Back in the garage sale groove …
The adventure begins anew … garage sale season is back in full swing in our area. In the past two weeks, I’ve spent two full days looking for bargains … and, as a side benefit, seeing a lot of countryside I’ve not seen before.
The first was a city-wide garage, yard, lawn, picnic bench, etc. adventure; the second was a day of rain.
Last year I wrote a blog about Simple Tips for a Garage Sale, listed below. [Full blog at] http://carolynlbraun.svbtle.com/tips-for-a-successful-garage-sale-1
- Getting us there.
- Keeping us there.
- Make it easy for us to look.
- Add a little something.
This blog will highlight examples of the tips and a few of my favorite ‘finds.’ You may also want to read another of [my blog posts] http://carolynlbraun.svbtle.com/its-not-just-a-garage-sale-1, to see why I spend time going to garage sales.
Here are good examples of #1: Getting us there.
You can see this sign from quite a distance.
And you can see these flags from a block or more away:
#2: Keeping us there.
During the rain day, we first found a sale with a fully enclosed tent set up in the driveway. We also found a sale with HEAT in the garage. We stayed there a bit longer, thoroughly looking through the items ,,, and warming up.
#3: Make it easy for us to look.
We found many sales where the sizes of clothes were clearly marked; this is one of those sales.
#4: Add a little something.
One of the sales at the city-wide sale was selling HUGE cookies. I was tempted but managed to stay the (diet) course. I saw several happy children at that sale.
My ‘Favorite’ Finds
The first sale - a city-wide sale - was in Milaca, Minnesota. There were many more sales than those advertised. It seemed that everyone was inspired to have a sale. Because many just decided to have a sale at the last minute, however, we didn’t find much. As the day wore on, we found even less … because many people had arrived before us. I did find the item below - a Department 56 Collectible building, titled Art’s Hobbies and Crafts – new, in the box. I bought it because it reminded me of my father-in-law, Art, and thought it would be a good item for my craft room. I paid 25 cents for it; much to my surprise, the internet places it’s value from $50 to $75. Regardless, Art’s building has found a home in my craft room.
I also found this interesting chair - likely part of a dining room set. It has been well used, but I liked the rounded wood back. Because it is veneer wood on the back and the legs, etc. are in tough shape, I will likely paint the chair and replace the well-worn tapestry seat. This treasure cost $2.
And finally, I found this item for my husband, who is a fan of the Titanic story. The bell below is 16’ tall; the bell has an 8" diameter. I’m not sure it will fit on his desk, but it will fit somewhere. The price - $10; for a fan of the Titanic story, priceless.
Until the next sale … take care and keep looking for bargains.