7 Tips for a Successful Yard Sale

Yard sales. People either love them or hate them. I happen to LOVE yard sales.

I love going to them and I love having yard sales. If I have a free Saturday morning from April thru September--unfortunately it's rare--I try to hit a community yard sale. I'm always looking for girls clothing, good books, and clean Tupperware.

Every year, we participate in our community's yard sale. I'll spend a weekend or two before the sale to go through closets, cupboards and drawers deciphering if this is the year that I don't need that oval baking dish or that long sleeved blouse I haven't worn since 2007. I've learned several tips after all of these years of hawking our junk and we had a very successful yard sale a few weeks ago.

And by successful, I mean we got rid of just about everything that I put out, except for 3 boxes of winter clothes. Apparently, people aren't interested in a wool sweater when it's 90 degrees outside, even if it is only $1.

We made some money too, about $150. Which isn't too shabby when most of our loot was marked at $1 or less.

This was a big year to get rid of toys. The girls decided that it okay to part with the plastic kitchen, Handy Manny tool bench, and the Dora pop up tent. They've moved on to bigger (and more expensive) toys and have left the toddler ones behind. We also told them that they were going to need to earn their spending money for souvenirs during our beach vacation this year and that became their motivation.

Our big ticket items were a hardly used 16" Disney Princess bike that is every girls' dream except for our little one who is now too big for it and a gently used Handy Manny tool bench that we bought on Black Friday several years ago and still paid too much.

Everything is out of my house now and it feels so much lighter.

7 Tips for a Successful Yard Sale

1. Participate in a Community Yard Sale vs. a Single Family Yard Sale
 A community yard sale is an attraction for people, because they can park the car and hit a number of sales at once with not a lot of driving time. I rarely head to single sales unless by chance I'm passing one that I have time for. If you don't have a large neighborhood to participate with, then ask your friends to join you and advertise a "multi-family". People want to stop at larger sales to make it worth their time.

2. Signs
Post signs through out your neighborhood and along the nearest busy road (see above) to attract traffic to your sale. Use bright colored paper or poster board and add some balloons for attention.

3. Advertise Online
This was the first year our neighborhood didn't pay for a classified ad in the newspaper, but we did place free ads online. We placed ads on Craigslist several days in a row before the sale. Make sure your headline on Craigslist is very descriptive. An example of our ad placed on Craisglist: Willis Pointe Community Yard Sale, Sat. June 1, 8am-1 (Off Wilson Drive in Town's Name).

I see many ads on Craigslist that are very vague and just say, "community yard sale". There are tons of garage sale ads placed on Craigslist, so the more descriptive you are of your location, the better chance that the reader will head to your sale first. Also, include a description of what is being offered in the details, such as sizes of clothing, particular furniture, collectibles, etc.

4. Merchandise Your Stuff by Category
Separate your stuff and organize it by category: toys, kids' clothes, adult clothes, household items, books, etc. It's so easy to do and makes shopping easier and less overwhelming for the customer.

5. Price Your Stuff
If you want to get rid of your stuff then clearly mark it with the price. If I stop by a yard sale and nothing is marked, I usually walk away. Just tell me what you want for the item and I'll decide if it's the right price or not for me.

Pricing doesn't have to be time consuming. I make and print signs from our computer for just about everything, except for a few big ticket items and for that stuff I use stickers.

I found the plexi-glass sign holders at a yard sale!

6. Be Ready to Haggle
This presents fear to many, but here's an easy tip. If you have a price on a particular item that you are firm on, mark the item a little higher than that number. Don't mark it at your firm price. That way when someone asks if you'll go lower, simply offer your firm price. I've found most people accept that price.

For example, that pesky Handy Manny tool bench was a ridiculously expensive toy that my kids played with, but were quite gentle with and we had still had most of the pieces. I wanted to get at least $15-$18 for the toy, so I marked the bench at $20. I know--a crazy price for a yard sale, but it really was in excellent condition and I knew that there would be parents that would realize that the price was actually quite fair. Sure enough, a woman asked, "would you take $15?"  I countered that I "would take $18." The woman said, "OK." Done! We were both happy. She got a reduced price and I got the price I wanted.

7. Remember: One Person's Junk is Another Person's Treasure
If you can't read the signs taped to those antiques in the below picture, they say "FREE--It Works!" And they do work, but they are very old TVs that nobody wants anymore. The TVs became quite a joke at our yard sale. One man told me he'd take them if I gave HIM $5, so we decide to mark them free and we would help cart them to the buyer's car. I did NOT want those TVs back in our house when the yard sale was over and it was very clear that nobody was interested in them...until I marked them FREE.

