Start your new year off right with tips to a “clean” beginning.

I have two New Years Resolutions this year.  Looking at my closet it is easy to see why I’ve chosen “To Be More Tidy” as one of them.  I choose the word tidy because I need to work on more than just picking up after my self, but learning how to organize my house (and closets!) so that I will be able to keep it clean.

Unloading the dishwasher is also a big “tidy” problem area in my house.  It has always been a chore I’ve struggled with.  We all have that one chore that isn’t that hard to do but that we would rather sell our souls than do it on a regular basis.  Loading it up is no problem, but for some reason putting clean plates in the cabinets seems like lifting a 40 pound anvil.  Let’s hope I can get over that one in ’09.

My closet is nothing short of a hot mess.  Shoes are everywhere, clothes are hung up in no order and most of them are hung up inside out!  There is evidence of a few feeble attempts I had to organize the whole thing when I moved in.  I bought some cute shelving to help organize and store my shoes, but looking at it this morning it seems it is only organizing the shoes I don’t wear anymore.

I thought about how many people must have this same problem (or at least I’m hoping.)  So I came up with a few tricks and tips on organizing the messy areas of your home.  Your messy areas might be the closet, the garage, the pantry… 

1.  Before you start, set up a reward for yourself or any of your family that helps you.  Working towards a goal will help you see the task through.  I am thinking a manicure for me.  If it’s a family event, planning a special dinner or dinner outing is always a good idea too.  You’ll be amazed at how hungry will equal clean closer and closer to your goal.  The reward is not only a great motivating factor, but it’s also a great bonding experience.

2.  Set up the supplies first.  I hate cleaning the bathroom.  I guess I don’t know anyone who likes it.  One time my roommate got my yellow cleaning gloves dirty and threw them away.  Although I was ready to have a Clorox date with my tile floors, there was no way I felt I could clean with out those gloves.  By the time I had gone to the store and fought the traffic I wasn’t motivated to clean anymore.  Look over all the stuff that you need to clean up and get prepared with any cleaning supplies or proper storage equipment that you might need the day before you start.

3.  Sort into piles.  Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.  Attack your mess from all angles!  (It’s not easy chore no matter where you start from!)  I find it helpful to put all of my stuff into piles.  I have a THROW pile a KEEP pile and a SELL pile.  Be generous with your throw pile.  This one is hard, but you obviously weren’t using it enough and it became a mess.  One bad apple….  The best part about cleaning is the sell pile.  A lot of stuff gets thrown away that is old or broken, but there is also a lot of stuff that people throw that is in great condition.  Sell this stuff at a garage sale or post it online!  Now, how is a little extra spending money for a reward!?

4.  Enjoy your reward! Take a look at the difference you made.  Before and after pics are always fun and can help you really visualize the difference you made!  Now you can enjoy your extra space and your reward!

A bad Christmas gift to you could be a treasure to someone else.

Receive a Flowbee from your aunt this Christmas?  Perhaps a Barbie from the grandfather who thinks you will always be eight years old?  (That one actually happened to me when I was 19.  Let’s talk about it.)  It is amazing how many awesomely bad gifts are out there.  It is even more amazing that someone might actually want that gift! 

Instead of chunking that garden gnome or McDonalds VHS out the window, you do have options.  You can always regift, but that can be tricky.  Unless you know that someone will really want that gift, be careful.  The original gift giver could find out you gave it away and could get their feelings hurt.  Or the person you regift it to might hate it as well and that puts you at risk for getting it back next year.

The best thing to do with a horrible gift is post it for sale online.  You may not love that Flowbee, but a woman with a long haired dog might really enjoy it.  Just think, you could actually get money for that thing!  You can think of it as payment for having to endure the shame of opening it up in front of your entire family.  Just remember that it may be a horrible gift to you, but it might be the perfect gift for someone else.

What is the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?

Check out these deals all around Auburn!

We love getting a good deal.  And that’s the whole purpose of our site!  When you use TheFreeWay, we make sure you get the cheapest online deals as well as the cheapest deals in your favorite stores.  That’s why we’ve found coupons to all of our favorite stores around town and are sharing our saving secrets with you!

Here is a list of great Veterans Day deals all around Auburn.  Just click on the link and print out the coupon!  Even if you are looking at this post past November 11th, click on the link and see what kind of deals these stores have currently.  Happy shopping!

Old Navy
Aeropostale
Best Buy
Books A Million
Gap
Foot Locker
Hot Topic
JC Penny
Journeys
Khols
Target
Dicks Sporting Goods

Thanks for coming to see us on Halloween!

We thought the Downtown Trick or Treat was a blast.  If you were there I’m sure you had a good time too.  We gave out a heart stopping amount of candy and saw amazing costumes.  Thanks for all of your support!  We can’t wait to do it next year.

