Yard Sale 101: After the sale

26 March 2009

* if you buy new things, you have to get rid of some of the old *
Unless you have a bare house and are starting from scratch. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of you {like me} have too much stuff already. If you start bringing home a bunch of treasures and add to your home without replacing items, pretty soon your house is going to look like an indoor yard sale. Get rid of things you may not love and replace them with things you do.
Remember these quotes from this post? Use them as a guideline in this area:

"Remove the clutter and then honor and respect those things that make your heart sing"

-Peter Walsh

"When we talk about saving money, the best way to save it is not to waste it. And it doesn't matter how much time or energy or money you put into a room, if you haven't edited and organized and decluttered and gotten it into a beautiful, functional state first, you've wasted the money." ~Candice Olsen

Awesome advice.

* ground yourself once in awhile *

If you get too many treasures that need makeovers, or things are piling up and you haven't gotten around to the "getting rid of" part, you need to put yourself in a yard sale/thrift store/flea market time out. I'm doing it to myself this weekend. No more treasures for this girl until her bathroom is finished.
And some random things I thought of...
* bringing kids along *


I actually think it's a great idea to bring your kids to yard sales once or twice a year to show what bang you can get for your buck and to help teach the value of a dollar. My mom and grandma loved to go and that's where my love started, because I could see what great things you could get for so much less. The kids will be in heaven, but the problem with this is what we talked about above. All the treasures they find will start accumulating in their rooms. If you do have to take kids, you can make it work, it just takes a little more planning, creativity, and lots of snacks.

* feeder sales *
this is what I call the sales that don't advertise, but "feed" off the people who did advertise whose sales you're on the way to.

Always stop at them. There can't be earlybirds, because no one knows about them. They're not trying to make up the money they spent in advertising in the paper, so they may be priced better. They don't know if they'll have much traffic because they didn't advertise, so they often just want it gone. I have had some awesome finds from sales I just happen upon.
*a few things you may want to keep in your car that will help you out*

*measurements if you're looking for a specific big item
* a tape measure to use at the sale see if it will fit in the space and in your vehicle
* a list of the sizes and items you are looking for for upcoming seasons for your kids

*a city map in case you get lost

*blankets to protect furniture when you haul it off.

*snacks and drinks for you! I love me a Snickers Almond.
That wraps it up for this week! I've had a ton of fun doing it and I have loved, loved your comments and tips as well. I'm thinking we need to do a 101 course on having a yard sale in April. What do you think??
Tomorrow, I'm taking Kimba's challenge and turning my computer off and keeping it off the whole day. Yikes! I'm a bit nervous to see just how addicted I am. Join us!


I'm planning on getting lots done. So, I'll see you back here next week~have a great weekend!

18 comments

  1. Thank you so much for ALL the Great tips!!
    I was the one always saying 'I never find anything good'
    I'm changing my attitude and I'm gonna find me some good deals thanks to you!!

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  2. Wow, more awesome advice. My entire shout-out post on Saturday is now dedicated to you. Look out, when my readers descend on you, your traffic will jump up 10 people or so!! ;)

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  3. Oh man, you hit the nail on the head with this one!!! I do need to take a "time out" until I get some treasures made over and I also need to purge and keep just the items I love.

    Also, I totally agree with your items to keep in the car! I once bought a WONDERFUL sofa for $20 for my basement and then as I was fixing to leave realized it would NEVER fit through our tiny basement door. :( Thankfully, the lady refunded my money since I hadn't left but it was a good lesson learned.

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  4. I heart yard sales!!! They are so much fun,and make me giddy!

    Have a great day!

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  5. Great tips! I'm loving these posts!!

    ~TidyMom

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  6. oohhh I would like to take a gander if your near Mesa, AZ. I'm looking for teacups w/ saucers, and table linens. And any goodies that come up.

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  7. Great tips...I miss doing garage sales with the pro! I'm reading Peter's book right now, and making myself declutter. Then off to the sales to find things I love! Thanks...Susan

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  8. First of all YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Second, I WANT to do all the projects that you do to add some more flare to my house, but I WANT YOU TO COME TO MY HOUSE and go garage sale shopping with me and help me with the decorations! But I know that won't be able to happen, so I might just call you a billion times when I start on my projects. :)

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  9. Great tips! I always find myself getting grounded from the Goodwill :)
    -Jill

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  10. LOVE those quotes! This was an awesome series Melissa. Thanks for all the wonderful tips and tricks. You are the YArD SaLe DiVa!!!

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  11. I have loved reading your tips on yard sales. My hubby said to me last night, "this room looks like a yard sale", I guess I need to remove some clutter and have my own yard sale. I look forward to a series on having a successful sale.

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  12. Thanks for all the tips on yard selling...this year I will be getting into it since I have seen so many talk about where they get some of there beautiful items for there home.

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  13. I have been really loving your post can't wait for yard sale season to start up hear in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for the great tips

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  14. I took your advice and set aside the things I didn't love in my house. I have to admit that it wasen't easy, but it was much easier when I looked at it from your perspective, .50 is better than nothing at all. Now my kids can't wait to have a yard sale to earn money for our family vacation. Thank you for your wisdom!

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  15. Hello Melissa...

    I just wanted to stop by with the answer to a question that you posted on my Tea Rose bedroom blog. I do apologize at getting back to you so late, I don't always check that block. Anyway, you asked about the paint color...I used Kilz Custom Colors from Walmart...it's called Sea Green. I chose to use Kilz because the walls were a bright pink and orange before painting...hehe! I was very pleased with the Kilz...one coat and it covered so nicely! Are you thinking about painting something that color? Just curious.

    I loved reading your Yard Sale 101 post...great tips, my friend! I'm in Colorado and we still have snow on the ground...but I'm getting anxious for the weather to warm up so I can start hitting some of those sales...it's one of my favorite things to do!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari
    PS...I do have another blog that I post on daily (or just about daily) Please come by for a visit!

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  16. so melissa, just found your blog, and i love it.
    fabulous.
    xo

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  17. Great yardsale tips. I didn't realize Craigslist had yardsale announcements. Good to know!

    Love your "declutter" advice too. I can see where buying so much stuff at such great prices could lead to a mess for some.

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  18. I've absolutely loved this series! I'm so glad I found your blog.

    Thanks for all the great advice...now if it would only quit snowing here so yard sale season could get underway!

    Xazmin

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