GARAGE SALE TIPS
Because I used to be such a pro at yard sale shopping, I thought I should share some of my experience with you:
1. If you have never found anything good at a yard sale and you wonder what all the fuss is about, perhaps you haven’t gone early enough. It’s the general custom for owners to expect buyers an hour before the posted time, and really, that’s the time to get good items.
2. Plan your escape BEFORE you get out of the car. Park where you can get out and/or turn around–or better yet, turn around and park facing out so that you don’t have to worry about crashing into trees or pedestrians.
3. Be careful about pulling too far off the road. It might LOOK like grass, but it could be a deep bog that swallows the front end of the car, requiring the owner to get his tractor to pull you out. (If you’re a woman, you can garner pity rather than disgust when you act tearful. And besides–remember this is great entertainment for the hosts and all the relatives who have come to hang out for the day)
4. Just let that crazy pushy maniac of an antique dealer do whatever he wants. I’ve heard people say they don’t put out the good stuff till he’s gone anyway.
5. Keep your ears open. You can learn of other yard sales this way, along with juicy details about the new Super Walmart coming to town, Sophinia’s health, Percy’s divorce, and the ripeness of the fruit over at so-and-so’s orchard.
6. If it’s crowded, don’t take too long to decide whether or not you want to buy something. Or at least put your hands on it while you think! This will prevent you from going home with three lovely wooden child chairs (one painted yellow, one green, and one blue) while a rather rude person goes home with the red one.
7. And of course, always follow the de-clutter rule: If you buy something new for your house, something old has to go.
I think.
The Chickadee Feeder 
May 24, 2009 at 7:51 am
Yes, the new pitcher is more practical for storing and pouring, I’m sure, but test it with pouring to be sure it isn’t booby trapped! Now here’s a dilemma for you–consider that some of the stuff you want to get rid of could help children establish their own homes in a few short years! That’s what holds me back on some furniture, etc.My one yard sale SALE that I regret is a bouncy rocking horse that I put a tag of $15 on and had THREE people nearly sprinting to the yard as I brought it out that drippy Saturday morning. Rats. (But I was getting rid of it because I doubted we’d have a basement or other real estate to put it in when we moved to California in a few weeks.)I remember one carport sale we had when I was a teen–everything was laid out in the central part of the carport, on tables, but a workbench at the side had a few items we were keeping. One little old lady just couldn’t tear herself away from the bag of dog food! Thanks for the fun post.
May 24, 2009 at 2:20 pm
@RenascenceC – Was she EATING it??! I actually saw two bouncy rocking horses this last weekend…I trembled with interest. I remember buying our own from yard sales a while back.
May 25, 2009 at 12:38 pm
The one on the left seems more practical, easier to clean and pour, perhaps.
May 26, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Thanks for the great tips. I like both pitchers! 🙂
May 26, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Oh, I like the one on the right….mine broke. 🙂
May 29, 2009 at 7:56 am
I love this! Yard sales are great!
June 9, 2009 at 12:24 am
You have great tips – shared from a true garage saler! Here’s a tip for having a sale: never open the garage doors unless you are ready to start selling. You will have a line of people asking if they can browse while you set up. (I’ll admit to sitting in the van and being one of those waiting for that door to open!)Wow, this makes me want to look through the paper and see if there are any coming up in our neck of the woods!