Someone became quite interested in FREE. Another man was pretty excited about the find and he had a use for them. Hasta la vista!

If your goal is to reduce a lot of stuff that is lying around your house and make a little spending money in the process then follow these tips to have a successful yard sale.

Are you having a yard sale this summer? What tips do you have to make it successful? Let us know in the comments.

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Thrifty Finds: Brand Names, Dirt Cheap

I stopped by my two favorite thrift stores last week: Salvation Army & Community Aid, a local store. I only go on Wednesdays, because both stores offer an additional 50% off on almost everything.

I cleaned out our closets a couple of weekends ago and I found that we are in need of some spring & summer clothes. My oldest daughter has grown out of everything,  thankfully, I can pass them on to my younger daughter, so at least she is set for spring and summer.

Finally, spring has arrived in central PA, so I carved out some time last Wednesday to hit the thrift stores. And as always they did not disappoint.

By far the best find of the day was the pair of Keen shoes (in the above picture) for my oldest daughter.

Do used shoes gross you out? Me too, but these Keen's were in great condition and were only $2.50, so I bought the shoes and simply washed them in hot water in the washing machine when I got home. These shoes retail for $49.95.  No THANK YOU! I just can't justify that price for kids shoes; their feet grow like weeds.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with finding any clothing for my daughter, but I did pretty well for myself. I found 2 pairs of shorts and a pair of brand new Gap denim capris. While I'm not brand loyal, there are brands that I like based on their quality and fit. So I was excited when I found Calvin Klein & Ralph Lauren shorts in like new condition. And they were $2 each after the 50% off sale.

I really liked the fit of the khaki Ralph Lauren shorts, so I was bummed when I noticed a missing button as I was trying them on.

Thankfully a spare was hidden inside the shorts. I'm no seamstress, but I can sew on a button.

My absolute favorite find for myself was an Athleta running skirt for $2. So mom made out well!

I also bought a Pyrex casserole dish with a lid. Unfortunately, it was excluded from the 50% off sale, but at $4.99, I bought it anyway. I rarely see Pyrex dishes WITH the lid. I love that I can avoid using aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Do you shop at thrift stores? What great finds have you found lately? Let us know in the comments.

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In Today's Episode of "Adventures in Trash Diving"

Surveying the neighbor's trash is becoming a sport for me.

I'm training for my first half marathon. Which means two things: I'm crazy and I'm out the door early in the morning running as fast as I can to pass the smelly garbage trucks.

Wednesdays are trash day in our neighborhood. I actually felt good on my run this morning, but as I was plodding along, I stopped dead in my tracks in front of a neighbor's trash heap.



I have been wanting one of these hobby greenhouses. I have dreams, aspirations and delusions that I'm going to grow annual flowers and some vegetables from seed. I have yet to discuss my madness with my husband and they can get pretty expensive to buy new, so I haven't pursued getting one yet.

This is definitely not a deluxe greenhouse. It is most likely a beginner model. I inspected it while curbside and noticed that the zipper was broken, but I ran home, grabbed the van keys and raced back to pick it up before the trash guy took it away. It is also missing the bottom shelf, but I can come up with an alternative.

I'm now googling greenhouses to find out if I can replace the plastic and how much that will set me back. Hopefully it will work out, otherwise I will put it back out on the curb and maybe it will make another poor runner's dreams come true.

Do you have a hobby greenhouse? Can you give us some advice on how you use it?


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It Amazes Me What People Throw Away

Our trash pick-up day is Wednesday. So most of our neighbors put their trash outside on Tuesday afternoons or evenings.

We noticed the neighbor up the street had put a pink and purple tricycle out on the curb with their trash. My 3 year old already has a tricycle, but the girls and I were intrigued to see if this one was functional or broken. And as my 5 year old pointed out, "mommy, I don't have a basket on my bike." If the trike was broken, at least we could save the basket.

So we walked up the street to check out my neighbor's trash. We immediately realized that there was nothing wrong with the bike. I have a feeling my neighbor's granddaughter outgrew it, but why would you put a working trike out in the garbage? Why wouldn't you donate it to Goodwill?

