I suppose I don't participate fairly... I hold at least one garage sale with my extended family every year, but I refuse to shop at them. I'm trying to simplify my life, and it happens at the expense (pun intended) of the shoppers in my area.
Having a garage sale is great when you have a lot of stuff to get rid of fairly quickly, like if you're downsizing and/or moving. However, I don't think regular garage sales are usually a good idea. Even if you enjoy selling things, garage sale shoppers expect the lowest prices of just about anyone I've sold to. And you also have to have enough items. Plus, if you have to have frequent garage sales because you just buy so much stuff you don't need, then perhaps that's an issue better dressed directly.
I've had a few good garage sales in the past, but now I prefer to either sell higher priced items other ways and donate the stuff that's not worth my time to sell individually.
And also, something I've learned is that the first garage sale usually goes pretty well but second garage sales of the remaining items are usually pretty weak unless you just timed the first one wrong (the first Saturday of the month is usually the best yard sale day since many people just got their paychecks or SS checks). So, after your first yard sale is over, consider donating the rest to charity.
I love them. My wife and I are frequent garage salers and sellers. Sometimes you can find great deals on stuff - It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure! My wife has been on this shabby chic, country, rustic style lately and it's much cheaper than buying stuff brand new.
We shop garage sales but do not host them. It takes forever to get everything tagged, organized and in some cases cleaned. It's just not worth it! If we have something of value, we put it on ebay, amazon or craigslist.
I don't often shop at garage/yard sales, but every now and then I'll stop by one and find a book I wanted to read or a cute skirt or some other little treasure.
I typically don't hold yard sales myself because a) the apartments I've lived in for the last three years haven't had the nicest or most convenient space available for one, and b) I work on weekends, so I don't really have the time. What I plan to do this spring is split my To Sell stuff up between the yard sale that my mom is having at her place, and the one my dad and stepmom are having at theirs.
We just held our first garage sale. It was great. Took us about a week to pull it all together and even though the weather was pretty crummy, we got a pretty good turn out. For us, it wasn't so much about making money, but clearing out the clutter. The money we made was a nice bonus. ;)
I definitely love going to garage sales! It's a fun way to spend some time, and you never know what you might find. However, you have to be careful to discipline yourself so that you don't buy a lot of stuff you don't really need! I agree with the previous commenter who suggested going with a list of things you're looking for.
You can find huge deals at rummage sales if you know what you are looking for!!! I avoid some things (cassette tapes and floppy disks will never come back) But you can pick up decent things. I got a lawn mower at one for $5 (it was flooded, but after a good cleaning lasted us 7 years) bikes for super cheap, and furniture too. Little bit of elbow greese and a coat of paint or stain / finnish and its better then new!
I avoid them like the plague. When the price is so low, i find myself picking up more than i need. I can barely keep up with my own clutter, and do not need help from bargain sales!
I LOVE garage sales. I get most of my son's clothes that way (he's 2 and I imagine it will get harder as he gets older). Lots of toys are cheap, and I occasionally find things for me or the house. I'm holding my first garage sale this weekend, so I can't say yet how well I do selling stuff.
Great timing on this, as I just held my very first garage sale over the weekend. Here are some of my thoughts on the experience...
In terms of prep, we spent probably 2-3 weeks just occasionally collecting items around the house we could live without. These all just went into boxes in the spare room. A couple days before the garage sale, we hauled it all out to the garage, where we had set up folding tables to display everything. We spent $2 on pre-priced garage sale stickers at Staples, and just started slapping prices on everything. Nothing was over $20, save for an antique dresser priced at $50.
In the end, we moved a lot of "junk" and made just over $200. But also in the end, we were left with a garage full of the junk that didn't sell. I've turned to Craigslist to sell some of the larger items, and I've been fairly successful moving a few items that way. Books and CDs went to Half Price Books where they handed us about $40 cash. The rest will go to Goodwill.
Was it worth it? I dunno. A couple hundred bucks is nice, but we also spent hours collecting, organizing, pricing items, not to mention sitting in our driveway for 7 hours straight on a sunny Saturday. So I guess you have to weigh the potential profit against the time spent. I don't know that we'll be doing it again anytime soon.
I find that while you can occasionally find treasures for cheap, I end up taking some stuff I don't really need/want...so I don't go out of my way to shop at them. I also make a point to only buy something I was planning to buy anyway.
I love garage sale shopping! It's a great way to get that one of a kind thing that's been on your list for years. They always bring back great memories, both with the walking of them and the items found!
Speaking of lists - I always take one with me! It's like grocery shopping. Why buy something on impulse that will just end up in your own garage sale?
One tip on signs... I have, in the past, used large boxes from stores. You can add white signs with black lettering on the side, but the great thing about boxes are that you can easily weigh them down with a little earth or rocks and they can be big enough for all to see.
Other than the opportunity you provide here, the article is so encouraging and helpful for the tips you provided. I can say that Job Search Websites can make a difference for all job seekers online..
Some good rules I've started using are:
1. Your home should be your only debt, and never roll short term debt into a long term payment, and make sure your home is under 30% of your income.
2. If you have a car payment, get rid of it (however you must).
3. Pay off your lowest amounts 1st, then bundle them and work on that amount with extra payments.
I suppose I don't participate fairly... I hold at least one garage sale with my extended family every year, but I refuse to shop at them. I'm trying to simplify my life, and it happens at the expense (pun intended) of the shoppers in my area.
