Why Do a Yard/Garage Sale?
First, let’s settle the argument Krissy and I have every single time we host one of these things:
Do you call it a yard sale or a garage sale?
Obviously, if people are in your garage, it’s a garage sale… right?
Anyway — whichever term you use, we just had a two-day sale: Friday and Saturday. Which, let me tell you, feels weird. Apparently in Colorado, that’s the norm. Everywhere else I’ve lived, it’s Saturday and Sunday. But here? Friday is busier. Go figure.
Then there’s the real debate: what do you do with the stuff that doesn’t sell?
Put it back in your house? Sell it online? Save it for the next sale? Take it to a donation center? Or slap a big old FREE sign on it and watch people go wild?
Answer to follow.
Before I get too far, let me fill you in on why we started this blog in the first place.
Krissy and I have had a shared goal for a while now: to retire from our full-time jobs by my 50th birthday (I’m 45 now — August baby, thank you very much). But after lots of deep thought, prayer, and late-night porch talks, we moved up our goal by a year. That means: come summer 2028, we’re hitting the road full-time in our RV.
We plan to travel across the U.S. for a few years — work camping, visiting every national park, and soaking up all the weird and wonderful along the way. Eventually, we hope to take those travels abroad and see the world.
➡️ Want to see people’s reactions to our announcement? Check out our YouTube channel: Lez Go Together
So what does any of that have to do with a garage sale?
Glad you asked.
If we’re going to live in an RV, everything we own needs to fit in it. That means the house — and almost everything in it — is going. This yard sale was phase one of many.
We went room by room and pulled anything we plan to use less than ten times in the next three years — unless we could substitute something else for it. Honestly? It’s hard. It’s hard for me because I hate buying and rebuying useful things. It’s hard for Krissy because she’s sentimental as hell and attaches meaning to everything. But... we did it.
We priced things to move, and we were totally open to negotiating.
My favorite part? Seeing people light up when they find a treasure — or when you throw something in for free because they’ve been eyeing it. Kids getting new toys. People finding what they need. That part? Never gets old.
We also had an Amazon sample section — stuff Krissy reviewed for her YouTube channel, Wicked Good Product Reviews. Most of it was barely used and way cheaper than retail. If you’re curious, go check it out.
Tips to Make Your Garage Sale Go Smoother:
Put up signs with directions and your address within a 1-mile radius, especially on busy streets
Have plenty of change
Make signs with your Venmo and Cash App info
Be ready at least an hour before your posted opening time
Use tables — the more, the better
Don’t forget the sunscreen!
So What Did We Do With Everything That Didn’t Sell?
All of the above — except putting it back in the house.
We saved three bigger, almost-new items for a future sale
Boxed up the Amazon stuff to sell online
Put everything else out for free
And whatever was left after that went straight to a donation center
My favorite part? The free pile. Watching people’s faces when you tell them it’s actually free? Priceless. Some asked three times just to be sure. People were genuinely grateful. And while the money is great (we made just over $1,100!), the community part? That’s the gold.
We had planned to put the money toward our travel fund… but shoutout to Greta, our sweet little chaos pup, who now needs surgery. (That’s a story for another day. Wait, do you want to hear about it? Tell us in the comments!) So... the money will be gone soon, but the memories remain 😅
Side Note on a Future Goal:
I’ve been learning Spanish with Duolingo (sadly slower than my liking), and one of my goals is to communicate better with our Spanish-speaking customers at future sales.
¿Dónde está el tesoro? Just kidding — kinda.
That’s our yard/garage sale adventure.
What are you doing to work toward your travel dreams?
Lez go!!! And Lez Go Together!!! 🛻✨