At the end of the last summer, I had a garage sale. Prior to that, I probably hadn't had one in about four years. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't hang on to a lot of clutter and extra stuff, except for some of the boys' favorite toys, like Batman, Spiderman, Star Wars and Jurassic Park figures. When they are older, I will give them back to them, much like parents saved my Barbies and my Barbie airplane for me.
When the boys were younger, I'd hold a sale at least every other year. Now that they are older, we have less clothes and toys to recycle. Stuff that I am holding on to is neatly packed into a plastic bin, labeled, and put on a shelf in my storage closets in the basement. My husband is proud of the fact that if we were given a 45-minute notice that we had to move out of the house immediately, we could probably do it. For me less is more, unless it's dessert. Then, by all means, more means more!
It had been three years last summer since we moved to our current house, and with the transition of the boys into high school since the move, it was time for lots of stuff to find a new home. I spent hours going through my closet, drawers, linen closets, and coat closets. The boys rummaged through their rooms in hopes of earning some cash and Ed went through the workshop and garage. Knick-knacks, sporting goods, snowboards, boots, tools, books, and furniture was gathered. I pulled out original manuals and directions for many appliances, electronics, and toys. Cameron was my go-to guy for scads of toys that required some assembly and battery testing.
Tables, plywood, and saw horses were dragged outside to set up. Everything had been cleaned up, checked over, priced, and displayed. If you've ever had a garage sale, you know that opening day can be madness, and you absolutely must have someone on hand to help you start the day. I knew this, so I asked Ed to take a couple of days off to be my lovely assistant. His first assignment was to put up my garage sale signs which, when you stop and think about it, basically says to the public "Hey, wanna buy my crap? Here's where you can find it!" This was Ed's firsthand experience with a garage sale, and I must say being an account manager in the professional world sure made him a natural in the garage sale world. Whenever a man walked up the driveway, I sent Ed out to close the deal.
The art of garage sale shopping is not for the fainthearted. Everyone loves a bargain, and even though you might only be asking for pennies for something, it's just not good enough for the buyer. So, when someone asks you if you'll take a nickel instead of a dime, you just want to look at them and say "Are you kidding me?" You really don't have an extra nickel? Of course, the warm humid temperatures and the on and off rain sprinkles throughout the day may have something to do with your crabby attitude that is starting to set in. Thus, you simply smile and say "a NICKEL would be great!"
Isn't it funny how we get so offended that some people can't see the value in our junk and all the work we put into getting it organized for a sale? I suppose it has something to do with the sentimental value that is attached to the item. Sometimes you'd just as soon throw the item away rather than reduce your selling price by a nickel. On the first day of the sale it's all a matter of principle. By the time the second day rolls around, you're slashing prices left and right and marking "everything must go!" At the end of the day, it's sitting at the end of the driveway with a big "Free" sign on top it. By the end of our first day, we hauled in $500. There really wasn't much left for the second day, and after making $35 for half a day's work, we boxed the rest of it up and took it immediately to a local church for distribution to some charities.
If you are going to be doing some spring cleaning and rummaging through your closets, now is an excellent time. Parisian department stores are running their Goodwill Sale which only takes place twice a year. For each item of clothing you bring in to donate, you receive a 20% off coupon you can use on virtually anything in the store, including brands which never go on sale, like Coach, Dooney and Bourke, cosmetics, jewelry, etc. The coupons are good for regular and sale priced merchandise. You can check out www.millionactsofgoodwill.com for more information. The drive is going on from now through March 24. Just a tip--whatever treasure you may find, don't ask them if they'll take a nickel for it. Chances are they'll say "no."
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