Having a garage sale is great when you have a lot of stuff to get rid of fairly quickly, like if you're downsizing and/or moving. However, I don't think regular garage sales are usually a good idea. Even if you enjoy selling things, garage sale shoppers expect the lowest prices of just about anyone I've sold to. And you also have to have enough items. Plus, if you have to have frequent garage sales because you just buy so much stuff you don't need, then perhaps that's an issue better dressed directly.
I've had a few good garage sales in the past, but now I prefer to either sell higher priced items other ways and donate the stuff that's not worth my time to sell individually.
And also, something I've learned is that the first garage sale usually goes pretty well but second garage sales of the remaining items are usually pretty weak unless you just timed the first one wrong (the first Saturday of the month is usually the best yard sale day since many people just got their paychecks or SS checks). So, after your first yard sale is over, consider donating the rest to charity.
I love them. My wife and I are frequent garage salers and sellers. Sometimes you can find great deals on stuff - It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure! My wife has been on this shabby chic, country, rustic style lately and it's much cheaper than buying stuff brand new.
We shop garage sales but do not host them. It takes forever to get everything tagged, organized and in some cases cleaned. It's just not worth it! If we have something of value, we put it on ebay, amazon or craigslist.
I hate having garage sales (too much work for too little money), but I love going to garage sales-it is like a treasure hunt :)
I don't often shop at garage/yard sales, but every now and then I'll stop by one and find a book I wanted to read or a cute skirt or some other little treasure.
I typically don't hold yard sales myself because a) the apartments I've lived in for the last three years haven't had the nicest or most convenient space available for one, and b) I work on weekends, so I don't really have the time. What I plan to do this spring is split my To Sell stuff up between the yard sale that my mom is having at her place, and the one my dad and stepmom are having at theirs.
what should the sprayer adjustment be on.
We just held our first garage sale. It was great. Took us about a week to pull it all together and even though the weather was pretty crummy, we got a pretty good turn out. For us, it wasn't so much about making money, but clearing out the clutter. The money we made was a nice bonus. ;)
Here's my blog post about it: http://suddenlyroutine.com/?p=2633
Garage sales can be cool, but stay away from the sketchy neighborhoods!! Overall ok.
I love shopping at garage sales but hate organizing to have one!
I definitely love going to garage sales! It's a fun way to spend some time, and you never know what you might find. However, you have to be careful to discipline yourself so that you don't buy a lot of stuff you don't really need! I agree with the previous commenter who suggested going with a list of things you're looking for.
They're good for kid stuff but I find myself way too tempted to buy junk when I go to them.
You can find huge deals at rummage sales if you know what you are looking for!!! I avoid some things (cassette tapes and floppy disks will never come back) But you can pick up decent things. I got a lawn mower at one for $5 (it was flooded, but after a good cleaning lasted us 7 years) bikes for super cheap, and furniture too. Little bit of elbow greese and a coat of paint or stain / finnish and its better then new!
I'm too lazy to have them, but I do love shopping at them.
It can be kind of fun to shop them, at least in certain neighborhoods, but oh, is it a beating to host them.
Immersion (stick) blenders are your friend when making gravies, soups - anything that can be lumpy if not beaten into submission.
njg
I avoid them like the plague. When the price is so low, i find myself picking up more than i need. I can barely keep up with my own clutter, and do not need help from bargain sales!
I LOVE garage sales. I get most of my son's clothes that way (he's 2 and I imagine it will get harder as he gets older). Lots of toys are cheap, and I occasionally find things for me or the house. I'm holding my first garage sale this weekend, so I can't say yet how well I do selling stuff.
Great timing on this, as I just held my very first garage sale over the weekend. Here are some of my thoughts on the experience...
In terms of prep, we spent probably 2-3 weeks just occasionally collecting items around the house we could live without. These all just went into boxes in the spare room. A couple days before the garage sale, we hauled it all out to the garage, where we had set up folding tables to display everything. We spent $2 on pre-priced garage sale stickers at Staples, and just started slapping prices on everything. Nothing was over $20, save for an antique dresser priced at $50.
In the end, we moved a lot of "junk" and made just over $200. But also in the end, we were left with a garage full of the junk that didn't sell. I've turned to Craigslist to sell some of the larger items, and I've been fairly successful moving a few items that way. Books and CDs went to Half Price Books where they handed us about $40 cash. The rest will go to Goodwill.
Was it worth it? I dunno. A couple hundred bucks is nice, but we also spent hours collecting, organizing, pricing items, not to mention sitting in our driveway for 7 hours straight on a sunny Saturday. So I guess you have to weigh the potential profit against the time spent. I don't know that we'll be doing it again anytime soon.
I find that while you can occasionally find treasures for cheap, I end up taking some stuff I don't really need/want...so I don't go out of my way to shop at them. I also make a point to only buy something I was planning to buy anyway.
I'm actually holding a garage sale this saturday!! It's my first time and I'm looking forward to it!
I love garage sale shopping! It's a great way to get that one of a kind thing that's been on your list for years. They always bring back great memories, both with the walking of them and the items found!
Speaking of lists - I always take one with me! It's like grocery shopping. Why buy something on impulse that will just end up in your own garage sale?
One tip on signs... I have, in the past, used large boxes from stores. You can add white signs with black lettering on the side, but the great thing about boxes are that you can easily weigh them down with a little earth or rocks and they can be big enough for all to see.
Other than the opportunity you provide here, the article is so encouraging and helpful for the tips you provided. I can say that Job Search Websites can make a difference for all job seekers online..
Some good rules I've started using are:
1. Your home should be your only debt, and never roll short term debt into a long term payment, and make sure your home is under 30% of your income.
2. If you have a car payment, get rid of it (however you must).
3. Pay off your lowest amounts 1st, then bundle them and work on that amount with extra payments.