Alice-Azania Jarvis: 'At last I'm ready to jumble – and it's too late to back out now'

In The Red

When I wrote that I was planning to get a stall at a jumble sale, I bet none of you thought I would actually get round to it. I admit, I wasn't too confident either. But guess what? I've done it. Well, not technically done it, I suppose, since the jumble sale is tomorrow – but I think we can safely assume that I'm beyond the stage now where I can back out. I've paid my stall rental. I've invited my friends. And I have – more or less – planned what I'll be selling. Now all I need to do is, um, wash, sort, pack and transport it all. Which is precisely what the next 24 hours are going to be spent doing.

I've already put together several bulky bags full of clothes, shoes, scarves, accessories, CDs and assorted nick-nacks. Now it's just a matter of deciding which are too horrible to put on offer and which might, actually, turn out to be someone else's bargain of the year. Oh yes, and I need to choose the prices. Which could be complicated. I haven't been to a jumble sale since the Nineties: have prices changed? Do jumble sales fall victim to inflation? I'd like to charge as much as I can, as all the money I raise is going to my marathon fund for Save The Rhino. But then I don't want to scare people away. At the moment my plan is to stick to an under £5 rule – so we'll see how that goes.

The sale I've chosen came through a recommendation. It's from Let's Get Ready to Jumble, an organisation which co-ordinates jumbles while stall-holders can choose what to do with their money. They sell everything: records, books, cakes, games, magazines, crafts, you name it. Which appealed to me because I've got a mixed bag of goodies to offer – and I can never resist the opportunity to bake (and eat!) a few cupcakes. Being the February instalment, there's a loose Valentine's theme (the tagline is, rather wonderfully, "Will you be my jumbletine?") so I've decided to offer free gift wrapping to those who want it (some of the jewellery I'm selling is so lovely, and so barely used, that it really is giftable). And, of course, I'll ensure that the aforementioned baked goods have their own hint of l'amour. I've just bought a packet of heart-shaped cookie cutters and I'm looking for a box of pink edible glitter.

This is, admittedly, quite a lot of effort – but then, I get the impression that this is no ordinary jumble sale. It is, I suspect, one of those "hipster jumble sales" with which the media have recently become so enamoured. This can only be a good thing: not only will I be able to raise some money but I'll also be able to pick up the odd vintage bargain for myself. If you fancy joining me, I'll be at Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch, east London. So come along! Anytime between 12pm and 6. It's for charity!