As I sit in the new Kinetics Heights location I am planning out the next few weeks of my life. The kids have only been home less than two weeks and it looks like someone set off a bomb in my house. If your kids are like mine, I know you are all thinking "yeah that is my house too"!
 
It's the last day of Winter break so while my kids try to complete the ninja warrior course they have been dying to try, I sit and make my lists.  A list for the grocery store, a list of things I need to get done for work, a list of things I need to do to around the house & a list of things I need to get done tomorrow to get the kids ready to go back to school.
 
One thing on my work list is too get back to blogging. As we all know life is passing us by so fast, you blink and it seems like your kids have grown a foot since the day before. Since family life and the holidays seemed to take every spare minute of my time, I did not complete out the year as I wanted.  So starting in 2 weeks I will get back to it. I will continue my series on how to make the most money on your consignment items and lots more tips I find that help me out during consignment season.
 
Hope you check back in with me and send me any feedback or notes you think others would find helpful as well.

If your husband/significant others are anything like mine they count every penny you spend. So because of this I have learned how to make the most of my consignment items. The extra money I make consigning my items I use to fund my consignment shopping habit!
If I devote a few hours of my time, I can actually make some pretty good money. Let’s be honest who could not use the extra money around the holidays? I know I can!
So here are my tried and true methods I use:

1. Keep all of your cleaning items together and in one place. Last week I told you how to save some time with having all your needed items in one place.  This also applies to helping you to make the most money for your items. When I am getting my items ready for the sale, making sure they are clean and spot free is a must.  The newer the items look the more money someone will pay for the item.  Some of the items I keep in my cleaning tote are:
   1. Clorox Wipes
   2. Magic Eraser
   3. Dish Soap
   4. Stain Stick
   5. Sewing Kit
   6. Lint Roller
   7. < >< >Shoe Shine Kit
2. Wipe Down your toys and outdoor items. When cleaning an item I have to decide if the extra work and time is worth it. If a minute of my time makes me a few extra dollars then I go for it. If it will take hours I just donate.  For most toys/outdoor items a good wipe down with a Clorox wipe, a soapy cloth or a quick run in the dishwasher will make the item look like new. With some outdoor toy items a Magic Eraser can work “magic” no pun intended.  It works great on plastic and rubber so an outdoor playset or a bike can look sparkling with just a quick swipe.
3. Refreshing your clothing.  If your kids are anything like mine they can wear something once and spill something on it in a hot minute.  The stain stick is a miracle worker in my house.  So when preparing my items it is worth applying a spot treatment on a small stain to save it from the donate pile. In the winter months a razor can come in handy with some piling on a sweater. A sewing kit can be used to fix a loose button.  Did you know that most shirts with buttons have a spare sewn into the shirt on the inside bottom? So if you lose one you have an extra.  It takes me less than a minute to sew on a button to save the item from the donate pile.
4. Refreshing your shoes.  I’ll be honest most of my kids shoes never make it to the sale. My kids are so hard on shoes they are usually in to bad a shape to resale. Occasionally I will have a few pairs that still have some life in them. I have found with tennis shoes a toss into the washing machine works wonders. A swipe with the Magic Eraser on the rubber soles will get rid of the dirt and make it look new again. I also find with sandals and dress shoes a wipe with the Magic Eraser or a rub down with a shoe shine kit will make the item look shiny and new.
5. Refreshing your baby items. Most baby items like high chairs, bouncy seats  and car seats have removable covers that can be removed and thrown into the washing machine. The plastic pieces can wiped down with a Clorox wipe or a Magic Eraser to make them look new again. If they covers cannot be removed a soapy rag or Clorox wipe can be used for a quick wipe down or spot removal.

In the consignment world where there are most likely more than one of the same item for sale the buyer will always be willing to pay a few dollars more for the item that looks cleaner and newer than the same item with a little wear and tear.  Next week we will focus on pricing your items to sell so you can bring home less and make more on your check.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. If your weekend was anything like mine you were  slammed with kids activities, house work and other time consuming things. So working on your consignment items was probably the last thing on your mind. In the spirit of being busy I have decided we will focus on some of my never fail  time saving tips.  Here's what I personally do to save time and to make consigning easier!

