For the garage sale junkie, a summer Saturday can be the perfect invitation for bringing more clutter into your home. One of the best ways that I have found to sort the treasures from the trash is to shop with a list.
List the home decorations you want to buy
Every few months I walk through my house and make a home improvement list. This will become my shopping list as I garage sale. When I find a potential treasure, I already know if I can use it in my house or not. If I don't know where I will use it, I will pass this "treasure" because it's really just trash in disguise.
List the clothes sizes for each member of your family
Garage sale clothes are cheap, so there is a lot of potential for great buys. The drawback is that there usually are no refunds from a garage sale and so clothes that don't fit are wasted money. At the beginning of the garage sale season, measure everyone in your family and list their clothes sizes. If you take measurements of waist and inseam for pants, torso and arm length for shirts, neck size, etc. you can carry a soft tape measure with you and check the clothes for fit before you buy them. On this list, it's good to have the actual clothing sizes along with the measurements as a double check. This will take just a few minutes, and could really pay off in garage sale savings. If you have children who are growing fast, buy a size above when you buy clothes for the next season.
List names that you are buying gifts for
If you are the sort who doesn't mind giving second-hand gifts, garage sale season can be an ideal time to buy Christmas presents (or any other type of present). Make a list of names for people you need to buy presents for. When you buy a present for a person on your list, make sure you cross off that name so you don't buy multiple presents for the same person.
When you buy gifts at a garage sale, carefully check the quality of the item. I often find quality gifts that I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. I'm fortunate enough that most of my friends and family are delighted to get unique gifts given with love even if the gift was bought second hand. You know who these friends are, go out and garage sale for them.
Don't be afraid of garage sales, just bring your armor with you. Bring your lists.
Get the most for your money at a garage sale |
