I have held only two garage sales in the past five years, however I was quite pleased with our returns and the small amount of items left behind once it was over.

Do you have enough items, large and small, to make it worth your time and energy? If not, then considering asking a friend to join you and combine your items.

When is the best time to hold a garage sale? First things first, look at a Saturday morning in the middle of month. Possibly a day that falls right after the 15th, when many people get paid. Start times may vary, but always remember the professional garage sale shoppers will arrive at least one hour before your posted start time.

Once you have decided on the date, place an ad in your community newspaper, use craigslist and even use e-vite.com or other free online services to spread the word about your sale. Share some details about what you are selling, as well. It will help to reach your target audience if you have a certain type of items for sale, ie: baby items.

To make shopping easy for your customers, mark EVERYTHING you can in the weeks prior to the sale. Hang clothes by size or sex order, tie shoes together so pairs do not get separated. Clean dust and dirt off of items that may have been setting around for a while. A little cleaning may mean the difference between $1 and $5 on an item and that adds up!

Signage should be simple and consistent. Use the same bright colored paper and not only list your address, but include the time of your sale. If you live near a major highway, utilize larger signage to gain more traffic from these busy thoroughfares. Depending on your location, place signs out as early as the day before to an hour before the start of your sale.

Be sure to have more than yourself running the sale. Two or three people are a huge help to answer questions and take payments. Having change to break 20's is a must! As we all know, if you run to the ATM machine on your way to the garage sale, the smallest denomination is a $20 bill. Be prepared! You don't want to miss out on a sale because you can not make change.

Good luck and happy selling!