Tuesday Tip – Garage Sales

garagaThey say one man’s junk is another man’s treasure and those words were never more true when it comes to garage sales.

I love garage sales, especially those town-wide ones where you can hit dozens in one day. We’ve been spending some time at the beach which means new requirements in our lives. Beach-style bikes. A rollie thing to carry all the chairs and cooler down to the beach.

Luckily, we were able to hit two neighborhood-wide garage sales and within two weeks, we had our rollie thing for $10 and a pair of bikes for $11. Of course, the bikes needed a little work and that cost a little bit more money, but when we were done, we had new comfortable bikes for less than $50.

In today’s economy, saving those few dollars is a big thing. Of course, you should be careful of what you buy at garage sales. For example, baby carriers and other safety items, even if only a few years old, may no longer comply with current safety regulations.

Garage sales are also a good way to encourage your kids to get rid of unwanted stuff. We started having our daughter do a sale every six months. She totally handled all the sales, which was a good way of learning to deal with money and meeting people (with parents hovering nearby of course). She kept a part of the sales money, a part of it went to a charity and any leftover items which were still in good shape went to a local church thrift store to help them raise money.

How can you know when there’s garage sales or advertise one of your own? Believe it or not, there’s a bunch of sites on the ‘Net to help you! Here are links to some of the sites:

Also check out your local newspapers for ads for the sales.

Of course, besides saving money, who doesn’t imagine buying that dusty old painting or unusual book that will turn out to be worth quite a lot of money. I love watching Antiques Roadshow and hearing someone say they bought it at a yard sale for a dollar and it’s worth several thousand!

So, take a break from your busy lives and find a yard sale, stroll around and enjoy the sights of a new town (or even your own town) and maybe find something useful in someone else’s junk!