One person's trash and all that...
Every year my neighborhood schedules a development-wide garage sale and every year I look at the junk piled up in my basement and think, "...next year." Well, this year was THE YEAR, people. This year was the year I'd put our crap on display, slap some sort of price on it and cross my fingers no one I know shows up.
First things first, I consulted a close friend and garage sale connoisseur. I needed some guidance on pricing valuables such as craptastic picture frames and fake crystal candlesticks. She informed me that people who frequent garage sales are looking for the ultimate steal and don't want to spend much more than a couple bucks per item. So...a couple bucks it was. Although we did price a few big-ticket (black leather Ikea chair, whut, whut! Snazzy glass and metal computer desk, holla!) items a bit higher.
Some highlights...
At around 7 AM, I realized I had a very limited supply of cash on hand to make change. I had one five dollar bill, a ten, a one and a handful of change. Apparently garage sale hosts are supposed to think ahead and have at least twenty dollars in singles. Not off to a good start. After raiding Lydia's piggy bank, I added another five and a twenty to the mix. Not helpful and poor Lydia wondered why I was going through her money. I swear I wrote down the amount to pay her back.First customer arrived at 7:30 AM when the sale started at 8. Me (already sweating trying to arrange craptastic picture frames): Um...is it already 8? Man (looking at watch): Just about. Me (as poor Lydia is still upstairs waiting to be let out of her cage room): You're going to have to come back at exactly 8, I'm not ready yet. (Checked the clock when I went inside and it was 7:30 on the dot. Almost 8 my ass.)Same man showed up at 8 on the dot and bought every piece of jewelry and a brand new pair of women's boots. Score. $15 sale.A woman handed me a five for a $3 basket and I was unable to make change. She frantically looked at my neighbor's house and exclaimed, "I don't have time for this! That desk I had my eye on over there is going to snatched up!" and she threw the five my way and rushed to purchase said desk. Jackpot.We've been trying for 2 years to donate an old snow blower. Goodwill can't accept said snow blower because it has a full tank of gas. I figured I'd sell it for pennies and free up the garage space. Hell, I'd consider paying someone else just to transport it off our property. Lo and behold we had an interested buyer. After assuring him the snow blower was in working order, he proceeded to try and get the thing started for fifteen minutes. Awkward. Finally, the blower revved to life (blue smoke shooting out the side notwithstanding). In the end, we made the sale. Whether or not the blower made it home, is still in question. Man refused to let us tie the machine down and had it out the trunk heavy side up. Hmm...Lydia became upset when one of her old toys was purchased. We made sure to donate the earnings to her piggy bank (along with the borrowed change). All in all, it was an exhausting, but successful day. We ended up with half the junk we started with and earned a bit of spending money to boot. I'll take it!
First things first, I consulted a close friend and garage sale connoisseur. I needed some guidance on pricing valuables such as craptastic picture frames and fake crystal candlesticks. She informed me that people who frequent garage sales are looking for the ultimate steal and don't want to spend much more than a couple bucks per item. So...a couple bucks it was. Although we did price a few big-ticket (black leather Ikea chair, whut, whut! Snazzy glass and metal computer desk, holla!) items a bit higher.
Some highlights...
At around 7 AM, I realized I had a very limited supply of cash on hand to make change. I had one five dollar bill, a ten, a one and a handful of change. Apparently garage sale hosts are supposed to think ahead and have at least twenty dollars in singles. Not off to a good start. After raiding Lydia's piggy bank, I added another five and a twenty to the mix. Not helpful and poor Lydia wondered why I was going through her money. I swear I wrote down the amount to pay her back.First customer arrived at 7:30 AM when the sale started at 8. Me (already sweating trying to arrange craptastic picture frames): Um...is it already 8? Man (looking at watch): Just about. Me (as poor Lydia is still upstairs waiting to be let out of her cage room): You're going to have to come back at exactly 8, I'm not ready yet. (Checked the clock when I went inside and it was 7:30 on the dot. Almost 8 my ass.)Same man showed up at 8 on the dot and bought every piece of jewelry and a brand new pair of women's boots. Score. $15 sale.A woman handed me a five for a $3 basket and I was unable to make change. She frantically looked at my neighbor's house and exclaimed, "I don't have time for this! That desk I had my eye on over there is going to snatched up!" and she threw the five my way and rushed to purchase said desk. Jackpot.We've been trying for 2 years to donate an old snow blower. Goodwill can't accept said snow blower because it has a full tank of gas. I figured I'd sell it for pennies and free up the garage space. Hell, I'd consider paying someone else just to transport it off our property. Lo and behold we had an interested buyer. After assuring him the snow blower was in working order, he proceeded to try and get the thing started for fifteen minutes. Awkward. Finally, the blower revved to life (blue smoke shooting out the side notwithstanding). In the end, we made the sale. Whether or not the blower made it home, is still in question. Man refused to let us tie the machine down and had it out the trunk heavy side up. Hmm...Lydia became upset when one of her old toys was purchased. We made sure to donate the earnings to her piggy bank (along with the borrowed change). All in all, it was an exhausting, but successful day. We ended up with half the junk we started with and earned a bit of spending money to boot. I'll take it!
No comments have been added yet.
