This past weekend was one of our best days and we found so much good stuff. I've been trying to teach Ruthie to call herself the Negotiator and she's almost got it! Every time we go, she gets 2 quarters to spend and we try and find something for Lainie. This is our loot from last weekend. Each item averaged out to about .10cents.
A few of my favorite things to find at yard sales (with prices I aim for) are:
-kids books-on average I pay about .10cents/book based on the quality
-kids clothes-I try and pay about .25cents/per article of clothing (or less) and I've gotten almost all the girls playclothes at yard sale
-our clothes-depending on the brand/quality I will pay up to $1/item. Lately, I've had really good luck finding Men's Ralph Lauren polo shirts in great condition, for $1 (at a maximum) or less you can't beat it.
-toys-if I can wash and bleach it, I will buy it. Again, I try and limit toys to $1 at a maximum, usually most owners will do 2 toys for a dollar. Last weekend, we were able to get the Little People Noahs Ark and Little people Princess Castle for .50 each.
-Housewares-I don't have as good of luck with these, but occassionally there will be some good things. This past week our pepper grinder bit the dust and I found a matching salt and pepper set for .50cents. I've been on the hunt for plates, but so far haven't had any luck on finding what I like for the price I will pay.
I love finding church yard sales for different causes/mission trips. Most will do fill a bag for $1 or something similar. They don't usually have the personal ties to the items are are just raising money. Usually I get better prices on things, while supporting important causes.
Are there any other good finds I'm missing?
Let me also state, Joel is not a yard-saler. Not even close. He loves that I am, but if you negotiate with someone over a quarter (or any amount), he cringes. Its pretty funny to me. I believe people are selling stuff at yard sales to get it out of their house and hopefully make some money. In general, I think after the yard sale is over, the stuff is getting donated. I'm always going to offer less than they mark it, usually about 50% of what they ask. If they say no, no big deal, but they might say yes (and they usually do) and I've saved some money. It totally embarrasses Joel.
One of the other major ways I've saved money is buying things off Facebook. I'm part of several local yardsale type pages that are similar to Craigslist.
What I like the most about these pages is that unlike Craigslist, you can see exactly who you're buying from and any friends you might have in common with them. The dress above and below are a few of the cute things I've gotten lately (both dresses were about $1 each). I've also met some really nice people who live closeby to me!
I do have to say, my favorite part of yard-sale-ing is one on one time with my big girl!
3 comments:
Love yard sales! I need to get better about getting up and going. Looks like you got some awesome deals!:)
Score! How fun that Ruthie loves going with mom :)
Ed and Emma are the garage salers in our house. I get embarrassed looking at people's stuff while they're watching me! I have warmed up to it though, and if we're home on a Saturday morning we'll either hop on our bikes or in the truck and go around the neighborhood looking for sales. We have found some amazing deals though!
You have inspired me! I'm going out in the morning with a girlfriend and I'm hoping to have as much success as you. Thanks for the tips and the inspiration!
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