a sign of summer

So I was on my way to the grocery store when I was completely side tracked by one of my favourite things……a garage sale!  As sure as the first crocus in April, a garage sale is a sign of the summer that lies ahead!! How happy was I when I pulled up to my first garage sale of the season! The sun was shining, there was a radio playing and the ladies running the garage sale were all smiles! I overheard them talking about the move and that’s when I noticed the for sale sign. After talking with them I discovered they had bought a house in Arizona and are retiring. How nice for them, and how random for me to know that about complete strangers, and then follow that up by getting a deal on a $2 belt! Awesome!

There are so many things about a garage sale that I love, the feeling of anticipation when I see the sign. What a nice surprise! Driving down the road, windows down, radio playing, wind blowing through my hair….and then – there it is, Garage Sale! Estate Sale! Multi-family Yard Sale!  I honestly can’t believe I haven’t been in a car wreck. These signs are so bright and commanding! I have to remind myself that I am in a vehicle and there are other people on the road. Oh, and if my husband happens to be driving, well he hates it! The sharp intake of breath followed by the pointing and yelling, I am surprised that I haven’t given him a heart attack! He gets mad, his blood pressure is up, but he is usually a good sport! He doesn’t always get out of the car with me – but I am working on him.

I have made so many great purchases at garage sales! I have some beautiful outdoor side tables, an old dresser, some great books, and much more! Even my husband got a deal on an old recliner for his man cave!  One of the beautiful things about garage sales are the deals! All the prices are just suggestions!  No one actually expects you to pay the asking price. Think about it – this is their junk!! They went to the trouble of putting a price on something, hauling it out onto their driveway, placing brightly coloured signs all over the community, setting up a lawn chair and committing an entire weekend to getting rid of this junk. They do not want to have to bring it back into the house or worse, load it into a truck and take it to the dump. The goal is to get rid of the stuff. They want you to take it, you don’t really need it, they don’t need it - so it comes down to who doesn’t need it less! 

There are a few things you can do to keep garage sale season running smoothly. First of all you should never really be looking for anything; it is good to have an idea of a few things that you could use around the house, but nothing you really need, if you really need something you should go buy it! If you have specific things you are expecting to find at a garage sale you will likely be disappointed. It is all about finding that thing you didn’t really know you needed.

The other key to a successful garage sale season is to carry cash. Not just when you plan to go to a garage sale, but throughout the entire season. It is all about the random finds – the garage sale is going to find you, not the other way around! Be prepared; keep some cash in your car. A variety of cash is also very important. Lots of small bills. You need to be able to say, “oh darn, I really really like this - but I only have $5 on me, would you take $5?” and they will. It is easier to pretend you don’t have enough money than to ask them to give you a deal. They want to feel good too. Make it as simple as possible, easier the better.

Another good tip is to remind yourself you really don’t need this item – because you don’t, if you did you would go buy it! You want the seller to feel just as good as you do, so let them sell it to you. Telling them you don’t really need the item, but that you like it gets them trying to sell it to you. They want to get rid of the item and are more than happy to tell you why you need it and to drop the price! You get to work a deal and the whole time they feel like they sold it to you!  You leave feeling great about the deal you just got; and they get to tell their garage sale partner how they totally just convinced you to buy whatever it was! It’s a win, win!

A garage sale is a sneak peek into someone’s life too, isn’t it? You get to see what kind of things they have held onto throughout the years, what sort of books they read, their style in hats and purses, how well they have taken care of all the tools in their garage and sometimes you even get to go into the house. Oh, the garage sales when they let you into the house! You would never normally let a stranger into your house, never mind putting an ad in the paper and half a dozen fluorescent orange signs with arrows leading the way for an unknown amount of strangers right to your door, but for some reason when you sell your house you open the doors to all kinds of people! 

Maybe that’s it. 

You are moving - you aren’t going to see these people again - this isn’t even your house anymore! 

Whatever the reason, I love it!