And We’ll Bring Coffee and Doughnuts!!!

Yard Sale season is winding down, but that does not mean you still can’t have the best sale on the block.  If you are planning a yard sale let us know!  We love yard sales and we love being invited to them even more.  Just send us an email telling us that you want us to be at your yard sale we will show up to reward you with some free help. 

Advantages of having TheFreeWay at your yard sale:
1. Piping hot coffee and delicious doughnuts for free for both you and your customers. 
2. Promotional goodies to give away.
3. Extra yard sale signs in your neighborhood.
4. An extra hand for setting up if you need it.
5. Smiling faces to keep you company.

This can apply for any event or grand opening as well.  We would love to bring coffee and doughnuts to your event!  Just let us know the time and the place and we won’t show up empty handed.

TheFreeWay will be getting new features and a new look soon!

We are always looking for ways to improve our site.  TheFreeWay is ready to make some upgrades to better serve our community.  The upgrades will make the site run quicker and will make it easier to use and search through ads.  Also be looking forward to a new design that will make it quicker to use and easier on the eyes.

New features to look for when the site re-launches:

Coupons - The upgrades to the homepage will feature a coupon section so you can save online and around town.  FreeWayers can find great local coupons online and even print them out from their own computer!         

Photo Galleries – There will be plenty of pictures of great things we’ve found on TheFreeWay, pictures of cool things we found at garage sales, or funny pictures we’ve found from all over. 

Video -  Users will soon be able to upload videos of items they are selling.  We will also have some cool creative video contests coming up.

New Layout – The site will have a new layout to accommodate all of our new features, but it will also have all of the main categories on the home page so that FreeWayers can easily dive right in to the ads.

Prizes – We will be giving out prizes every month to our users. We want to show our users how much we love them and will be giving away great prizes every month for free.  What is better than getting cool stuff for free!

We are looking to re-launch the site at the beginning of November.  We will keep you updated with specific dates.  And keep us updated too.  We really want to hear from you! Let us know what you want or what you don’t want or just tell us what you think so far.   
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A few tips and tricks on what makes a good yard sale sign.

There are many ways to make a good sign for your yard sale, but there are many more ways to make a bad one. Here are a few tips on what makes a good sign with a few bad examples sprinkled in along the way.

- Think BIG. If you scribble your sign with a magic marker then no one will be able to read it as they are whizzing by on the street.  Sketch out where you want your letters to go using a pencil.  Then use a permanent marker or crayon to write lasting bold letters.  (Double check after your sign is up by driving by yourself to make sure you can read it.)

Right.

credit:  http://flickr.com/photos/discarted/484272070/

Wrong.  And please, please spell check.

credit:  http://flickr.com/photos/woodmania/190311205/

- Use sturdy paper. Regular poster board will not always cut it.  If there is any moisture in the air it will fold like a bad poker hand and no one will be able to read it.  Cardboard is a great way to create a substantial home made sign.
- Box it up.  Some neighborhoods restrict people from using fences, utility poles and street signs to affix your sign to. Never use trees and be careful about putting staples in street poles as it might be hazardous to the workers that climb them.  In this case a cardboard box is a great idea for a temporary sign.  Fill the bottom with rocks (so it won’t blow away) and write on the bottom then stand it up.

credit: http://flickr.com/photos/hypowren/474644213/

- X marks the spot. Draw arrows on your signs so that people know which way to drive to get to your house.  (Make sure you plan out where each sign will go and what direction each arrow should face BEFORE you start drawing.)

credit:  http://flickr.com/photos/10007271@N06/784320970/

- Make them similar.  People need to have a little consistency so that when they are following the signs to your yard sale they will know they are going to the right one.  Having 3 completely different signs might mislead people to think there will be 3 different yard sales in the area.
- Flyers are great signs too.  Put up flyers on community bulletin boards too.  Some good places to start would be grocery stores, local schools or community centers.

credit:  http://flickr.com/photos/studiostein/2553815295/

- Make it memorable.  I always want to go to the yard sales with the signs that make me laugh or catch my eye.  Make the sign say something funny or make it a bright color or interesting shape.  My favorite type of sign is in the shape of an arrow. 

credit: http://flickr.com/photos/eraut/558053224/

Of course, always make sure you know the rules and regulations for your neighbor.  Some residents are surprised to find out that some local governments have restrictions on the number of yard sales per day per area.  And most importantly, when promoting your yard sale be aware of the sign restrictions!  Most cities have laws against people putting signs from the sidewalks to the streets, or in the “Public Right of Way.”  Make sure you know where the restricted areas are in your neighborhood so that someone does not take your hard work down and throw it away.

Don’t forget: Take your signs down when your yard sale is over!  You don’t want to litter and more importantly you don’t want unexpected shoppers coming the next Saturday asking if they can purchase your patio furniture.