A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine decided to have a “stoop sale.” I’m not sure if this is just a New York thing, but she’s got some great tips for how to clear out your stuff and make a little extra cash at the same time, no matter where you’re from.

Stoopin' It
By Alexis Finc

I have a confession. I own a lot of crap. I have clothes with tags still on them, more knick-knacks than your grandmother, and too many books to fit on my two full-wall bookshelves. You get the picture. But with a quickly approaching move date and an apartment bursting at its seams, I knew I had to do something drastic—and fast! What's a girl to do? Hold a stoop sale. (For non-city folks, think garage/yard sale, but on a sidewalk.) Two weeks later, my apartment was a bit cleaner and I was $230 richer. Not bad. And that clutter burden on my shoulder? Lifted. How did I do it? Here's my nitty gritty guide to making your sale successful:

Prep:

• Team Work. I was lucky that my best girlfriend, Jaymie, was in a similar boat. Not only could I advertise "multi-family" (a real eye catcher), but I wouldn't have to hang out on a sidewalk all day by myself.

• Location. While the day was no-brainer—Saturday is best but Sunday works as well—we had a hard time deciding where to hold it. My apartment was a little too out of the way, and we were relying on foot traffic. However, four blocks from my place was a cute park that was always packed on the weekends. I made a few phone calls (to city hall and the neighborhood association), and in a few hours we had the green light! Nothing is more important than a prime location.

• Sorting. It's hard to get rid of things, like those Chinese-inspired platforms that my mom gave me in 8th grade and I still haven't worn (sigh). But it was time to be ruthless. Sure, I kept a few things that I still hope to squeeze into one day, but for the most part, if it didn't fit or I hadn't worn it in over a year, it went into the sale box. The same with the knick knacks, though I appreciated all the little tchotchkes that my friends had given me over the years, (like the miniature cow statue that read "Moo Jersey Diner") I had to ask myself “Was this necessary? Does this object bring me joy?” Was there a better way to remember my friend or the sentiment?” In most cases, there was.

• Publicity. I knew that the park would bring a lot of traffic, but Jaymie and I did a little extra advertising. A friend designed a cool flyer, which we stapled around town. We posted on Craigslist.org under "garage sales," and I sent out a bulletin to all my friends via email, Facebook, and MySpace. You might also want to try your local paper or community bulletin boards.

The Big Day:

• Be Prepared. Don't wait until the morning of the sale to think about how much things will cost, or spend an hour trying to find markers, tape, paper and other necessities 'cause you didn't pack it the night before. (And yes, you will need those things!) Have everything sorted and ready to go once your alarm goes off. You might not get to rest all day!

• Start Early. I normally sleep past noon on the weekends but not on stoop sale day! I arrived promptly at 8:30am to set up and there were tons of people out already! In fact, most of the sales I made were before noon, while people were taking their morning jog or dog walk.

• The Fanny Pack. So not attractive, but so necessary. I tried to look cool with a decorative tin can but I quickly realized why people wear fanny packs at garage sales. You don't have the hands to hold everything, or the time to run back to a tin can every ten seconds. I quickly strapped on my bright red AARP pack. (Don't worry. It's a loaner, not a permanent wardrobe staple.)

• Bring Snacks. Obviously, if you're having this at your house, you can just run inside for a quick bite. That wasn't really possible with our stoop sale situation. Luckily, Jaymie's mom came with a cooler of drinks and a bag of munchies (Thanks Fran!). AND my good friend, Maggie, culinary genius and food editor of iVillage, came to hang out and brought some hot dogs—fixin's included. (Read Maggie's blog about what to serve at your sale.) Later, she made us s'mores! Needless to say, we were stuffed and happy.

The Pay Off (and not just in $$)

At the end of the day, Jaymie and I were exhausted. Not only did I sweat a good deal, but I was covered with a thin coat of dirt from the park and the junk we were peddling. But our hard work paid off! I made $230, which was pretty awesome considering most stuff was selling for $3 or under. There were a lot of other benefits to our stoop sale as well. I got to meet a bunch of my neighbors, all of them nice and some extremely…interesting, and I got to pet a bunch of super cool dogs. Plus, everything that didn't sell was donated to the Salvation Army. That's some pretty good karma right there.

Oh, and did I mention I got a pretty nice tan?