I rang my neighbor's doorbell to ask their permission and they weren't home, so I took it anyway thinking that I will let them know the next time I see that they are home. As we walked away with the trike, my three year old said, "mommy, it's not awrs." I'm so proud of that girl and I explained that I will go back to tell them when they were home. My five year old will hold me to it, not to worry.

As I said, my three year old has a tricycle, but I don't think she is giving this up any time soon. We'll eventually pass it on to another neighbor who is having a baby girl in July.


This is not the first time, my neighbors have hauled perfectly good items to the curb. Last summer, a different neighbor was cleaning out their garage and put a Sears Cargo Carrier for the top of your car to the curb. We have one, but my husband went to another neighbor to tell them about it. He went to check it out and it was in perfect condition. They left for a vacation last weekend with it on top of their van.

I'm not sure what goes through people's minds when they throw things away that still have life in them. Doesn't it amaze you what people throw away?

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Choosing Thrift First: Thinking Ahead

I have two daughters and one benefit of having same sex siblings is that my youngest is the beneficiary of a mighty fine wardrobe, season after season.

I don't have that luxury with my oldest daughter. She doesn't receive any hand-me-downs, so I find myself building her wardrobe at the beginning of every season. I guess I could go to Target or Children's Place at the beginning of every season, but that could get expensive. Also, I rarely frequent the mall and I'm trying to avoid Target, so I usually miss out on the end of season bargains.

I am having a lot of luck with thrifting this spring. We found summer jammies and shorts at our favorite thrift store a few weeks ago. I also stumbled on a yard sale recently that had girls clothes in great condition marked at 3 for $1. I hit the jackpot and as of right now, her summer wardrobe is pretty much complete.

As I was sorting through the clothes at that last yard sale, the mom said to me, "do you need a winter coat? It is size 6 and $2". Two dollars for a winter coat; let me take a look. It was in beautiful condition and the size we will most likely need next winter. My daughter also told me recently that her new favorite color was red and I knew she would love the faux fur lining. Major score at $2.

Even though we are really looking forward to sunny days, the park, the pool and bike rides well into the evening, I am looking ahead to the colder months. And I can now cross off one of the more expensive items from the list.

Are you thinking ahead when you are thrifting? You just never know what you might find. Let us know what you are finding in the comments.

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This post is linked to Your Green Resource at The Greenbacks Gal.

Changing My Mindset From One of a First Use Consumer to One of Thrift

I'm not one for too many gadgets, but I found that I loved my salad spinner. We eat lots of salads and I liked how it spun the greens dry and I found my salads stayed fresh longer.

So I was very disappointed a few weeks ago when my salad spinner fell to the floor and shattered. I have had it for some time and it wasn't cheap. I paid about $30 for it when I bought it at a home party several years ago. I didn't want to spend $30 again and I'm embarrassed to say that I even spent $30 in the first place.

Unfortunately, my first thought was, "I'll pick one up the next time I'm at Target. I'm sure I can get one there for about $20, far cheaper than $30".

But last Wednesday as I was heading towards the library for Toddler story time, I passed a thrift store. There was a big sign that read "50% off Today" in front of the store. Over the summer, I saw tons of salad spinners at yards sales, so I figured there was a good chance of finding one in the thrift store. I guess it is an item that people buy, but never use. Well I use it and I wanted another one.

I have shopped at this store before, but it has been awhile since I chose thrift over new.

Bingo! There were 4 different ones to choose from and I chose one that was ticketed at $1.99, so I would get it for .99 with the 50% off sale.

As I was walking to my car, it occurred to me that the thrift store should have been my first thought, not Target. I need to re-train my brain that when I need something, I should check the thrift stores first.

Will I ever get over my Target compulsion? Hopefully, because .99 is a lot more better than $20.

What is your mindset? Is it one of a first use consumer or one of thrift?

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

The $500 Challenge Update and Mr Linky

Today was the first day of our neighborhood's 3 day yard sale and thankfully the weather was beautiful. I made $70 and most of that were items from this table...

...a bunch of knick knacks that will be so much happier in someone else's home.

Seventy dollars isn't a bad start, but I need to do better over the next two days if I want to hit my goal for the $500 Challenge. I think I'll spend the rest of the day evaluating many more of my possessions and asking myself, 'do I really need this?'.

How are you doing with the challenge? If you are a blogger participating in the challenge and making updates on your site about your progress, please link up your most recent update with Mr. Linky. If you are not a blogger and are participating in the challenge, please let us know how you are doing in the comment section.

