Out with the old

I love a good Car Boot Sale and today was the first of the season for me. I think Car Boot Sales and second hand markets are a bit like Marmite- you either love or hate them! I know a few people who can't think of anything worse than trawling around a field or hall looking through someone else's junk - Ha! Well I think the prospect of being captivated by something and getting it at a bargain price is just magic.

Preparing to sell at a car boot can be a bit of a mission but it's worth it when you're counting your cash at the end of the day. The clearing out process is quite enjoyable for me. I put a bit of music on, drag all the vacuum bags full of clothes from under the bed and the loft, tip them all out and get sorting. Below are a few tips from me and how I make the process as pain-free (and in my case look forward to spending some of that cash for your pre-loved wares):



Sorting/Storing
OK - so this bit is the worst bit. Once you have broken the back of this, most of the hard work is done.

1. Store all your clothes in vacuum sealed bags if you can. This stops the moths from feasting on your lovely clothes and helps to keep them fresh.

2. When putting clothes away, it goes without saying that they must be clean. You wouldn't want to buy dirty clothes so don't sell dirty clothes.

3. Pack any delicate or beaded items in acid free tissue paper as it helps to protect them.

Note: below is a bad example of storing and displaying your goods!



The lead up
Any former Brownies or Girl Guides will know what is coming next...Be Prepared!

1. Make sure you have a float and plenty of change. There's nothing more embarrassing than making a sale and not having any change.

2. Ensure you have a safe place to keep your takings. Do not keep them in your purse, or you won't know what you started with or be able to know how much profit you made.

3. If you're selling clothes and shoes make sure you take a clothes rail and/or a sheet/tarp so you can display things. If people can't see them, they won't buy them!

4. Pricing- now this one has me split down the middle. I personally don't price any of my items, I find it works better to engage in conversation and take offers. You can only say no, or meet them in the middle. A bit of banter adds to the fun! On the other hand, if you are sure you have a price in mind for each item and you don't want to budge, then feel free to get the price gun or stickers out.

5. If you are taking your own car then make plenty of room for your items. I bag all mine up by type so I know what I have and can get to them quickly to set up. If you're packing the car in advance, cover everything up once it's in to stop any potential thieves. This may sound a bit scary but it's worth doing in my book.

On the day
1. Take carrier bags. It's surprising how many people can be deterred from buying if they can't carry their purchases. I store up supermarket bags and re-use these.

2. Take a flask of coffee, suncream, raincoat, and anything else you might need on a day out. In the UK we can get a day of all seasons so expect anything!

3. Make conversation with your pitch neighbours and the punters. A smile goes along way and it puts people at ease. Us Brits aren't natural hagglers, so make it easy and fun with some chat.

4. Say thank you! OK, this may sound really obvious but just because you are selling second hand goods doesn't mean pleasantries and manners disappear. If you take someones cash for your unwanted things, it's just polite to say thank-you!



Packing up
The sale is over and you have a pocket full of cash - YAY!!

1. Pack any unsold items away neatly (and by type if you are like me!)so they are ready for next time. This will save you time and make sure things don't get damaged.

2. Decide what you are going to do with you're takings after a sit down with a cup of tea!

You can find listings of where car boots are held in your local paper or on school websites as a lot of PTA's use them as a way to generate income from the pitch fees. You can also scout them out on websites such as Car Boot Junction

Good Luck with your next Car Boot!

Losing your Mojo...and how to find it!

I can't believe that is has been over a month since my last blog post! It just goes to show how much motivation and inspiration I got from doing the blogging course and how fired up my brain was. The past month seems to have gone so quickly, but I have to admit I have not been feeling at my best, which is maybe why my mojo seems to have gone into hibernation. Do you ever have times like this, when your creativity and "you-ness" just seems to have turned its back and run away?

I hate feeling like this but when it happens I know it's my bodies way of telling me that something is out of balance. So my mission? Get my "me-ness" back, pronto.

So how am I going to do this, where do I start? Where would you start?

They say a healthy mind is a healthy body and this phrase is naturally true in reverse. I used to salsa dance all the time but since working in my current job I have let this passion fall by the wayside and it makes me feel quite sad. I am the first to admit that I am not happy with my body but bizarrely, moving it makes me feel so good! I have half-heartedly said that I will go back to salsa classes and in my mind I can justify taking the time out to go, but when the day comes round, I give in to my tiredness and slink home to become a couch potato. Well, this just won't do! My weeks fill up quite quickly and I am aware that I don't want to do too much and not leave some down time in the calendar. I have resolved that in addition to my weekly pole fit classes, I will go back to Zumba (I am lucky enough to have a class within walking distance) and so far I have managed to go 3 weeks running and feel so tired but so alive afterwards. Do you have a "go-to" feel good activity?



As part of my quest for the body beautiful I am trying to shed some extra pounds. This is an ongoing a slow process but far healthier than starving myself. I have about 21 lbs to go until I will be truly happy but it's do-able. In the coming 8 weeks I am going to push for a bit of a blitz and get the weight loss really moving, which means saying no to treats and planning and thinking ahead as I have some tricky social situations on the horizon that include food. Salad, veggies and fruit will be on the up and puddings and bread will be kept in the fridge and cupboard. Another commitment I need to make is to drink more water, is that just me? Our bodies are made up of so much water and I know that a lot of the time I feel so groggy because I'm dehydrated. I saw a tip somewhere a while ago that showed a 2 litre bottle of water with chunks of time marked on with a marker pen. By each time marker the goal is to have drunk all the water in that chunk. You can see an example here from the Little Family Fun blog...I think I'm going to give this one a go! I forget to drink and reward based activities are always a good motivator...What are your tips for staying hydrated?



I am just about to start a week off, so hopefully this will mean plenty of "Me" time to refresh and claw back some of my feel-good vives!

Feel free to share your mojo tips, it's always inspiring to see what tips work for others.