make sure you have change. I usually have a few dollars in quarters and 20 $1 bills with a few fives. If you can get a few tens too. You would be amazed at the people that show up and buy something for $2 in the beginning of your sale with a $20 bill - grrrrr people!

3) Price items before hand. The most time saving idea is when you place something in a "yard sale" pile in your garage, price it then. This will save so much time but not always do-able. The Friday before your sale try to set up tables in your garage and lay items out and price them then.

4)Advertise! Make your signs. Just the basics. Make sure they at least have the address and times. Arrows help also.  Also, place an ad in the Missoulian (http://tinyurl.com/7eb6rvm)  or on Craigslist (http://missoula.craigslist.org/). In your ads I would put a little description of what you have. Obviously list bigger priced items or furniture and certain sized kids or women's clothes. In the Missoulian you pay by line so you may not want to list everything but on craigslist? List away. It's FREE!

5) The night before make sure signs are made, ads are placed, items are priced and you got a little change in your pocket. Plan where you will keep your money during the sale. If you have a little money apron wear that. And if you place an ad in the Missoulian they will give you one in your packet. I personally hang signs in the morning. I am always afraid of the weather ruining my signs or those early birds finding me too easy when I am not ready for them just yet. Try to go to bed as early as possible and set the coffee to start brewing first thing.

6) The morning of, get your things out there and sell, sell, sell. Be cheerful and be willing to bend a bit on your prices. I always have a few items that I won't "give away" and already plan to sell on Craigslist if they don't sell that day. If I advertise my sale to go till noon then around 11 am I make everything half priced except for those few exceptions. You want to get the stuff out. When all done DO NOT put the items back in your garage or worse yet your house - pack it in the car to take to a drop off center. I usually separate items at that point. Any kids clothes or items are something they love at the the Watson's Children Center (http://watsonchildrensshelter.org/ ). Especially swimsuits during the summer! I may have books that I plan on taking to The Book Exchange (http://www.booksmontana.com/). The rest of the items I drop off at Goodwill, Secret Seconds or the Salvation Army.

7) Last but not least, add up those earnings. Wasn't it worth it? And now go take down all those signs you hung up. You don't want to advertise that you don't care about the earth!

Happy Selling!

Spring Cleaning List

http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/maintenance-repair/spring-cleaning-list/

Did you know MOM is WOW upside down?

Did you know Mother's Day has officially been around since 1908?  You really should appreciate your mom every day (hint, hint to my kids) but you really need to spoil her this one Sunday in May.

So what are your plans? I have joked in the past that the best Mother's Day for me really would be a day without my kids. Sound horrible? They can be enjoyable when they get along and are respectful but let's be honest - that doesn't happen often. If they can just give me this one day and be pleasant to each other and me, I'd be happy. And throw in some homemade gifts and cards? You got one happy momma. But if you can't give this to your mom and are stuck what to do in replacement of a nice happy Sunday I have a few ideas.

Flowers. Flowers may not last long but they sure are pretty and smell so good. Some of my favorite spots to grab some flowers? The Farmers Market, Bitterroot Flower Shop (http://bitterrootflowershop.com/) and I am also always impressed with Safeway's selection.

A Spa Day. With some really great day spas in Missoula why not help all of Mom's cares go away. A massage can carry all her worries away and feels so good  or what mom doesn't like pretty toes? Some of our favorite spas include Sorrella's, Cedar Creek Day Spa and Cowgirls -http://cowgirlssalonandspa.com/.

Jewelry. And I am not talking about the fancy, expensive kind. Well, unless you can purchase that and still pays your bills. More power to you. I am talking about just some fun pieces.  Apricot Lane (http://www.apricotlanemissoula.com/) in the Southgate Mall has some fun pieces mom is bound to love. Also, I personally can always find some deals and beauties at Maurice's and JC Penney's. If you feel like heading downtown  One Eleven has some fun stuff and of course Rockin Rudy's never disappoints.

Brunch. Mom needs to get her nutrients for the day. Instead of just cooking for her at home how about taking her out for some yummy food Missoula has to offer.  Jakers, the Montana Club, and even Brooks and Browns in the Holiday Inn are planning Mother's Day brunches.

So this one day a year make sure your Mom realizes how much you appreciate and adore her. Spoil her rotten. Why you ask? Because I said so. And I'm a mom!

