Garage Sale season has started!! :-)

[Joe S.]

My uncle used to love yard sales. He would travel around town in his little pickup. My cousin would often get a call from his dad to come help with the loading. He would have two sales each year at his home (all that the city allowed). A lot of what he picked up he would donate to his church for those in need and the churches rummage sale fundraiser. Some things that he found were donated to Goodwill.

What do you do with your found treasures?

[irish]

katybarstool, What is a 5th wheel? Well, it is a pull behind trailer for camping that has a special type hitch that fits into the other half of the hitch that is attached to the bed of a pickup truck.

Now days these are so big and heavy that usually the pickup truck is a 3/4 ton or heavier duty truck. The 5th wheels are usually 32 to 38 feet in length and have a kitchen, bedroom and more room for sleeping plus a bathroom with tun and shower. Has a little living room plus a "slide out" that makes the 5th wheel trailer wider in several areas.

It is pretty contained but able to support longer term living. Irish

[Linda196]

I was looking at a 5th wheel on the weekend......all I could think of was "caravan on steroids" LOL

This particular one had more kitchen and bath gadgets than my home, and a really neat computer desk with monitor "pocket" that sinks down into the back of the desk and out of site, which also protects it for travel. The full bedroom upstairs (over the hitch and therefore over the bed of the pickup truck) had a queen sized bed, ensuite bathroom and tons of storage!

I don't think these people fully comprehend the concept of "roughing it".

[Bucky]

Kathyx - here's a link to see what the inside of one looks like.  Home away from home.   
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/smileyface131/cherokeeinterior.jpg
No garage sales for me this weekend.  I opted to sleep in on Saturday.   

Joe - the "rules" of garage saling are . . . . lunch and gas are write-offs for the adventure.   

The vast majority of the "finds" I bring home from garage sales goes into decorating my home.  I can do this at a mere fraction of the cost buying them new from the store.  Then, I can switch things out when I tire of them - putting them into my own garage sale and therefore, recycling them.     I just have to be careful they come from a smoke-free, pet-free home because of allergies. 

If I walk into a sale and the person is sitting there smoking a cigarette, I look around quickly and leave.

Bucky

[Katybarstool]

Thanks friends for the information. I want one!!!

I used to have a vision that I would buy a small motor home for myself and hubby and our little dog to travel aroud Europe in when I retired. I've reconsidered that over the past few years though - if I'm away from home, I want a hotel with all the trimmings, and wold probably have to travel by coach, as I can't drive very far without myhips complaining. Hubby doesn't drive. Perhaps I need to trae him in

Bucky, I hope your extra sleep time helped you.

Kathyx

[Pisces24]

Waaah!  We have rain all day Saturday. With next weekend being the Memorial Day holiday, if I want my garage sale fix, I will have to go out and get wet this weekend. Sigh!

[Bucky]

Awwww Pisces24 - garage sales in the rain.     Not the ideal situation - but it CAN be done!

I went to a few today on the way home from the grocery store.  Found a nice retro three-strand pearl like necklace but it's so tiny - a true "choker" - so, I'll have to see if I can add an extension onto it to make it work.  It's really cute.  My 50c find for the day.   

There are some town-wide sales tomorrow - and we too, are suppose to have rain.  So, I'm planning on sleeping in and will probably just skip them this weekend.

Good luck if you venture out tomorrow Pisces 24.

Bucky

[Bucky]

OK - so, I didn't end up sleeping in this morning.  #1 I HAD to get up to take some medicine to keep it on schedule.  #2 It wasn't raining out and Pisces24 put the garage sale bug in me!   

So, while my family slept, I took off for some garage sale therapy.     This was a town-wide sale - those kind are pretty good.

For $31 total I got:

Four brand new items - corner tool rack $5, Scentsy wax blocks $3, pr. of tights $1, pr. of Adidas shoes for $3.

Some books for hubby, son and one for myself - $6.75

A Pyrex bowl from the 50's  (these are collectors items) that matches others that I have and brings back wonderful memories of all the Tollhouse cookies my Mom mixed up in this bowl - 50c.

Silver bracelet - $1

Box of plastic coffee stirrers - 25c

6 vases - $5.50  (I probably paid more for these than I normally would have, but this church was having a sale and nothing was marked, so you just give them what you think it's worth.  Several of these vases are very heavy.  I'm happy with the purchase, so I don't mind the $5.50.)

Girls 6-12 mo. clothes - three bags worth, some new with tags on, for 10c each!!!     I added up the prices the lady had marked on the clothes before she priced everything 10c, and it would have come to $48!  My total was $2.80 - I gave her $5.  (After I got home and added everything up, I should have given her more - but . . . . she's the one who priced everything 10c, so I shouldn't feel so guilty.  All these items are going into MY sale (and I'm charging more than 10c apiece!).  There's some cute dresses, summer outfits, sweater, pr. shoes, sleepers, etc.

So, I am one happy camper - have a lot of good finds.  Also, got in some walking exercise as I parked the car and would hit up 5-6 garages before moving the car again.  I lost track of how many garages I went to, at least 20-25!     And . . . it didn't rain!!   

Pisces24 - I hope the rain held off for your today so you could get some garage sale therapy in too.   

Bucky

 

[Joe S.]

I am looking for a new male body in good shape and the equipment to transfer my consciousness into it. If you can find it cheap enough let me know. I will have to verify that every thing is in good working order before any transaction is completed.

[Katybarstool]

Joe

Mrs Bucky, if you do come across any new bodies, I'd like one please. Would like it to be taller than this one (5'0") and not quite as wrinkled 

Kathyx

PS well done with your spoils. A good days work 

[Pisces24]

I was able to hit a couple garage sales before it rained - so got my "fix" in.

