My little village was having a village-wide yard sale today. I decided to take part.
Last night: -husband and son set up saw horses and pieces of plywood to make two tables on the driveway leading to the car port
-items were carried from all areas of our home: basement, kitchen, shed, upstairs storage room (my "Rubbermaid" room), spare bedroom
-old dishes were washed
-asked husband what he wanted "guy" things priced at
-cut apart big rectangular stickers into small stickers and priced things
-hung pants and shirts up on portable clothing rack
-daughter made two brightly coloured Bristol board signs
-husband drove son to "after prom" party
-kept items tucked under carport roof in case of rain
-did my series of back stretches
-went to bed
This morning:- got up before 7:00 am
-made a coffee, pulled hair back, got dressed
-went out and arranged items so they were now in the driveway and more visible
-priced things that I forgot to price last night
-spent morning saying hello to people and selling small items
-weeded flower bed that is right beside the driveway
-husband went and got two "take away" breakfasts from the Fireman's breakfast that was held today to raise money for a member of the community who had a bad accident
-continued to sell items, but not the big ones that I wanted gone gone gone out of my life
-made $174.00, less the $20 to pay for the charity breakfast
-started moving things out of the driveway at about 1:00 pm
Rest of the weekend:- find places to put back all the items that didn't get sold at the yard sale (and peel off the stickers)
I kind of hate yard sales, and usually don't profit much from them. The community I live in is small and we are at the end of a dead end road so we don't have much drive by traffic! We had lots of people come by today because it had been advertised as a village wide yard sale, so people were driving around looking for the sales. We made some money, and fewer things are coming back into my house than the amount that was brought out, so that's a positive.
Best selling item:- tea cups and saucers for $1.50 a set
Best moment of the day: -Amish family came by with their horse and buggy and were towing a little wooden wagon behind the buggy to put their purchases in, sort of like their "trunk"
Do you have yard sales? Are they popular in your area?
That is exactly why I do not like to have sales either. So funny. Our town had it's city wide yard sales this weekend also. I saw it as I drove thru yesterday but did not stop anywhere. Then it rained all day today..I did go to town for flowers but no yard sales. If I ever have another sale...I'll box up the remainder and haul to the Salvation Army. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteHi Susie! I found out that a couple of other towns, relatively close to where I live, were also having their yard sales. It must the "the weekend". Our weather was HOT and beautiful today. I would love to box things up for the Salvation Army but the stuff I'm stuck with is furniture / a tv. Too big to stick in a box. -Jenn
DeleteThe thought of all the work that goes into having one sends chills up my spine. After two moves last fall and trying to clean out the farm, if it is inexpensive, it is going to Goodwill.
ReplyDeleteTwo moves? That must not have been fun. I would love if we had a Goodwill close, but unfortunately, not. Thanks for reading my blog! -Jenn
DeleteWe have a yearly sidewalk sale on our street. Not everyone participates but quite a few do. We're one of the houses that doesn't participate. I do not have the patience for this and neither does my husband, so we donate everything. I admire the folks on my street that take the time to set up their items for sale. It takes a lot of time and effort!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the street doing a once a year sale is a good one. But donating is good, too! -Jenn
DeleteLots of yard/garage sales in our area over the spring/summer/fall months and I've often thought of having one, but we live back in the woods, 1/4 mile driveway off the main road. Not really conducive to having a sale in our backyard. For a couple of years now, we've had a WONDERFUL resale shop for furniture. You can take just about anything there if it is in decent condition. It's a donation on your part but the proceeds from all sales are given back to worthy causes in the community. Because of the way it's run, everyone feels good about taking pieces there and not having to pay to dump them. Or to bother to advertise and sell them. You can find amazing things there for VERY reasonable prices. I currently have a lovely living room chair with beautiful upholstery in my attic (as I have no room for it in my living area) that I got there. For $20. I couldn't pass it up.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great place! -Jenn
DeleteI don'tthink we have them here in the UK (where we call a yard a garden) but we do have sales called bring and buy, where you can have a table for a nominal sum. We also have car boot sales which are really big business and every now and then folk pick up a real bargain at these.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to have difficulty with the whole yard / garden concept. My husband's mother spent time in England when she was younger and she would call her back yard (in Ontario) a garden. It made no sense to me because a garden is either a spot for flowers or vegetables and she had neither. -Jenn
DeleteJenn, The yard sales around here are not good at all, just cheap used clothing and stuff you would never want. I used to hold an antique sale on my property every couple of years to thin out my excess. The dreaded part is hauling all the unsold items back into the house.
ReplyDeleteYou must collect a lot of antiques if you had clearing out sales! That would be a fabulous sale to attend. We did have to bring big items back into the house and I must admit there are some items that only made it as far as the mudroom for now! -Jenn
DeleteYard sales are very popular around here, and the Amish flock to them! However...where we live, on a farm in the country doesn't attract many people. I've had two, I think...and never made out very well. The development yard sales are where people make lots of money. They can park and walk to a whole bunch at a time, and they draw huge crowds!
ReplyDeleteYou have Amish neighbours, too. There are many Amish and Mennonite families in our area and many more are moving in. I don't think we did all that well at our sale, but we didn't have the children's toys and baby items that usually sell well. -Jenn
DeleteI learned something new today...didn't know there were Amish in Canada!
DeleteI agree Yard Sales aren't my cup of tea. Once in awhile I find something cool. More often than not, I bring back a useless item I didn't need. Oh well. Glad you made some money.
ReplyDeleteI have only had one yard sale because we have lived in planned communities that don't allow them. I LOVE going to them, tho. Sounds like a great day!
ReplyDeleteI always think I should have a sale because I seem to have so much stuff but I sit down with a cup of tea until the thought goes away because it seems like way too much work for little return. I like to go to garage sales though.
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