Garage sale tales.

[catland]

My husband and I like to hit the garage sales on Saturdays.

Well, this past weekend I found a most excellent sleeper-sofa for a great price. I had actually wanted one for a room so I could use it as a guest bedroom. It was just one of those lucky moments of seeing something that we actually needed and being the first there to buy it.

So we get it home and now we have to get it down the hallway into the back room. Only to discover that the sofa was too big to get through the door. Even with the door removed from the hinge we still coudln't get it through. So we had to cut off a leg and finally got it through the door.

My husband, who is very handy, then got some metal thingies and repaired the leg. He wanted a fix that would allow us to remove the leg if/when we move from our house. I told him it was my plan that if/when we move, we tell the new owners that they get a free sofa with the house.:p

anyone else with a garage sale tale?

[catnapper]

Not really, other than the fact I'm sitting ehre watching TLC's "Clean Sweep" and am amazed at how much money they make at their yard sales! :eek: I had a yard sale with my mom last month. We had just as much stuff and I only made $28... whereas the people on this show are making $200 a piece - that is over $400 for the couple! HOW? :)

[Rachel]

You have a soul sister in me, although I have not been *saling* in a long time. In the final analysis, we have just too much stuff. Estate sales are as compelling as garage sales. We have furnished several rooms with furniture secured at estate sales, and I have picked up some of my favorite household accessories at garage sales. Then too, we are fortunate to have access to the Kane County Flea Market, which is one of the largest in the country. There is something about the *thrill of the hunt* that can't be replicated by purchasing something at retail.

I don't have any stories per se, but the person who happened to be attending a sale and offered to help my husband lug an upright freezer up from a basement will never be forgotten. The freezer was a bargain, used for 10 years before it went kaput, but the guy's kindness will always be remembered.

Catnapper, I LOVE Clean Sweep. I will even watch ones I have seen before.

[Cookiebaker]

I used to love going to yard sales. However, I'm sick of seeing high priced JUNK, and we have enough stuff, so I don't go anymore. I'm much rather go to Walmart and get the same thing for the same price.

[QueenScoopalot]

We had a yard sale probably ten years ago, and what a fiasco! I advertised in the paper and had signs up as well. We had it Sat. & Sun. On Sat. a lot of people showed up (can't recall how much $$ we made) but I had a nice 1950's chrome toaster for $4.00. It worked, though it was more for decorative purposes. A Russian woman comes over and starts gesturing for me to get bread...I had none. She wanted to see if it worked, which it did. The she starts to haggle me down to $2.00. In the meantime a young couple showed up and picked up the toaster and were about ready to hand me $4.00 for it. The Russian woman rudely grabbed it from them and throws 4.00 at me (literally) and leaves. As she was leaving the guy yells at her "I hope your house burns down"! :eek: Then I find out from someone else that the toater woman grabbed several items and walked out with them. To think she had THE NERVE to come back the next day! :rolleyes: If I had brought that stupid toaster to a "retro" store, they probably would have given me a lot more than $4.00 for it. Geesh! I'll stick with E-Bay if I ever find the time lol! ;)

[Pam]

When my kids were small occasionally I would go looking for toys. Nowadays if I go I am in search of toys for my grandson so he will have things to play with when he visits here. :) I have had a few garage sales myself, but I think it is a lot of work for what little $$ I have made. I just take things to the Goodwill these days.

My mother used to be a real garage sale person. One day while at one of her friend's yard sales she spotted my Andy. He was in the arms of a neighbor of the woman who was having the sale. She said she was looking for a good home for him. My mom put him "on hold" for me, sight unseen. LOL! I drove 50 miles to "just look" and came home with him. He was my best yard sale find! Who would have ever thought you could find a best friend at a yard sale! :)

Oh, and count me in as another Clean Sweep viewer. I love to throw things out and I hate clutter!!! My husband worries sometimes because he knows I am a "throw out" kinda person and he never knows what's going to wind up in the trash. :)

[Cataholic]

This past weekend, I spent $43.00 at yard sales, all for baby boy clothes, most of them were .50 each! :D :D Needless to say, I have 15 loads of laundry to do before September!!!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by Cataholic
This past weekend, I spent $43.00 at yard sales, all for baby boy clothes,

I really think garage sales are great for kids stuff! They grow so fast, and their little clothes are so expensive compared to adult size clothes that I know if I ever had a kid I'd be doing the same thing as Johanna. And not just clothes, but toys and other baby "stuff" too.

We haven't attended any garage sales lately because we have enough junk of our own and....as a matter of fact...we're having a multi-family garage sale in two weeks! Terry loves having garage sales - me, I'd rather just give it to Goodwill or Amvets or something. But he's the quintessential salesman, so we usually do quite well. And as for the stuff that doesn't sell? It immediately gets packed in the car and hauled off to Amvets. There is NO WAY this stuff is going back in the basement.

Another reason we haven't been garage saleing is because in two years we will need to fit an entire house into a 40' x 9' space on wheels, which isn't exactly inspirational to buying more stuff. ;) :D

[sirrahved]

I agree about garage saling for children's things. I bought a very pretty sweater/bonnet set for my niece to be and it still had the tags on! Children can only wear things for a few months and then it no longer fits. What else will people do with things?

[Kfamr]

I *love* garage sales!
I especially love having them, since we have alot of things that we never use or anything.. Money! :p


I don't have any tales, but I remember when I was little, I'd go around garage-saleing when we had neighborhood garage sales..
I used to leave with 5 bucks, and come home with $5 and a bag full of stuff! All the "old ladies" would give me little things for free. :p Little change purses, dolls, old/cheap rings...etc..

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

" House Sales" are a BIG THING here in Bahrain. We have such a transient popluation of expats, and when you hear someone is leaving you ask two questions:
1) Aww - we will miss you - where are you going?
2) WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?

LOL - I am OBSESSED with finding something really cheap and making a fortune on it - unfortunatley everyone else on eBay has they same idea!!!

Right now I am trying to negotiate a good price with a friend who is moving from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) so she will buy MY Hyundai Santa Fe and I can buy another friends Landrover Discovery, as she is also leaving and wants to sell her car:rolleyes:

[Lillycat]

i love garage sales.....a few weeks ago we (cataholic and i) went to a whole community garage sale.....just drive up and down the streets in this community and all who wish to participate do....it was great.....i got a lovely oriental rug for the diningroom!!!!!!