Bargain Hunting @ Garage Sales

Are you a garage saler? I go in streaks, but I can tell you I have found some very awesome stuff at garage sales over the years. I can remember giving our kids a small allowance when they were little and taking them along for some fun shopping with a few quarters. It was always a great adventure and we have thrown a couple of killer garage sales ourselves in our day. One of them took us on a fun-filled trip to Disneyland ~~all expenses paid for by our junk.

I think one of the greatest things about the green movement is to use and reuse things. One man's junk is another man's treasure~ true enough. People are getting rid of stuff all the time that is in excellent condition but for reasons we don't know or care really..they don't want it anymore. Lucky us!

To be successful at garage saling you have to be early, patient and ready to come home with nothing lots of times. The hunt is the fun part and the jackpot is a great buy. I am not one of those that buys strictly thrift stuff...but who doesn't love a good bargain now and again? There is a lot of serendipity in garage sales. You can find one of a kind items often.

Another thing that helps is being prepared and knowing where you want to go, deciding a route in advance, so you don't have to spend a lot of time trying to find places. My theory is that by 10:30 or 11:00 everything worth buying is pretty much gone. However, passing one around 4:00 will get you just about anything left for a smile and a song. Remember they are dying to get rid of it by then. Everything you take off their hands is one less thing for them to have to pack up and haul off to the charity of their choice.


So the point of all this is that I have just discovered a fabulous site for garage sales. Check this out if you are so inclined http://garagesalefinder.com, Armed with your print out, a map or GPS, some cash, the spirit of adventure and a little haggling... you can have a great morning, save money, re-purpose some junk, trim the fat out of your budget, and save the earth.. What's not to love? The wasteful opulence of the past few decades is over. Isn't that a relief?