Slices of life, both written and photographed.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Yard Sale Advantages


Going to yard sales is a blast. Having them is fun but an immense amount of work.

 














While some people opt for bare closets and streamlined decorating, it's hard for others to throw things out.   (I fall into category Number 2.)



A friend of mine and her daughter planned a yard sale recently and I joined them. That meant cleaning out two closets to gather clothes no longer worn much or that I'm not crazy about. It felt good to make that mountain of clothes and even better to sell items and put the money into my pocket.

Even though they are a bone aching amount of work, yard sales are good to have because:

1. They provide extra money
2. They let someone else make use of things no longer wanted
3. They help recycle so are good for the environment
4.  If held on a sunny day,  yard sales help provide a free tan because sitting in the sun for eight hours
     will do that!  Even those just attending sales can get some rays.

Here's what you missed at my friend's sale:

Sweet stuffed animals, shown at the top of the page.

One lucky lady bought these two sweethearts and got  them for only $2.00 each.


















This sweet "thang" came home with me.



Wouldn't you have loved this little penguin? Somebody gave him a new home.


What about this nice lamp? It didn't sell and was placed for free on the side of the road, after the sale.



How could you live without this black, yes, black Christmas wreath? (Very well, thank you.)



Wouldn't these sweet not-so-little sheep have called out to you?  They did to me and they are stuffed in the back seat of my car, awaiting a time when hubs is not home and I can whisk the woolly sweethearts up to the attic. They can come down next Easter.


Hubs would be sure to remind me I brought things to the yard sale so I could clean out rather than bring more junk home. So why upset him?  (Plus, I already know he's right but don't like to admit it. Besides, I loved the sheep and couldn't resist them.)
 
A savvy shopper bought this snowman, made from balls of  bath salts. Maybe the lady will save it until next Christmas to stuff into somebody's stocking.


These little dolls and the lovely painting caught my eye but I used extreme restraint and refrained from buying them. See? I'm not a total hoarder after all. (Yet.)





















When all is said and done, participating in a yard sale say, once every 10 years, is enough for me.

At least I earned enough at the sale to put some of that super expensive liquid gold in my car, namely, gas, with a few bucks left over.

As for the tan, admittedly, I look like a red lobster but in a couple of days, when the red darkens into a tan, I'll be looking like a coconut.

OKAY. HERE'S THE QUESTION OF THE CENTURY:

DO YOU LOVE YARD SALES OR HATE THEM?

11 comments:

Linda O'Connell said...

I can't pass one by, but I will say, they are getting junkier.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I love yard sales and think you find the best buys there! I don't have them much anymore but do love to go!
hugs,
Linda

Chatty Crone said...

I love to go to yard sales - however I agree with Linda - they are getting pretty junkie - maybe the economy.

BECKY said...

I used to go to them often, especially when Mark was a baby and toddler. We didn't have much money then at all. I always found wonderful bargains on clothes for him that looked like they'd never been worn. I also used to buy all kinds of knick-knacks, etc. But now I don't need a thing...and I need to start purging and downsizing!!

Victorian1885 said...

I go to a few a year but just had a huge Antique moving sale of our own this weekend...it went really well. Have a great week!

Wanda

diane stetson said...

I'm not a fan of yard sales at all. I have never had a sale of my own nor do I plan to. I would love to get rid of tons of stuff in my house...but it is too much work to have a yard sale so I'll just drive to Goodwill. I never attend yard sales although there are plenty in my area.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I had a yard sale before I came to Kuwait. At this point in time now though, I would much rather just give stuff away than try to sell it. There are many who don't have much. Sometimes I give things to one of the Indian workers at school and she saves them to take back to India. Have a great new week. Tammy

Bookie said...

They are so much work!!! And when my friends and I have them together we usually end up just trading junk! :)

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

I enjoy going to yard sales, although haven't been much in the last year or so. However, I will never host another one. I think the last one I had was about four years ago and I said never again. Too much work and not enough return. I just take my stuff down to Goodwill these days. :)

Cheryl Moore said...

I love rummage sales AND thrift stores. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. At yard sales you can usually get things cheaper, but you get hot and worn out going to a lot of them. I like to go to Community Wide sales though.

At thrift stores you can shop in the comfort of the A/C and everything is one-stop and together but the prices are higher. But most of the thrift stores around here have certain things they sale on different days of the week at 50% off. And then every so often the Goodwill has 99 cent days on all clothing. And one of the Goodwill stores here has a ton of books, and they sale paperbacks for 99 cents and hardbacks for 1.99.

I defininitely dont like to have my own rummage sale (and havent since I was young), but would like to just to make extra money. I just dont have the energy and dont want to give up my time to do it. It's easier to me to just to chunk it or give it away. Also too by the time I'm ready to get rid of it, it's ready for the trash pile. :)

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

I do love going to yard sales. I used to have a yard sale of my own every year but it is such a hassle so now I just donate items to my church flea market.

Hugs,
Debbie

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