Garage Sale-ing

Twice a year Trophy Club allows its residents to hold garage sales. It seems a bit crazy but it's actually pretty smart. This allows for people from wherever to come and check out all of the garage sales in the city at the same time two days a year. I had a few items on my garage sale, bargain hunting list for a while so I was looking forward to waking up early to shop the sales.

Before I get to what I actually purchased, let me share a few of my thoughts on garage sales:
1. When you are planning on hosting a garage sale you weed through all that you own and pick out the belongings you don't want anymore. Then you start to have high hopes that even though you don't want it anymore, maybe somebody else will want to pay good money for it. Right?
2. When you are shopping a garage sale you know full well that the person selling doesn't want that stuff anymore and that it is very likely that whatever is left unsold will be donated anyway. So you want to pay the cheapest price possible, right? Interesting juxtaposition.
3. I'm not a haggler. Just tell me what you think I should pay for it. If I think it's worth it I will buy it. If not, I won't.
4. No matter where a garage sale is hosted, many people have the same old junk that comes creeping out. Strange lamps. Dusty vases. Random shoes. Puzzles. Also so many people were selling non-flatscreen TVs and big computer monitors. I'm guessing that the market for those items can't be huge anymore.
5. Clothes being sold at a garage sale are no where near as appealing as sold in a store, even a resale store is much more attractive. For some reason seeing the clothes in piles or boxes or even hung up outside just screams "OLD CLOTHES" and I lose interest even though I love bargain hunting for clothes!
6. Yet isn't it crazy how much most people will spend on new clothes that within a few years they will most likely not even want anymore? Same with shoes. In store - $40. Garage sale - $.50. That is terrible depreciation of value. But it's true.
7. When there are hundreds of people having a garage sale in a small town parking is crazy. There should be a rule about parking on one side of the street so that people driving to drive past don't risk hitting other cars.
8. Some things are awkward to sell at a garage sale. I won't name them, but really, think about what you're putting out there before you place it out on the sidewalk for the world to see.
9. Design matters. The most appealing houses have items on tables. You should also put big ticket items out for people to see as they drive up.
10. This might be going back to number 1 on my list, but if you are hosting a garage sale, don't overprice your items. People looking to make more should consider selling these things on line. If you are selling a table at a garage sale for $200, you are probably not going to find someone to buy it. That's fine if you want to drag it back inside at the end of the day. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

Now on to what I bought! My best find of the day was a desk for our living room. Previously we had been using a card table with a table cloth on top of it so I was hoping to upgrade a bit. I found this solid wood, good condition desk and purchased it for only $10!!!! That is a good bargain. It's very sturdy and I like the finish. Plus for only $10 I won't feel bad if something happens to it (crayon marks by a toddler) or if we move again one day and I have to get rid of it (which I hope never happens because I love where we live). I also picked up two toys and some books for Eva which she will be receiving for Christmas (right now they are cleverly hidden in the closet). The one thing I was really looking for and didn't find was a Little Tikes coupe car. I think Santa will be bringing her this. I guess he better start looking at Craigslist and Kid to Kid if he wants to get a good deal :)