Any Ideas?...Entire Contents Must Go!

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by MaryleeII

Do make sure you go through everything first. You may be amazed! Older people (sorry, I don't know your MIL age), sometimes hide valuables, like money, jewelry, etc. make sure you give the place a thorough once-over first. If you consign, be aware any valuables found in the household belong to the consignor.

And Goodwill will not "take everything" Call and find out, but typically they will not take upholstered furniture, furniture that has to be moved down a flight of stairs, etc. Again, call in advance.

Don't think of this as a way to make money, think of it as a way to get rid of stuff. Otherwise, you have to pack it (materials cost money), somehow move it, store it---you're ahead if they take the stuff free!

Since when will Goodwill not take upholstered furniture? Is this a new policy?

[loves2read]

They take it by us in TX--was in Goodwill today and there were upholstered pieces being sold...

If you MIL lived in condo you might contact the president of the condo assoc--I am sure there have been other people in your situation--maybe s/he could offer some practical suggestions as well as tell you if your mom had friends you might not know about among condo dwellers...
maybe they would be willing to help...

[Ranrich]

Thanks, everyone, for your great suggestions. We found out last night that one of our daughters has managed to take a week off from work and will be coming to Bradenton with us, giving us the extra help needed to go through everything and hold our own sale. Whew! As per suggestions, anything not kept or sold will be donated. We plan to advertise the sale on Craigslist as well as the local paper. Does anyone know if Bradenton has any laws pertaining to small roadside signs directing you to the location? Of course, they would be removed as soon as the sale is over. Thanks again...isn't this forum great?

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by Ranrich

Thanks, everyone, for your great suggestions. We found out last night that one of our daughters has managed to take a week off from work and will be coming to Bradenton with us, giving us the extra help needed to go through everything and hold our own sale. Whew! As per suggestions, anything not kept or sold will be donated. We plan to advertise the sale on Craigslist as well as the local paper. Does anyone know if Bradenton has any laws pertaining to small roadside signs directing you to the location? Of course, they would be removed as soon as the sale is over. Thanks again...isn't this forum great?

I don't know the regulations for signs in LA. However, we had a garage sale in TX. They do not like signs attached to trees, fences, etc. We attached signs to large boxes, weighed down with some stones, etc. That way they're not "attached". also, a peeve of mine---put the DATE on the sign, not just Sat, etc. and take the signs down later. We kept a list of locations, its amazing how you can forget a sign or two.

Another suggestion of mine---keep prices in even amounts---$1, not 99 cents. That saves you from making change so much, which can get awkward. Be flexible with your prices, remember, every item sold is another you don't have to box and move. good luck!

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by loves2read

They take it by us in TX--was in Goodwill today and there were upholstered pieces being sold...

If you MIL lived in condo you might contact the president of the condo assoc--I am sure there have been other people in your situation--maybe s/he could offer some practical suggestions as well as tell you if your mom had friends you might not know about among condo dwellers...
maybe they would be willing to help...

Ok, well.....some places won't take upholstered furniture, just something to double-check, especially with a tight time frame.

[City__Datarer]

I'm sorry for your loss.

If you have leftover items after your sale and find that any are not what a charity would normally want, I would think, since you'll likely have a combination of things they'll want and things they won't want, that you should be able to bargain with them and get them to take everything away in exchange for getting some things of value (as long as you make it clear in advance that some of the items are desirable and that having them take everything is the only thing that will work for you).

I found myself some years back, having just relocated to a new city, having an auto shop tell me my car wasn't worth fixing. So I needed to junk it and started calling places in the paper. When I started out by telling them the make, model, and year of the car and saying I didn't want any money for it, just needed to get it off the auto place's property, two places said they didn't want it. I hadn't expected that junk car places would refuse my junk car! What to do?! I took a deep breath, thought about what I could do, and when I called the next place on the list, I took a different approach and really did a sales pitch ("It's got four almost new tires, I had the x replaced three months ago, etc., etc.") The guy said, "I can only give you $50 for it; that's all we ever pay for a junk car."

It made me laugh--I know nothing about the value of junk cars, whereas for these guys it was their business to figue out whether the car had any value to them! Yet it was how I approached them that made them want (or not want) my car. Interesting experience for me! So keep in mind, the way you word things can make a difference when you approach whomever about having the leftover things hauled away for you!