Q. My wife and I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. Now we need to move to a retirement community and must thin our possessions. We see garage sales and yard sales around, but have no idea where to start. Do you have tips?

A. Esther Maddux, professor and extension specialist at Kansas State University, specializes in personal financial planning. Here are some of her suggestions.

Decide what you want to get rid of. Then decide what to give to children and others. What’s left can be divided into two categories: items for a yard sale, and items that will have to be thrown away.

Here are some basic steps in planning:

• Get your stuff together and decide how to organize and display it.
• Decide on a date and time.
• Advertise. Use word of mouth. Have fliers made, and put up signs so people can find your sale.
• Price all items and put the prices on with press-on tags. One guide suggests one-fourth to one-fifth of the original price. If something is defective, mark it “As is.” Set prices in multiples of five so making change is easier. Allow for bulk purchases — books might be 25 cents each or five for a dollar.
• Get items ready and arrange similar things together, such as books on one table, toys on another.

The retired director of Rock Springs 4-H Ranch and the Kansas 4-H Foundation, Merle Eyestone of Manhattan, has conducted numerous garage sales in which he sold not only family items but articles he had bought at auctions as well. Here are some of his suggestions.

The owner must decide if the purpose of the sale is to make money or to clear away items. The latter will call for lower prices.

Have two-day sales and cut prices on the second day to get rid of items. Also, consider having a “free” table.

“By the morning of the sale, be sure to have plenty of change: quarters, dimes and nickels, because it’s tough to run out,” he says.

If items are valuable (rings, watches or some tools), put them near the cash box.

Check in your community. There are charities in some locations that will come and pick up your leftovers. When the sale is over, relax and enjoy the extra space and money.