Garage Sales

Garage sale season has begun!!! I love garage sales and have a few tips to help you.

1. Thursday mornings and Saturdays are the best days. Thursday mornings are when most garage sales start so you will have the best selection at each garage sale. Saturday is when most garage sales end so most people are willing to let you dicker a significantly lower price as they are just anxious to get rid of everything.

2. Don't be afraid to offer less! If you find $6 item you want don't be afraid to ask the seller if they will take $3. The worst thing that can happen is they will say no. Then you can pay full price or leave it. Most people will come back with an offer rather than just say no. Nothing is lost in the asking and a lot of savings can be gained. The original price of the item does not matter. I coached my daughter to offer $0.50 for a $1 bag of jewelry. (They accepted.) I also helped my mom get a $50 couch set for $30. You can bargain an item of any price. You can also offer less for a group. If I find a bunch of clothes I might say, "I have $10 worth of clothes here, will you take $7?"

3. Be creative. I was hoping to find a doll bed. Instead I found a nice basket the right size for the doll. I made a little cushion to go in the bottom and it made an adorable doll bed. I've often seen beautiful wedding dress and prom dress for under $10. If you sew, the fabric in the dresses can be reused to make lovely little girl dresses or christening gowns. Sheets can be ripped up for rag rugs. Let your creativity flow :)

4. Do your gift shopping. I will buy my children nice used toys for Christmas myself but if that bothers you don't worry. You can find tons of brand new, still in the package items at garage sales. People will resell gifts they received but didn't like or items they bought but never used. New baby items abound as babies will grow out of stuff before they ever get used. My biggest find of last summer's garage sales was a brand new food slicer that I paid $7 for. The original price is around $60. I have also gotten a beautiful pair of Liz Clairborne leather ankle boots for $0.75. They were new and still in the original box with price tags of $179. Keep an eye out and be prepared for wonderful surprises.

5. Shop with a list. Yes, in this instance, its fine to get items not on your list too :) Carry a list with you of your childrens' sizes and any specific items you're looking for. I've found taking along a small measuring tape and the measurements of my girls from shoulder to knee really helps with selecting dresses and knowing if they are going to be too short. Without a list it is easy to forget if this child already has black dress shoes in the next size or not, or if that child has snowboots for next winter or not. I love a list!

6. You still need to stick to a budget. Take what you have budgeted to use in cash (small bills is best) and stick with that. Do not spend more than you can afford.

7. If you are going for a while make sure to take snacks and drinks. While supporting the occasional lemonade stand is fun you don't want to waste your garage sale money on expensive baked good and overpriced sodas because then you might not have enough to buy those adorable shoes.