Everything must go...

Today was our House Clearing Sale, and I must say it was an unequivocal success.  I was not too optimistic about how much we would sell, but we have at close of play made £208.25.  Not that the sale was about the money, more about trying to shift as much of our big pieces of furniture as possible.

The first hour of the sale started quite well, with a lot of passing trade from our neighbours, who cleared up a lot of the smaller items, such as jewelery, a wine rack and a few books and lamps.  The biggest sale item in that early phase was the very first, and that was my bike.

Things kind of went dead by about 11 o'clock, and although we needed to keep an eye on the door in case the odd passer by took an interest, we managed to have some lunch and a little doze before any more customers turned up. 

One interesting outcome of having our front door open all day, was the welcome arrival of Gingerpus, a beautiful ginger cat that decided to claim our house as part of its extensive territory.  Since Fatso died our house has been distinctly cat-less, which has left the house feeling somehow empty, so to have a new cat come to visit is a most welcome thing.

The sale really kicked off again around 3 o'clock when a guy who used to work with B back in the day bought a couple of friends around, and they completely cleared us out.  Well not quite, but as good as.  The took both our dressers, a wardrobe a coffee table and a side table, as well as a lamp, soft toys, garden tools and a large bowl.  They have had to make three trips to take away everything.  It made the last hour of the sale a little embarrassing as the room suddenly looked so empty.

There are still a few more things that we will need to sell (or if all else fails donate to charity), such as the sofa, but I know a friend from work was interested in looking at that.  Then there is the car, we did have a couple of people look at it today, as an offshoot of the house clearance sale, but no-one was really that committed.  If the car hasn't sold by the end of the month, I will be willing to pay to advertise on Autotrader.

One thing I can say about a house sale is that although it is hard work for a single day, it was more efficient than even ebay at helping us prepare for a epic move, and a much more social and enjoyable experience.  We should do this more often.

Adam