My Yard Sale Score

So I know I am a little late to the party, but I hit up a yard sale last Saturday and got some great deals!

I used to run a personal finance blog that focused on saving money and spending smarter. Of all the hundreds of things I blogged about, yard sales were never among the list. There weren't a lot of yard sales where I lived, and though I have hosted a few in my day, I never thought to seek them out.

Since I moved, I have found that there are TONS of yard sales here, every weekend! We were in the market for a little table and chairs set for our girls, and since money is tight, we thought we'd look at a few upcoming yard sales. Though we didn't find a table and chairs, we did find some other things we needed:

And all for $10!

Here was the breakdown:

Children's Place shirt and jeans set for Caroline, $1

One pair Levi's and one pair Children's Place jeans for Josie, $1 each

Circo (Target) black yoga pants (though they look gray in the picture, they are black), 50 cents

Green Dog (Macy's) one piece blouse/sweater, 50 cents

(Check out the detail of the top, I love this for Josie!)

Stride Rite suede Mary Janes, Baby Gap tennis shoes, $1 each

Booster for Josie, $3

Not shown: Sesame Street 24 piece puzzle, $1

All the clothing looks barely used. The shoes could use a little cleaning on the leather uppers, but the soles look brand new. The booster just needs a little GooGone to get rid of the glue from the stickers, but otherwise it was clean and in very good condition. (Didn't stop us from hosing it off really well, though. You know, just in case.)

Josie has no clothes for fall, so I started her on a fall wardrobe from this yard sale. I am pretty picky about clothes... I wouldn't buy them anything that seemed too worn, old, or God forbid, dirty. The booster was only a partial success because the skirt of our table comes down so low that she can't fit her legs underneath, so we'll have to look for a cheap folding chair for her for now. Or go old school and use a phone book. The puzzle was just for fun, both my girls are a little Sesame Street obsessed. They aren't into the entire show but they get excited over the characters.

So we are still on the hunt for the table and chairs, and other yard sales await. My husband also wanted one of those seats for the kids that goes on the back of your bike, but I can't allow it... too dangerous. I know, everyone does it but although my husband is a perfectly adept rider, not everyone in our neighborhood is a perfectly adept driver. I just picture him having to drive off the road and into a ditch to avoid some texting teenager. So I think we have agreed on one of those sidecar things that go on the ground behind the bike. Just seems more sturdy and they are closer to the ground. So anyway that's now on the yard sale list, too.

My tips for successful yard sale shopping:

1. GO EARLY. I went at like 8:45 and a lot of the good stuff was gone. That said, wait in the car if you have to until the sale actually starts... as someone who has been the victim of the dreaded "early bird," it really throws the sellers off to show up early rifling through things that aren't even fully set up yet.
   


2. BRING SMALL BILLS. Don't expect anyone to change a $50, it ain't gonna happen.


3. LOOK FOR QUALITY. Some things can be cleaned, rust removed, repainted, etc. but a stain on a shirt is forever.


4. STAY FOCUSED. Yes it's true, you can go looking for A but find B, which can be a great find. However, it is very easy to stray too far from your list and end up bringing home things you'll never use just because they were cheap.


5. REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS. There is a yard sale etiquette, believe it or not. Don't ask for a reduced price unless you are buying several items, something is way overpriced, or it is the end of the sale. There is nothing worse than spending hours pricing all your items only to have someone come through and create their own prices anyway. It offends the seller and is just rude. Yes, you can negotiate to a degree at yard sales, but be fair.


6. BRING YOUR BLINDERS. You'll see some scary people at yard sales. Just be polite and look the other way. Focus on the stuff.
   

Anyone else grab any good yard sale finds this summer?