Enjoy her guest post as I continue to settle into my new routine of teaching and life
Yard Sales are absolutely the cheapest way I’ve found to improve my home, dress my son, and really get just about anything I need for my family. Not to mention it’s tons of fun! The thrill of the hunt, the bartering, the cheapness, I love it all. So I thought I would share a few of my tips and tricks to help you save money and hopefully have some fun.
1. Go to a lot of yard sales. One day I went to five sales and made all my purchases at one. But it’s definitely worth sorting through lots of junk to find that one great treasure.
2. Take small bills. Some sellers can’t make change for a $20 so I break my larger bills before I go. I usually take a couple of $5′s and tons of $1′s.
3. Make a plan. I look for advertised sales the night before. I usually look for sales that say “multi-family sale, neighborhood sale, moving sale, church sale, or rummage sale.” Any time you can get a group of sellers in one place, your odds of finding something great get better! (Some churches will have $1/per bag sales on the final day!) You can also find sales just by following signs, but I like to have somewhere to start and follow signs if I see them on the way.
4. Shop early (or late). Is that confusing enough? There are definitely benefits to both approaches. If you go early the good stuff will still be there. If you go late sellers are more likely to give you a great deal on what’s left! I recently went to a sale near the end of the day and the seller let me have baby boy clothes for $0.25/piece even though they were marked up to $1. Awesome.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask. Half the fun of yard sales is getting a good deal and it never hurts to see if the seller will give you a better price. They usually will at least make a counter offer. It also helps to group things together sometimes. For example, if you have a couple times that add up to $6, say “would you take $5 for both of these?”
6. It’s okay to walk away with nothing. Don’t feel bad if they don’t have what you need. Your time is valuable and it’s better to move on to the next sale. Also don’t buy it if it’s too expensive and the seller won’t come down. You’ll probably find a cheaper one latter.
7. Look at potential. A lot of things are being sold because they are old or outdated. And that usually means they are MUCH cheaper than a newer item would be. Look closely to see if it can be repaired/improved. If it can, it will probably be worth the work for such a good price. My best “potential” purchase was definitely this dresser I bough for only $5. It was falling apart and all kinds of ugly, but after an evening of repairs and painting it’s now one of my favorite pieces in our house.
8. Know prices in your area. This one takes a while, but is super beneficial in the long run. With time you’ll know how much things usually sell for so you know if you are getting a good deal or not. I collected a lot of picture frames for a gallery wall in my house, and I knew if I found them for more than $1 to just keep walking because many people sell them for less. In the end I hadn’t spent more than $0.50 on any of the frames I bought.
9. Take a friend. Seriously. It’s so much more fun when you have someone to shop with.
10. Have fun! Find out what you like and go with it. Remember your goal is to save some serious $$$ and what’s more fun than that?
Thank you Georgia for your wonderful tips! I just got notice about a Stop and Swap at one of the local churches in my new town and I am ready to go explore and see what treasures I can find Stop over to More Like Home and say hi to Georgia and check out her DIY projects! Have a great day!
