Garage Sale Season is Here!
One of our family’s favorite things to do in late spring and summer is attend garage sales. We can usually find some good deals and enjoy spending the time together. Here are a few things we do to get the most from garage sales. You can also skip down to the bottom of the post to see our latest finds.
1. Set aside a certain amount of cash each month specifically for garage sales
This month we set aside $14 for garage sales. We already had $11 left over from garage sales last month. The $11 doesn’t include clothing or furniture. We have set aside $20/mo for clothing and in the summer we buy most of that from garage sales. Since we moved into an apartment with less storage space, we have also set some money aside for shelving which we plan to pick up at a garage sale or off of craigslist.com. I simply divide my cash into different envelopes labeled “garage sales”, “clothing” and “furniture”. And when the money’s gone, it’s gone.
2. Know your target price on items
As I have gone to a few sales in the area this year I am starting to set my target price on items like shoes, clothes and children’s books. I try to get clothes for $0.25-$0.50 a piece and will pay no more than $1 for shoes. We are also trying to build our children’s library and my target price for books is $0.25-$0.50. Since I could go overboard easily on clothes and books, having a target price helps limit my spending.
3. Make a ListI find this especially helpful when trying to buy children’s clothes 1-2 seasons in advance. We have been very blessed to have been giving most of my son’s clothing up until 24 months, but one day I realized he had no clothing beyond 24 months. Since his 2nd birthday is this summer I recognized I had to get busy building his wardrobe during garage sale season. I have since compiled a list of the number of shirts, pants, etc he has in each size so that I know exactly what types of clothes to look for at garage sales.
4. Plan your route and if possible attend neighborhood or multi-family sales
On mornings when we are going to garage sales, we look up listings from our local newspaper online and check out craigslist.com for sales in our area. We highlight any neighborhood or multi-family sales to save on gas and time. We also take into account the areas where sales are. Since we live close to some wealthier suburbs we can often find high-quality items for a cheap price. After we have chosen the sales we print out a multi-destination map from mapquest and head on the road.
5. Leave early and bring snacks for kids
Although we rarely are out the door by 8:00 AM, we try to leave before 9:00 to beat the summer heat. In addition, leaving early means we make it back home by lunchtime and have a happier child. We have also learned the importance of bringing snacks for the road.
We have made great memories as a family attending garage sales and finding steals. Sometimes, like this morning, I just drive to a neighborhood garage sale and walk around to get some exercise and enjoy the weather. On these days if I happen to find a deal then great, if not I’m not too concerned.
This morning I went to a local neighborhood garage sale and picked up the following items in the top photo for a total of $10.
Here was the breakdown of the prices:
Baby BJorn Carrier: $3
Baby Bath: $1
Child’s Sleeping Bag: $2
Boy’s Snow Boots: $1
Boy’s Dress Shoes: $1
3 Bottles: $0.25/ea
2 Cans of Formula: $0.50/can
Girl’s Dress: $0.25
I was very excited to find the carrier and reasonably priced snow boots for my son. I am planning on breastfeeding our next baby but I picked up some bottles and formula just in case in an emergency we would need formula on hand. One of the lessons I learned from this week was to remember to check the condition of each item. After I got home I found that the sleeping bag’s zipper was broken. For only $2 I can’t complain since I could maybe (?) fix it, but I still should have checked the condition at the time. Overall though I thought I did great for $10.
Similar Posts:
- Garage Sale Season is Here!
- Storing and Rotating Children’s Clothing
- Great Links to Check Out
- What To Do When You Don’t Have a Clothesline
Womens Clothing Store on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 7:20 am
garage sales are awesome, i can’t get enough of them. you can find the best stuff there if you are willing to look.
Snowy Day: Reaping the Fruits of Summer Garage Sales | On One Income on Thu, 14th Jan 2010 7:03 am
[...] ($1): Picked up at a garage sale. This one was a [...]