Make sure you take some time to check back over the next few days and visit the other links to see how the other bloggers are doing with their challenge. This is a great opportunity to find/meet/support other bloggers and get some ideas on how to find $500!

A few Mr. Linky guidelines:

• Please link your most recent challenge updates to Mr. Linky. If you are not a blogger, please tell us about your challenge updates in the comment section.


• Please post the link to your update, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your update post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Mr. Linky.


• I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article.


• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

Read more about the $500 Challenge here, here, here and here.

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A Thrifty Mama Comes Clean

"Where did you get your daughter's shoes?

The question from another mom caught me off guard as I was in the hallway of the YMCA getting my daughter ready for her dance class. For a split second I almost said, "Target". For that is the brand of shoe that my daughter was wearing.

But that is not where I bought the shoes. "I bought them at the new thrift store on Market Street" I said shyly at first, but by the end of the sentence, very confidently.

Yes, I just admitted to another mom that I bought my daughter's shoes at a thrift store. For justification I added, "they looked brand new and I only paid $3". And the truth was they did look brand new and they were only $3. At this point another mom chimed in, "they look like Target's shoes" and I admitted that they were Target's Circo brand. And then the conversation turned back to the subject at hand, dance class.

But I couldn't stop thinking about how I just admitted to a hallway full of moms that I shop at a thrift store. And no one flinched. I'm not sure what or if any of the other mother's gave the quick conversation a second thought, but it gave me confidence and honestly I don't think I will ever hesitate again to admit that I bought something at a thrift store.

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This post is linked to:

• Finer Things Friday at Amy's Finer Things

2010 - The Year Of Living Thriftily

As I was thinking about the new year approaching and trying to formulate some resolutions, I kept coming back to one word...simple. I have been feeling over-whelmed lately, not from stress, but from stuff. I feel like I am being swallowed up by all of the things that we have accumulated over the years. I wrote earlier about my house envy, but I wonder if I could just de-clutter, donate or dispose of the stuff, would I open up the space and not feel so cramped?

I have come up with four resolutions for 2010. My goal is to find peace with myself, my family, my space and my conscious.

1. Following the lead of the Compact, I am going to avoid buying new for myself and if possible my kids. When I find that I need something, I will first search my house for an appropriate alternative. If I cannot find what I need then I will try to borrow, barter or look in a second hand store or yard sale.


2. Buy more local. From May through November we get most of our vegetables and some of our fruit from a local CSA. I also have a small garden. I want to buy even more local products from the farmers' market, such as local dairy and meat.


3. Make It Myself. My favorite gift that was given to me this year was a hand-knit sweater that my mom made me. I will treasure it always, as it is very cozy and warm. I am not a great knitter and not very crafty, but I want to become more creative with our choices for gifts and thank-yous.


4. If I do need to buy new, I want to buy from the smaller, local businesses before heading to a big box store, especially for things like gifts, books, etc. I won't give up the big box stores completely, sometimes they are very convenient, but my first choice will be LOCAL.

For many reasons, I have decided upon these goals.

• I simply cannot fit another thing into this house. I'm going to MAKE DO. I am sure if I think hard enough, what I am looking for isn't at Target, but right under my nose or in the back of a closet.


• By making do, I am hoping to live more consciously and sustainably and be less wasteful.


• There has to be some creative juice flowing somewhere in my tall frame. Running to Target has become too easy for me. I want to become more creative, by making my own gifts or thinking of different ways to use an item.


• I want to support the local economy and small business. My husband and I are small business owners and I want to help out our fellow citizens in our community.


• In the end, I want to save some money. I might be spending more on our food, like meat and dairy if I buy local instead of at the grocery store, but I'll be saving money by making do and buying second hand.

Would you like to join me in 2010 and make it your Year to Live Thriftily?

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This post is linked to:

• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom
• The Happy Housewife - 2010 Goals Link up
• Thrifty Thursday at Coupon Teacher

Oh Thrift Store, Why Do I Doubt Thee!

Right when I doubt that I will ever find any gems in the thrift store, my luck changes...

I was running errands today, while my daughter was at preschool. Those two and half hours that she is at preschool can some times wreck havoc on our balance sheet. But I had a list of things that I needed to accomplish. Besides going to the bank, I also needed to look for some Christmas presents and stop by the office supply store. As I was heading to the next place on my list, I drove past the Salvation Army.