Cruising on a Sunday Afternoon

When I was younger a Sunday drive usually meant a Sunday afternoon with my grandparents. Usually it included lunch or at least ice cream. My grandfather was the epitome of a leisurely Sunday driver. It would sometimes be embarrassing the people that would speed past us screaming obscenities or flashing fingers. I always thought, well, it is Sunday. Isn't that when officially you can drive casually? Isn't it almost expected? Well, maybe back in the olden days but now that life has gotten busier and busier this has gone by the way side. We need to take it easy. Get back those Sunday drives. So I want to encourage you all to take some time one of these spring Sundays and go for a drive. Load up the family, turn up the tunes, roll down the windows and cruise. Drive down the Bitterroot. Just driving down Highway 93 and looking at the Bitterroot mountains is a beautiful, peaceful thing. You can stop in Hamilton for some lunch possibly at Nap's Grills - http://napsgrill.com - for one of the best burgers in the Northwest or try The Signal Grill -  http://thesignalgrill.com - it looks like an amazing place! If you head east on I-90 you can stop at Ekstrom's http://ekstromstagestation.com  for a traditional ranch meal! Or you can head west on I-90 and are feeling like taking in a really, really long Sunday drive,head to Coeur d'Alene or Spokane and enjoy some Olive Garden, Chili's, P.F. Chang's or Clinkerdagger's - http://www.clinkerdagger.com - one of my favorite Spokane restaurants. If you don't want to go that far you can always make a stop in paradise. Paradise, MT. I always hear great reviews about the Paradise Whistle Stop cafe there. Of course Montana has some wonderful restaurants to check out but Big Sky Country is so much more. The landscape of our state is beautiful. An easy going drive anywhere in Montana will include scenery, wildlife and some amazing hikes. So get out of that car and trek on. Here is a site to show you all the great hikes around the state - http://visitmt.com/experiences/outdoor_activities/hiking_and_backpacking.

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  Annual deck maintenance will forestall repairs, protect your investment, and boost your enjoyment of your outdoor space. Read

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Play Ball!

Usually this time of year when you hear "play ball" you are thinking baseball, but not today. It's Game Day. Griz football. I love Game Day in Missoula! Who doesn't?

This game day is a little different for a few reasons.

1)  It is a not a real game but a scrimmage.

2) It will not be a crisp fall day but a gorgeous spring day.

3) When the sun goes down we do not need to file out of Washington Grizzly and head home because we now have lights. Let there be light! And there will be.

4) Tickets are only $5!

5) And the football coach had 40 minutes to decide if he wanted the job, not even a month ago.    But, that's a whole nother blog.  http://bit.ly/IBxhe9

But, it's a Game Day nonetheless. People around town are pumped. Grocery stores are filled with shoppers getting some last minute goodies for their tailgates. Campers are being packed not for camping but to get to their tailgate spots. The UM cheerleaders and dance squad are getting ready to face paint and put tattoos on kids. The GSA tailgate is going to have tons of activities for kids of all ages. Food and beverages will be available. It's going to be an awesome day to be a Grizzly. But when isn't it?  http://bit.ly/HJClKG

Lights, Camera, (football) Action!

ESPN won't need to bring in their lights ever again. We don't need them for the next playoff games we play at Washington Grizzly Stadium. We finally got our own!

In the past week part of Campus Drive has been closed while workers hoisted up eight banks of lights with cranes.  The new lights to the stadium offer the possibility of late afternoon or evening games next season. Any north end zoners ready to freeze their butts off when the sun goes down next season? I know this season ticket holder is! I say let there be lights!

www.NBCMontana.com resports that "it takes four workers about three hours just to put one pole together and there are eight light posts that will surround the football stadium." Each of the eight light posts consists of between 18-22 lights facing the stadium, where some of the poles have some lights that face the opposite direction to help the tailgate area to get some light too.

Private dollars were raised to complete the $1 million project says Associate Athletic Director, Chuck Maes.

The lighting system is a pretty sophisticated system that actually can be managed, to a point, from a smart phone. The lights will be put on a timing system and will turn off by 10pm each evening unless the stadium is full of 25,000 screaming Griz fans. Then the lights will turn off when the game is over and all have filed out.

Next weekend, April 14th, the Grizzly athletic department’s goal is to set a Football Championship Subdivision record for attendance at the annual spring scrimmage. Come on down and you can see the "debut" of the lights in action. See you there?? Go Griz!

http://www.egriz.com/2012/03/griz-football-to-play-under-the-lights-spring-game-style/