1. Get all the items you wish to consign together in one place.  I keep totes in my hall closet labeled with the For Every Season sale names (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter).  So when I am reorganizing a room or changing out my kids’ clothes (when seasons change), I can place the items I know I will be selling into the correct tote. This way I will not have to sort through the items again when it is time to start tagging.  I also do a quick spot/tear/wear inspection and start a donate pile so I do not to take up precious space in my sale closet. If I think a spot treatment or an extra wash/wiping down will fix the issue I take care of it then rather than waiting until I am tagging and pressed for time.
   You can view a list of accepted items for the Winter Sale HERE.
2. Keep all sale supplies in one place.  I also keep these items in my hall closet next to my sale totes.  I have a smaller tote I use to keep all the sale supplies I will need together.  Think of how much time you would waste if you were looking for your hole punch or the twine you need to tie an item together if they were scattered around the house. I also keep a list of items I use regularly inside this tote and update as needed.
3. When it is time to start your tagging, organize your items.  If you followed my advice in step one you are ready to start in minutes.  I start by grabbing my seasonal and supply tote and find a comfortable area to start working. I then take all of the items from my tote and separate them by like items and then by size (clothing/shoes/accessories).  If you are going to make sets/outfits I do so at this time. By separating my items it makes it easier when I use the computer system to enter my tag information.  I enter all of the similar items before moving on to the next group.  I do this because the computer system drop down box will stay on the same item category/size until you change it. (Ex. I enter all girls’ clothing size 6 before changing to size 7 or moving on to shoes).  If the items were not in order I would continually be changing the item description and size every time I entered an item therefore wasting valuable time.
   You can view tagging information HERE.
4. Choose a tagging option that works best for you.   Once you have entered your items and printed your tags the next step is to hang/package your items and attach the tag. With For Every Season you have the option of hole punching the tags and applying them with safety pins/twine or using a tagging gun. Until recently I have always used the hole punch/safety pin method but have just started to really enjoy using the tagging gun.  I found one on Amazon for $10.00 and it does seem to save me some time and I believe will also save me a few dollars in supplies.
   You can view information on attaching tags to consignment items HERE.
   You can watch How to Videos on the website HERE.
5. Pack like items together for drop off. Now that all my items are tagged, it’s time to get ready for drop off. To save myself time at drop off I pack up all the like items together in paper boxes. This allows me to drop the boxes off and not have to wait around or remember to pick up my totes before leaving. I also keep all my clothing together by size so once the items have been inspected I can place them on the rack and be out of there quickly. 

  Hopefully these tips will help save you some time. If there are any tips that work for you that I am not trying, please let me know. I can always use a few extra minutes in my day! Next week I will give you my tips that will help you make more money on your items. Hope you will stop by.

It’s that time of year again.  The infamous Winter Sale is here and I love, love, love this sale! The Winter Sale is my excuse to NEVER have to participate in a yard sale. This sale is not only for your kids items but your home and holiday items as well. So its a win, win for my whole family. My husband loves we can purge and make some money and the kids love they can make some extra money to do some holiday shopping. 

In my opinion yard sales are good for one thing BUYING! Just like the housing market, yard sales are for buying not for selling. Some of my favorite stories from a good friend of mine (you know who you are) come from her experiences in dealing with people shopping at her yard sale. She has had people ask for bottled water, to use her restroom room and always want to pay less than the sticker price. Just last week she was participating in the neighborhood yard sale and was selling an item for $4.00 (the item was worth over $100 to begin with so it was priced great)  and someone decided to  offer her 50 cents.  Yes you read that right 50 cents.  She said at that point only 30 minutes into the garage sale she decided to pack everything up and donate it to save her sanity.

When you consign your items at a consignment sale there is no haggling, you do not have to sit in the sun or rain to sell your items, and you don’t have to worry about making change for those 50 cents purchases.  All you have to do is price your items, drop them off, and then pick up your check! What could be easier than that?  NOT a yard sale that’s for sure!

Over the next few blogs I am  going to focus on the Winter Sale that will take place November 10-13th and give you some of my hard learned lessons over the last 10 years to help you prepare and make the most of consigning your items at this sale. Check back next week and we will start with some of my time saving tips on getting your items ready to sell.  Hope you stop back by and check it out.