Monday, April 25, 2011

Let's talk yard sales!


It’s yard sale season! My daughter, Miranda, and I have a Saturday (“Sevenday” as she insists we call it!) morning ritual of bagels at Starbucks, then on to yard sales. Wednesdays I peruse the Gazette for ads, then Fridays I get the listings off Craigslist. I put the addresses into my GPS for the following morning. We have so much fun looking through all the treasures! Miranda’s favorite toys are cars and we almost always find at least one or two on our hunts. Then we come home and show it all off to daddy!


As Spring and Summer progress, the sheer volume of yard sales can seem daunting. Here are some “tricks and tips” to finding the best sales for your needs and wants.
  1. Search for key words of what you’re looking for. Often a place that is selling antiques or “vintage” isn’t going to have baby clothes.
  2. Estate sales contents tend to be an entire household of goods after the owners have passed on.
  3. Try to limit your search to areas/neighborhoods close to your own home. Not only will you spend less time driving around, but their tastes will be more in line with what you’d like.
  4. Make a list off all the sales you want to go to, and number them in the order you want to take them in. Mark them on your map (there’s probably a fancy app out there to use, too) so you spend less time driving around. Be sure to note the opening times as some don’t open until 9 a.m. or later.
  5. Yard sale signs say a LOT about the sale. If they are small with way too much info on them, hard to read, or don’t point you in the right direction, most likely the sale isn’t worth your time and effort.
  6. Community yard sales are great as far as having plenty of places within walking distance, but they also tend to have many addresses that are pretty sparse. Do a drive through the neighborhood to get an idea of what’s offered.
 
What are your tips & tricks?  What amazing find have you made?

-Colleen (cocopitz) Events Manager
 

1 comments:

JoAnna said...

Love these tips Colleen!

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