by Greg Schwartz

Created on: July 14, 2009

Yard sales are fun... being outside on a nice summer day, lounging in a deck chair and watching total strangers poking through your junk (and maybe even giving you cash for some of it). These days, people are being more frugal with their money, and yard sales are suffering for it. This article describes some things you can do to make sure your yard sale is a success.

- Weather

Obviously none of us can control the weather. But you can try to plan for it as best as possible. Don't hold a yard sale on a day when there's a 90% chance of thunderstorms. Yard sales tend to attract the most people on comfortable, clear days, so shoot for a day that looks good on the forecast.

- Advertise

Signs are great for drawing people to your yard sale. Plenty of bargain-hunters drive around on Saturday mornings, looking for yard sale signs. But you can do more than that to ensure you have the largest crowd.

Some local papers will let you can advertise your yard sale for free - take advantage of any that do. You can also get free advertising online - craigslist, for example, has a "garage & moving sales" section for many cities, such as this list for Providence, Rhode Island.

Put a flier up on your bulletin board at work, and at your local grocery stores. In fact, put a flier anywhere you can - day care, the dry-cleaner's, even on neighborhood mailboxes if you're allowed.

If you think you might make some decent money from your yard sale, why not invest in more local advertising? Put an ad in as many local papers as you can (up to a certain point, of course). When people know about your yard sale ahead of time - especially if you list certain items that might be of interest - they can plan to be there.

- Location

Make sure people can find you. If you live close to a major road, you should be okay, but if you live back in a winding neighborhood and your house is hard to find, you may want to consider holding the yard sale somewhere else. At the very least, make sure your ads and signs tell people how to find your sale.

- Sell drinks

Most yard sales are held in the summer, when it's hot and sticky out. Capitalize on people's thirst by selling drinks - lemonade, soda, juice, or bottled water. Don't charge a fortune, but don't give them away, either. Find that sweet spot where you can still make some money off the drinks, but the price is low enough that people will buy them. If it's a particularly hot day, people driving by may even stop just for a drink, then stay for the

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