Yesterday I spent $2.80 at garage sales for 12 items, at an average of 24 cents an item.
What I got:
a small frame
Tupperware thingy perfect for spaghetti
four gifts - Jeff Gordon ponchos stuff for two NASCAR fan friends, a porcelain lemon for a collector of fruit things, and a wool sweater in excellent shape
A very nice high quality child’s sweater that I will give to some grandparent or parent at work (I stuck it in the bag of clothes for a dollar bag)
Clothing for me: one piece footy jammies (these things sell new at $35!), a sweater, a nice blouse, and a pair of slacks
A shirt for My Guy
I spent perhaps two hours at the sales, and I’d say used no more than half a gallon of gas maximum.
I can’t recommend garage sales enough. I’ve heard various arguments against it, but I feel they have their place. “It’s too easy to buy things you don’t need.” If someone has trouble scooping everything up I understand that. But if you avoid garage sales for this reason, you miss the items that you do need. I’ve been wanting a crock pot with a lift out crock for quite a bit. I was able to get a very nice one last week for $3. I’d have missed it if I hadn’t gone to the sales.
One thing that I plan to use sales for this year is gift shopping. I’ve gone to thrift stores and garage sales with a different mindset: if I see something a friend would really like, I buy it, then stick it in a gift box until a birthday or Christmas comes along. I’ve gotten nine gifts for $4.90 so far, an average of 55 cents apiece. Since I didn’t have to pick out a gift, what I have selected has been very spot on-I feel confident that most of these gifts will please the recipient.
Now, you won’t always get lucky, but sometimes you hit the jackpot. One year I was getting cases of 24 canning jars for a buck. I’ve been looking for footie jammies for years, and now I own them for a quarter. I also saw other people’s jackpots waiting: at this one sale, there was a large quantity of beautiful large sized women’s clothing. A woman who wore a 2X to a 4X would have had an excellent selection of high quality clothing that looked very well taken care of, at excellent prices. Even though I didn’t need any of those items, there was part of me that was excited for a woman to come along and see that smorgasbord!
One last thing about garage sales: they give me an appropriate sense of sticker shock when I am at regular stores.
May 15th, 2006 at 02:51 am 1147661492
While I have had good luck at times, my best last year was a woman who was selling tools at excellent prices. I even ended up getting a large drill press for my father who paid for it and extra for the effort of getting it to him. Not shabby.
May 15th, 2006 at 03:45 am 1147664718
May 15th, 2006 at 04:14 am 1147666464
Love the gift cupboard idea. I have had one for years, mostly for when I had a bunch of younger kids that were being invited to multiple parties. I hated to take my bunch shopping, it was always awful.....so, they got to pick from the items in my cupboard. Oh, so easy.
May 15th, 2006 at 04:27 am 1147667222