Every Wednesday, our Salvation Army thrift store, promotes an extra 50% off of merchandise except for the color of the week. All the price tickets have colors and every week a different color is excluded from the sale. I venture in occasionally, when I am in the area, but usually I have two kids in tow and my visit is cut short by some sort of disaster that mostly entails a fixture being pulled to the ground. I also end up leaving, feeling like I wasted my time, because I never seem to find anything worthwhile.

Today, I only had one child and I strapped her into her stroller, with snacks and her baby doll to keep her hands occupied.

I was cruising down the first aisle which is home goods when I saw it. I have been looking for it all summer at yard sales. A large blue Tupperware storage container. This container was quite grungy, but nothing that a run through the dishwasher didn't fix. The price was .99 after the 50% off sale. I was thrilled...I know you are probably saying, "get a life, it's Tupperware", but I have been looking for one of these containers.

Filled with excitement, I continued on and headed to children's clothing, because just this morning it occurred to me that our 4 year old has had a growth spurt and many of her shirts have become belly shirts. She is also heavily into Disney Princess stuff. It seems this year's theme for her for Christmas is Princess. I am very picky about used clothing. The clothes have to look very new for me to buy and wear them. I know I can wash the clothes, but I can't get past the ick factor. The first shirt I found was this beauty from the Disney store. It looks brand new and it's final cost was $1.99.

I then headed to children's toys. My youngest daughter loves Elmo and Sesame Street. I spotted this Sesame Street toy that also looked brand new, very clean, and the final cost was $1.99. Another Christmas gift for $1.99.


I am thrilled that I found two Christmas gifts for my kids for $4.00. My kids will be thrilled when they open their gifts. I can't wait to see their smiling faces.

I am going to give thrift stores a second chance. Keeping my eyes open for gems like the ones I found today.

How often do you shop in thrift stores? Are you doing any of your holiday shopping in thrift stores?

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Yard sales finds - what did you find this weekend?

We weren't planning on hitting any yard sales this past Saturday, but as we were heading home from a night of camping on Friday night, we passed a sale near our house. My husband is as addicted to a good yard sale as I am and he pulled the van over so we could check out the sale.

I love the botanical prints, but they were very dusty. I think I am going to paint the frames. The prints have a shabby chic feel to them, but I'm not sure where I will hang them.

I don't know what I am going to do with all of those pots, but they are in good condition. I might attempt this craft project that was in our newspaper over the weekend.

Everything was $3.00.

What gems did you find this past weekend?

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Yard sales and thrifting gems: What have you found this season?

I love a good yard sale. I love to go to them and to have them. Although going to them can sometimes play havoc on my de-cluttering mission.

I am trying very hard to resist non-essential yard sale purchases; it just adds to our clutter. I have found a few fun bargains so far this summer.

My 3 1/2 year old has inquired about soccer. Her older cousins play and we try to go to their games. I found these black and pink Adidas soccer cleats at the Salvation Army for $1.50. They were hardly worn. They are too big now, but hopefully when she is old enough to sign her up they will fit. If not, I will just sell them at a yard sale. If she can wear them, I saved myself about $12.50 since Foot Locker is selling them for $14.99 online. The hardly worn shin guards were a dollar and they are also about $14.99 online.

These dessert parfaits and canning jars were in a FREE box. They just needed a run through the dishwasher and they are like new. I really didn't need the parfaits, but ice cream is a family favorite in the summers. We are trying to save money, so I am making special ice cream treats at home instead of going to the ice cream shops. The canning jars came in handy for my strawberry freezer jam. And I couldn't resist FREE.

Who doesn't need a good summer book and pancake molds? I really didn't need the molds, but I thought they would be fun for the kids. They were still in the packaging and never used. That is a sink basket in front of the book.

These Tupperware canisters are not from this summer's yard sale season. I have been collecting them for years. I am looking for two more bigger ones, preferably in the blue color. I store everything in them, from flour, sugar, corn meal, popcorn, pretzels and coffee. They have a tight seal and keep things fresh. Thankfully I have a big lazy susan cabinet to store them in.

I am looking for fall clothes for my oldest daughter, but I'm not having much luck. I am picky about clothes. I want them to be like new and a lot of the clothes I have found just haven't been in good condition.

I would also love to find a bread maker, but haven't had much luck with that either.

Looking forward to Saturday morning...

How has your yard sale season been so far? Have you found some great gems? What are you looking for? Have you hosted a sale yet? Was it successful?

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