Tag Archives: Moving Tips

Moving is an ideal time to free yourself of unwanted items and Craigslist really is a great way to do it.  I frequently use Craigslist to sell items I no longer have any use for and I’ve had success with almost every sale.  It’s most ideal when you have several semi-large ticket items and you want a fairly simple selling transaction.

Craigslist is easier and less time consuming than a yard sale and is more powerful and widely used than any other auction/classifieds site.  This is especially true when you desire a quick local cash transaction for household items.  If you have plenty of time and really big ticket items or specialty pieces eBay may be a better option.

Most importantly, if you’ve never sold anything online don’t dread the process.  Craigslist is especially easy to use, partially because of its limited features and the minimal time required to open an account and post an ad.

Benefits of Craigslist

• Anonymous posting – You do not have to give anyone any personal information until you are ready to sell.
• Sell on your time – As opposed to garage sales where you need quite a bit of prep plus an entire day to devote, you just set up the ad and reply to inquiries through email or by phone at your leisure.
• Easy set up – Probably the easiest account setup for any online classifieds service.

Tips for selling on Craigslist

• Research prices of comparable items – A brief search through other Craigslist postings can give you an idea of the items for sale and there prices.  Obviously if you have time you can price your item more aggressively than if you have to sell within a couple of days.
• Include pictures – If possible for the item, include any decent pics you have or take some if necessary.  Any pic is almost always better than no pic.
• Describe your item well - You don’t need a sales pitch here but be sure to include make, model, year, condition, color, size, maintenance history or any other info of interest and as required.
• Tell shoppers why it’s for sale – Potential buyers are on the look out for people unloading items because they are broken or trashed so if you’re selling because of a move be sure to say so.
• You don’t need to include a phone number or email address! – Although including a phone number or personal email might get a little more response than just allowing people to reply through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process, you will almost definitely work harder as well.  This is because you will be forced to work through the selling process on the potential buyer’s time as opposed to on your own, negating one of the big benefits of this method.  You’ll get calls and emails from hagglers and halfway interested folks and can waste substantial amounts of time.  Instead I recommend just waiting for email inquiries to come through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process and then reply to potential buyers that seem like the best fit.  Remember though that when you do finally reply directly to potential buyers you will have to give up your email address, so if you’re really concerned about privacy you may want to use a secondary email account to send ad inquiry replies from to protect your primary email account information.

Hopefully this helps for those who have been hesitant to try this site.  It’s a fantastic option for getting cash for items you aren’t using and don’t want to move.  With Craigslist you can make money by selling your stuff while saving money by moving less all without spending a lot of time.

If you’ve just moved in to a new home with your kids, here are some simple steps you can take to organize their new room, and keep it that way.

1. Give them control
You already know your children are full of ideas, so allowing them to participate in the organizing plan is a great first step. Instead of making decisions for them about where their toys should be stored or how to sort their clothes, let your little ones make the decision for themselves. Maybe they want their clothes organized by color instead of type, when you had planned on doing the reverse. Work with your kids to find out where they think things should go, and use those ideas to find appropriate homes for all of their stuff. Your kids will feel a lot more invested in a system that they can help design, rather than one that is imposed on them.

2. Keep it simple
A common pitfall of people who organize for their children rather than with them is that they create complicated systems oriented toward adults. Keep in mind that for your kids, a simple solution is likely to make the most sense. Try to avoid too many complicated categories and hard-to-use gizmos. Instead, keep categories straightforward and age-appropriate, and make sure that any containers or specialized organizing tools, such as craft boxes, re-closable plastic bags, etc., can be safely and easily used by your child.

3. Make storage accessible
Chances are, your kids can’t reach as high as you, and can’t lift as much either. I’ve gone into a number of homes where well-meaning parents had storage bins full of toys that had been stacked nearly floor-to-ceiling. When I asked how easy it was for the kids to access the toys in the bottom bin, the parents usually say “not very.” If your kids can’t easily access their storage system, they won’t use it. When you’re ready to design your children’s storage system, ask yourself these three questions:

• Would your kids be better suited with easy-to-slide drawers instead of stackable bins?
• Is everything at a height that’s accessible?
• Will they be able to put things away without straining?

4. Label everything
For kids (as well as for adults), a label on something makes it “official.” Once a drawer has a label that says “socks” and a storage container is labeled “dolls,” those become the official homes for those items. As long as everything has a clearly labeled home, the chances of items finding their way back to those homes become much greater.

5. Use color
Finally, kids love color, so use it in their organizing systems! Color-coded storage areas, drawers, and other containers are a creative way of “labeling” functions of your kid’s storage system. Pick colors that are their favorites, and even have meaning to them. For instance, pink can be where your little girl keeps her dolls while red might be perfect for all of their colorful art supplies. Find a system that works, and remember to get them involved in the process.

Spending time with your kids developing organizing ideas and solutions can be a fun and rewarding way to settle them in to their new rooms. Soon, you may find that your kids’ rooms practically clean themselves!

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Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer ® is a guest blogger for One Simple Move and the founder of Custom Living Solutions, an organizing and productivity consulting firm specializing in helping clients maximize their creativity and productivity in their offices and homes. He is the 2009-2010 Chapter President of the National Association of Professional Organizers, San Francisco Bay Area chapter, and speaks nationally and locally on organizing and productivity topics. For more information and FREE organizing ideas, visit www.customlivingsolutions.com or call 415-830-6345.

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