My buy was for $3 a nice laptop carrying case for a refurbished laoptop I bought a week ago.. The garage sale fairies must have know I was looking for one. Usually it is when I STOP looking that I find what I was looking for. LOL

PS: I am getting a "pile" together in my finished basement of stuff I no longer want. So when my charity group, AniMeals has a garage sale, I'll have a bunch to add.  I am still going through stuff but you know how it is - take out 4 and put back 3. LOL 

[Bucky]

Last weekend was a town-wide sale.     I did a lot of walking! 

Didn't find too many bargains - but . . . this may sound strange - but, there is a method to my madness!      For $5, I bought a Guardian Aluminum Commode.  It still has plastic wrap on parts of it.  I looked this up (after I got home) and find they sell new between $60-$100.  We do not NEED this right now . . . but, one never knows when something like this will come in handy.  All I have to do is sanitize it and it's good to go!  (Actually, one could use something like this if they are camping in tents.  I'm also thinking if our power is off for an extended amount of time this might come in handy.)

I try and buy up medical supplies for future use.  In years past, I have bought two aluminum walkers for $5 apiece - one brand new, with the price tag still on!  We have used these walkers on several occasions when our Sciatica is acting up.  We've even let friends borrow them.

I also bought a scarf for work, $1.  Three organizing folders for 25c each. A No Boundaries binder (new) with paper inside for 25c for our son for school.

Last night, I went to a sub-division sale that started late in the afternoon.  Now keep in mind - yesterday we were in the high 90's!  Ugh!     I must have gone to 20 homes and then called it quits - it was just too hot.  The only thing I bought was Oprah's 20th Anniversary Collection CD's (a 6 disc collection of 20 yrs. of memorable guests/shows) for $1.

Oh, by the way . . . I had my own 2-day sale last week.  Did OK - $218.  I still need to dismantle it all . . . it's just been too hot to work out there.  Maybe this weekend or early next week.  Anybody want to come help? 

Happy sailing!!   

Bucky

[Meld256]

Wow, Bucky, you did a great job for all that hot weather!  I couldn't "hang" in the heat...

I love the city-wide yard sales. It's fun just to look around and watch people. We have just a few things now I could put out in a sale.
One thing I would dispose of is my husband's beloved old 80's stereo- the kind with the huge speakers.    Our daughter told him it was the 21st century and needed to go, but he wouldn't hear of it, so I guess I continue to dust the monster.
Marriage is about comprismise, right? The old golf clubs are definately going...

Now that I'm sewing, I taught myself how to make fabric purses. Maybe I can make a few more and sell them?

[Bucky]

It's been a while since y'all have shared any of your garage sale therapy stories.   

I hope you have found some real bargains this summer.

Tomorrow is a sub-division sale that I usually go to - so, I'll get up early and hit the garage sale trail.  Garage sale season will be winding down here shortly, so I've got to get my fix now while I can.   

I'm having a two-day sale of my own two weeks from today.  Anybody want to come and sit out there with me?  We'll have fun!   

When my younger brother came for a visit in July he bought my big tote of kids toys for his new grandson - so, I don't have any toys to sell this time.     (I would buy them at sales for 25c-50c and mark them up for my sale.)

Last month at a sale, this lady had this old (probably from the 1930-40's) maple wardrobe with six vertical drawers down the middle and a closet on each side of the drawers.  It really caught my eye.  The sister of the person having the sale comes over and is talking to me and next thing I know, I'm telling her "sold"! 

Long story short - I really like this wardrobe and want to put it in the bedroom, however, there is an entertainment center in there that holds a TV, plus it has lots of storage.  It would be a major project to get rid of the entertainment center, TV, and find places to put all the stuff I have in the entertainment center.  So, I'm going to try and sell the wardrobe at my sale. 

Today, while in town, I stopped at the quaint antique shop on the square.  The owner happened to be there and I showed her a picture of the wardrobe and asked her if she knew anybody who might be interested in it.  She said she did have someone looking for one.  She would call this person and then the shop owner would call me if the person was interested.  So, we'll see what happens.  My asking price is a little over twice what I paid for it (which I should have no problem getting) as this piece is old.  So, I will end up making money on the deal and all I did was bring the piece home and turn around and resell it.     (The ladies at the sale where I bought it said several people kept looking at the wardrobe even though it had a sold sign on it.  I knew it wouldn't last long when I saw it.)

If any of you are having a fall sale and want to make some money - make popcorn hands.  These have sold really well at my sale.  You take the plastic gloves (these are disposable gloves and come in a package of 100 sold at the dollar store), put a candy corn in each finger (representing a fingernail) and then pop popcorn and fill the glove full - then take some curling ribbon (orange, yellow or black) and close the glove and curl the ribbon.  I charged 50c and sold out each day.

Hoping to find some great bargains tomorrow - plus, I'll get a lot of walking in.   

Bucky

[Bucky]

Good morning - got up and hit the garage sale trail this morning.  I went to two sales at the sub-division sale and decided the sales were too far apart to walk them and I'd have to keep moving the car.  In and out, in and out . . . tires me out.

So, I left there and headed to a school sale.  Found an Ann Taylor Loft purse for $1.50 and a little monster truck (the kind that has big wheels and is jacked up) for 25c (which will go into my sale).

Went to a few more sales - bought nothing.  Went to one last sale and got a stapler for work - 50c, and a brand new, unopened HP 92/93 combo printer ink for $2!!     I'm thrilled about the printer ink as I haven't had "colored" ink on my printer for years as I didn't want to spend the money on it.  This combo pack would cost me $35 at the store.  Woohoo . . . I'm a happy camper!   

I ended up going to seven sales and spent a total of $3.75.  Not bad and I will use everything I bought.

Bucky - who is now heading to the basement to start pricing and finding things for my own sale in two weeks.