For a typical garage sale, having about $100 in small bills and coins on hand is a solid target. A practical mix is $20 in ones, $20–$40 in fives and tens, plus a roll of quarters ; that covers most “I only have a $20” situations without running dry fast.

Good starting mix

  • $20 in $1 bills.
  • $20–$40 in $5 bills and $10 bills.
  • One roll of quarters.
  • Optional: a roll of dimes and nickels if you price items in small increments.

If your sale is small

If you’re only selling a few tables of items, $40–$60 total may be enough, especially if most items are priced in whole dollars or quarters. If you expect a busy sale, early shoppers, or higher-priced items, staying closer to $100 is safer.

Easy rule

Start with enough change to break a $20 bill several times over, because that’s the most common problem at garage sales. Keeping prices simple, like $1, $2, $5, and $10, also reduces how much change you need.

TL;DR: Aim for about $100 total , mostly in ones, fives, tens, and a few rolls of coins.