Chesapeake on the Cheap focuses on improving
lifestyles through frugal living, with a special
emphasis on how to put this philosophy into
practice here in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Here are some ideas for fantastic signs
(I always get compliments on my signs)
- Print your signs on bright yellow or lime green paper. These nearly-neon
colors stands out better than white and are still high contrast for
easy readability. Download and use the signs I've included or type
up the information in your word processor, then you can print on the
bright paper using your inkjet or laser printer. Tip: laser printer/copier
toner doesn't run in the rain, so if you live in a rainy area and don't
have a laser printer, consider printing one copy of your sign in black
ink on white paper and have it photocopied onto bright paper. Contrast
is the name of the game, here. No dark colored paper!
- Staple your bright, easy-to-read sign to cardboard for stability.
Or, lacking cardboard, fold the top and bottom edges 1/4" down,
then 1/4" down again--you'll be amazed at the stability this
adds to the paper.
- If you need to put a sign on a corner where you can't plant a stake
in the ground or tape it to a pole (in some areas you can be fined
for attaching a sign to a pole), staple your bright sign to a large
cardboard box. Put the box on the corner where you want it to be seen
and load it with rocks or bricks to hold it in place.
- Look for unclaimed election signs and re-use these for mounting your
garage sale signs. (In my area candidates have 9 days after an
election to retrieve their signs, after that, they're fair game.) These
are wonderful because the ones they use here are made of wire and stick
into the ground in a snap, no need for stakes & a sledgehammer.
- Arrows! Make sure you have a large obvious point on your arrows,
otherwise it just looks like a line from a distance.
- If you live well off the beaten path, consider just using arrows
for the intermittent signs (to tell drivers to keep going in the same
direction--if they need to turn, use a whole sign so it doesn't get
missed). Print the arrows on the SAME COLORED PAPER as your signs so
people can identify them easily. You can print about 6-8 arrows per
sheet. (see #5)
- Don't try to put too much on your sign. Yard Sale (or whatever is
typical for your area) on one or two lines, the date(s) & the times,
the address is optional--it's usually too small to read when printed
on an 8-1/2x11" sheet of paper anyway. Make the type as large
as will fit on your paper. To avoid having to print signs with arrows
pointing opposite directions, use a black permanent marker to draw
arrows on the signs. (see #5)
- Be polite and take your signs down after your sale is over.
- Chesapeake has pretty strict yard sale sign regulations. They don't "appear" to
be enforced, but any defiance of local code is done at your own risk!
These downloads are in PDF format:
If you need a reader, please visit Adobe. |
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