Like so many families who find their homes overrun by clutter, we had fought back by staging a yard sale. Throughout that day, strangers and neighbors perused bits of our past - some trivial and some deeply nostalgic - offering a dollar, maybe five, to take possession.

It was cathartic. It was profitable. And it was much harder work than we'd expected.

Holding a lucrative and efficient sale takes planning, patience and a willingness to let go of the miscellany that clogs your basement or attic.

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