Comments on: My Garage Sale and Thrifting Toolkit

By: anne

anne — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:21:53 +0000

and bring a screw driver (or two)

this week i saw a white wooden laundry sorter w/ a folding lid.

i bought it, then couldn’t fit it in the car.

so i walked to the hardware store and bought a screwdriver (which will stay in the car.)3

i took it apart and put it together at home.

By: CathyG

CathyG — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:43:47 +0000

I ride my bike to garage sales in my neighborhood. Gives me a chance to get some exercise, and it limits what I think I need to buy. I carry a backpack for a few small items, and I can ride home to get the car if I find something big. Since it’s so much trouble to transport big things, it helps to make sure that it’s something that I REALLY want – no more impulse buys.

By: John DeFlumeri Jr

John DeFlumeri Jr — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:53:54 +0000

That way you are ready to take the most advantage of any item that pops up!

By: MattJ

MattJ — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:20:41 +0000

I second Kristine’s last paragraph. A length of rope is good safety equipment that should be in your car’s trunk (or behind the seat of your truck, like mine is) at all times.

When I had a car I had my rope in a plastic tub along with jumper cables, road flares, first-aid kit, duct tape, WD-40, a couple of dispable rain ponchos, an emergency blanket, wheel chocks, along with some other things I’m probably forgetting about. You can fit quite a bit of preparedness into a tub that’s about twice the size of a showbox.

I wish there was room behind my truck seat for the whole tub.

By: Chris Cruz

Chris Cruz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:11:15 +0000

My mom used to go to garage sales every week when my parents first moved into their new house. But she mainly went to garage sales in more affluent neighborhoods. She’s found alot of high end furniture at garagesales like Thomasville for dirt cheap. Garage sales have tons of baby clothes and toys. My mom would pick out garbage bags full of name brand baby clothes sometimes unworn and give them to her friends grandkids. All those clothes only sold for a few cents.

By: Craig Ford

Craig Ford — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:15:26 +0000

One of the best things about garage sales is you never know what you’re going to find. To add to the adventure I never look in the paper or map our my trips. while a map might be more efficient I enjoy stumbling upon a great garage sale.

By: David/Yourfinances101

David/Yourfinances101 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:20 +0000

Wow,

Thats about as all-inclusive as it gets.

I’ll keep that in mind beofre I venture out this Saturday AM.

By: lurker carl

lurker carl — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:42:02 +0000

Amy Dacyczyn, of “The Tightwad Gazette” fame, wrote almost exactly the same thing about 15 years ago. She called it “Power Yard-Saling” instead.

By: kristine

kristine — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:31:51 +0000

Question- why the GPS? If you punch them all in the night before- why not Mapquest? It’s free, you can add multiple locations and this way you can even structure a circular path, and calculate the cost of gas! It’s not perfect, but it’s darned close.

In addition to the measuring tape, If you are purchasing an item for the house, such as a blanket or curtains, it’s good to bring a paint chip of the room. When I paint a room I also paint a small piece of paper, so I always have it handy in a drawer. It has a sketched floor plan w/measurements of the room on back.

A bungee or rope (and scissors) is a good idea to have in the trunk at all times. You never know when you will see an excellent curb find.

By: SingleGuyMoney

SingleGuyMoney — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:43:09 +0000

Great tips for having a successful garage sale day.

Having a tape measure is a great idea. I sometimes find furniture I like but of course I never have a measuring tape.

Another tip to be sure that you are not spending money, just to spend money is to have a list of things you are looking for. This way, there is less of a chance to waste money by buying things you don’t need.

- Single Guy Money