Camping equipment, furniture, dishes, books, clothes are all items that can clutter up our lives and what better way of getting rid of it than having a garage sale.

It can be a very helpful way to clear out the items you no longer want and can add a little cash to your pockets.

Jenn Handley, has been organizing the Nanton Community Garage Sale for five years, has some advice on hosting a successful garage sale.

She says if you are thinking of having a sale start by placing some empty boxes around the house.

"Start going room-to-room and constantly have those boxes on hand," Handley said. "Have them broken down into kitchen and kids stuff and tools."

And it is even better if you price things as you add them to the boxes, makes it much easier the day of the sale.

If you have good stuff to sell you will have a successful garage sale she added, if you just have odds and ends you might not have as much success.

As to what you should sell Handley says there really are no limitations as someone's junk is always another's treasure.

If you feel something is not worth much, or anything, put it in a big box of free items for people to go through, and if it is broken, torn or stained don't add it to your for sale pile.

On the day of the sale add something big by the road, and perhaps your free items box, to tempt people to stop.

"Put your big items out front, like furniture, that is what a lot of people are looking for and that is the key to get them in."  

If you are looking to make a lot of money, a garage sale might not be the place for you to unload your surplus stuff.

"At the end of the day it is a garage sale and you want to get rid of your stuff so price it to sell. If you want top dollar for something try selling it on a buy and sell page."

Also make sure you have price tags on everything and make sure you have bags and boxes to send people away with.

If you are shopping at garage sales, make sure you have small bills and change ready, it is easier to bargain for a two-dollar item if you are paying with coins as opposed to a twenty dollar bill.

This year more than 25 homes are already signed up for the Nanton 4th Annual Parade of Garage Sales on June 24th, which has 50 to 60 homes taking part each year.

"It is becoming quite the event, " said Handley. "We promote it from Lethbridge to Red Deer and we hand out about 2,000 brochures on the weekend."

The day also features the 4th Annual Lemonade Parade Challenge.

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