5 Reasons to Shop at Garage Sales
I went garage sale shopping last weekend and I am hooked. Friends have told me all about the great deals they found at garage sales, so I wanted to find some for myself. I made a list, got some cash and hopped in the car early Saturday morning. I had seen a sign for a neighborhood sale earlier that week. My husband and kiddos went too and we had a wonderful time. I have wondered why I haven’t been yard sale shopping all along. So if you don’t garage sale shop, here are 5 reasons why you should!
1. The great deals steals. I found clothes and books for a fraction of the cost at a Resale Shop or retail store clearance. One of my best finds this weekend was buying $82 worth of classic children’s books for $5. The hardback, cardboard version of “Goodnight Moon” retails at $16 and I got it for a buck. Also, clothes can be really cheap at garage sales. I bought two jackets for the fall for 50 cents a piece.
2. You can haggle. You can’t haggle at Target, Wal-Mart, or any other store. Be friendly and just ask, “Will you take x.xx for this?” I always have to build up my confidence to haggle. Once you do it a few times, it gets easier. The worst they can say is no. You can save some money just by asking a simple question. We bought an edger for $15 and the lady was asking $20. So I saved $5 in about 30 seconds.
3. You pay in cash. Once you bought an item it is paid for – it is yours! No monthly payments. No bills. You can stay on budget by bringing only the cash you need. It is also helpful to bring a bunch of change, because many sellers forget to have enough change.
4. Most sales happen Saturday mornings. Leave the kids at home with Dad or a friend and get some fresh air while shopping. Or bring the family along and make a morning of it. Give your child an envelope with a dollar or two and let them buy something. Teach them to haggle or how to spend wisely.
5. It is fun to bargain hunt. How many times have you been at someone’s house and heard a story about how they got a certain furniture item for a steal at a garage sale? Go get your own story! It is really fun if you hit a gold mine when someone’s kid just grew out of the size clothes you need.
Here are 2 great articles about how to garage sale shop:
How to Garage Sale Shop Like a Pro at NotTheJetSet.net
Garage Sale Power Shopping at BeingFrugal.net
Do you like garage sale shopping? What is your best find at a garage sale?
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I love garage sales!! Reading your article makes me want to go to some this weekend! Glad you found some great deals!!:)
the season is just getting going around here. i LOVE garage sales.
We are having a ginormous yard sale sometime in the next few weeks. I have a TON of kids clothes that we are gonig to sell for .25-.50c apiece. What a steal! Moving overseas forces you to get rid of a lot of things–hence the hugeness of the yard sale. I think they are fun to go to, too!
Garage sales are just the best! Even if you don’t find anything to buy, it’s fun to poke through other people’s stuff–and when you do buy you acheive enormous savings. I wore my new-to-me pair of Jones New York slacks to work today that I paid fifty cents for–and when I got them home I found a dollar in the pocket. Can’t beat that!!