04/10/2025
Hey everyone!
I wanted to share a full breakdown of the income and expenses from this year’s Yinnar Community Garage Sale so everyone can see exactly where the money went.
This event has always been shaped by community feedback. From reducing balloons to introducing maps, adding safety measures, and keeping fees as low as possible. I really value the input people give each year, and I want to keep being completely transparent about how everything is managed
Expenses:
Map printing: 50 maps printed @ $1.50 each = $75
Posters: 20 x A3 coloured @ $1.50 = $30, 20 x A4 @ $0.75 = $15
Street signage: 2 large signs ($40) + backing boards ($90) + stakes ($40) + waterproofing spray ($20) = $190 (more on that to come)
Bakery voucher: $20 (discounted thanks to the bakery’s generosity )
Money box for volunteer: $15
Plastic folder for keeping maps safe: $5
Facebook advertising: $40
Canva subscription (for high-quality advertising and poster design): $20
Total expenses: $410
Income
Participation fees: $10 per household – $170 received after online platform fees (from $210 total)
Online map sales (Payhip): 16 maps @ $2.00 = $32 before fees (~$1.57 received per map)
In-person map sales: 42 maps @ $2.00 = $84
Total income: $286
Balance:
Total income: $286
Total expenses: $410
Overall shortfall: –$124
At my own person garage sale I came away with a profit of $382.50 but as this was my own person items I have decide not to include that also I do acknowledge that I would not have profited so well without having so many people attend out little town.
Considering I spent much more last year on things like posters and signage (all out of my own pocket), coming away with a –$124 shortfall this year doesn’t feel too bad in my opinion. These type of events involved a lot of trial and error but I’ve learned a lot and improved things along the way.
This event has always been a community effort at heart, but it’s also something I’ve poured a lot of my own time, energy and resources into because I genuinely love seeing how our town comes to life during events like this!
About the Street Signs:
The street signage was a bit of a learning curve this year. Initially, I spent $40 on two signs, thinking they’d be simple and effective. Unfortunately, they didn’t survive their first night with the combination of strong winds, rain and general wear completely ruined them almost instantly. 😢
To prevent that from happening again, I invested in sturdy backing boards ($90), metal stakes ($40), and waterproofing spray ($20) so the signs would stay upright and legible throughout the weekend. The wooden stakes from the first attempt aren’t included in the breakdown, as they weren’t reusable.
This part of the project involved quite a bit of trial and error, but the goal was to create signage that could withstand Yinnar’s strong weather and also be reused in future years if the event continues. It was important to me to make something durable, practical, and sustainable that could last well beyond this one weekend.
A Few Notes:
-Both the online maps and $10 participation fees had commissions deducted by the websites used, meaning I received around $7 per house instead of the full $10, and $1.57 per map instead of $2.
-I plan to use a different payment and information system next time to avoid these fees while keeping things easy for everyone.
-Some online maps didn’t send correctly (very sorry about this) so about three printed maps were given free as replacements.
• Around 12 printed maps were left over at the end of the day.
• Stationery items (like staples and screws) weren’t included, as they’ll be reused next year.
Acknowledgements:
I’ve done the majority of this work myself, but I want to take a moment to thank a few amazing people who helped make it all possible:
💛 Katrina Auld, who was such a huge help posting flyers and offering support along the way.
💛 My husband, Patrick, for putting up with me obsessively glued to my phone answering questions, and spending hours on my laptop creating posts and trying to sound as professional as possible.
💛 My mum and dad, for their support and encouragement through the event.
💛 And a little shoutout to Spell Check, because honestly, I don’t think I’d have the confidence to post half as much without it. 😉
This year wasn’t easy behind the scenes, and there were definitely moments of trial and error, but the support from everyone has made all the difference. The event might not have been perfect, but it was full of heart.
So thank you again to everyone who supported, helped, or simply showed up.
The Yinnar Garage Sale continues to grow because of the community’s ideas, effort, and generosity so again thank you
I’m not sure yet if I’ll run it again next year, but if I do, it will be with everything I’ve learned and hopefully a little less chaos 🙏
