Garage Sale Hosting Tips

Remember last year when I had a garage sale and said it would be years before I had another one because they're so much work? Well I guess I have a bad memory because my family got together to host another one this past weekend.  And this time I swear I'm not doing another one for years! The garage sale was successful, but boy was I exhausted by the end of the day.

But the good news is that I got rid of a lot of stuff and made a little extra cash. You can check out my yard sale hosting tips from last year here, but I learned a few additional things this year:

Get Motivated.  I used the garage sale as motivation to spend a couple of weeks beforehand, working on weekends, cleaning out closets and our spare bedrooms purging stuff and making yard sale piles. This was great because it lit my fire to clean places like our often forgotten closet in the guest room. So now these "storage closets" which were really "old junk hoarding places" are organized and CLEAN! The key is to use the garage sale as incentive and allocate yourself plenty of time so you don’t burn out.

Of course what is much easier is keeping a yard sale/goodwill box throughout the year. In my basement I had a box for stuff I wanted to either donate or sell. As I no longer need things or replace stuff, I toss my too-good-to-trash stuff in the box for Craigslist selling or Goodwill donation. This box is great because it's already full off stuff I want to get rid of. Had I intended to do a garage sale earlier, I would have been stashing stuff here for a few months beforehand.

Price things to move. My goal for the yard sale was to get rid of as much as possible, the cash is just a sweet bonus. So I tried to price things at the cheap prices I like to see at yard sales. I let people haggle and reduced prices when people asked. There were a couple of items I stood my ground on, but I set a fair price from the start for them and eventually they sold.


Clothes and shoes sell too. I usually only shop for household items at yard sales, so I was surprised to see how well our clothes and shoes sold. I priced items at $1-$2 and made sure everything was neat and nicely hung on a hanger and they sold well.  I also got rid of handbags like I promised back when I organized my closet.


Preparation is key.  This brings me to my next point, the night before preparation was key. The night before, I got all of my stuff organized so it would be quick and easy to setup the next morning. All of my clothes were hung up on hangers and grouped into similar piles (t-shirts, sweaters, pants). I wrapped a rubber band around each group of hangers so the next morning I could just grab the pile of clothes and hang it up on a pole we had setup between two ladders.
Any household items or other stuff was grouped and boxed. I like grouping stuff by similar types of items (home decor, picture frames, tools, etc) or by price ($1 stuff, $2 stuff, etc). Either way, grouping items by how I intended to set them up on tables made it easier to get ready the next morning.  Invest in preparing the night before to make things easier the following morning, especially when “early birds” show up even if when you specifically wrote “no early birds” in  your Craigslist ad. 



I’m happy I got rid of so much stuff at this yard sale, but this time I swear it will be a few more years before I recover enough to do another one.  And hopefully since I got rid of so much stuff this time around, I won’t have a need to do another yard sale for a long time.  Have you ever hosted a garage sale? 

Yard Sale Trickery

I had another great weekend yard sale shopping...for the most part.   Two nice neighborhoods near me hold a community yard sale each year and they happened to fall on the same day this year.  Although I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I managed to find some cute loot.  But as you’ll see, I was swindled by one purchase.  Luckily, it wasn’t quite as traumatic as my experience at the same community yard sale last year when I got a flat tire!

First, I found a pair of filigree candle holders.  Although I don’t really need another set of candle holders, which is exactly what I said last week when I bought a different set of candle holders, I bought them anyway.  Funny thing is, I rarely burn candles!  But I like how they look, and in my defense, I thought they’d match well with my filigree utensil holder, so maybe I’ll keep them in or near the kitchen.  At a different house, I found a gorgeous photo frame.  I need another photo frame about as much as I need another candle holder, but this one is just beautiful.



At a different yard sale, I picked up a few books.  Two to read for fun and a bird watching book from the 1950s just because I liked the illustrations in it.  Underneath of the books, is what I thought was a very nice tray.  But I was duped!  Lied to, scammed, swindled, I tell you!  See that white patch of missing paint on the left side of the tray?  Well, I didn’t see it when I bought it because it was covered by a price sticker the seller had put on top of it.  Who does that?!  This is a friendly neighborhood yard sale, but the sellers felt it was necessary hide a very noticeable spot on a tray worth only a few dollars and trick someone?  In reality, it’s not a big deal because I was considering repainting the tray anyway, but I’m mad out of principal!  Good thing I only paid half of their asking price for it!


But the day ended on a positive note for me when I found this cute wicker carrier.  I thought it would be a cute and convenient way to put cups holding utensils or condiments in it and carry them onto our patio for barbeques.



Did you score any yard sale finds this weekend?  Have you ever been tricked by a purchase like I was?

Quails & Candle Holders

I am so excited that it is finally garage sale season again!  I love spending Saturday mornings outdoors searching for possible treasures.  I’ve been to a couple of garage sales so far this year.  On a recent trip, I found some cute decorative items, including these quail birds.  From doing some Googling, I believe these birds are from the ‘70s.  I picked them up thinking I’d paint them white, but now I’m thinking they’d look cute in a glossy bright color.  What do you think?



At the same garage sale, I found these turquoise candle holders.  At first I wasn’t sure if I should get them because I have about a billion candle holders, but I bought them because I don’t have any quite like this and I love their color.  (Yes those candles are different heights, but that’s all I could find at home.)



I am SO happy I bought them because I absolutely love how they look in my dining room!



I think the turquoise looks gorgeous next to a bowl full of (faux) colorful citrus fruit.  And they look a little tropical next to natural fiber placemats.



I am just in love with the candle holders and they make me smile every time I walk into the dining room. 
Have you done any garage sale shopping this year?


I'm linking this post to Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures party.

Not So Spooky Halloween Decor

We’ve been getting in the Halloween spirit around here with some not-too-spooky décor.  I didn’t go crazy with a bunch of decorations this year, but I did add a few Halloween decorations to my front porch and entryway area.
Outside of the house, I added a few Halloween touches to the front door area.

I skipped carving pumpkins this year and instead opted for a faux jack-o-lantern bought a few years ago at Walmart.  It looks cute next to my newly painted red urns (although the mums are starting to look sad).

A cutesy spider hung from an outdoor light greets guests:

And a friendly skeleton (a 25 cent garage sale find) welcomes trick-or-treaters.

I also opted for a chalk doormat again (you can read about my first one here):

Inside of the house, visitors may be spooked by a ghost hanging from the ceiling.


Our entryway has a few Halloween touches too:

Like a creepy spider waiting by the doorknob:

A Halloween ready witch hanging from a coat hook:

And a sneaky skeleton on our console table:

Last year, I went a little cobweb crazy in our dining room and previous year the entryway table got cobwebbed.  How are you decorating for Halloween this year?

This post is shared on the DIY Showoff.

I Love Lamp

I’m not just saying it, I love lamp. 





I’m talking about this glass lamp that I picked up at a garage sale for just $2.50.



What?  You’re not in love with it’s brassy finish?  Well me neither.  I love this lamp, but only after some serious spray painting to change its finish. 

After a few coats of Rustoleum, this lamp got the silver treatment and is now much more lovable. 



I replaced an old lamp (another garage sale find from a few years ago), with the new glass lamp on my family room side table and like it much better.





I picked up the lampshade at another garage sale for $3 bucks, bringing the total for this lamp to just $5.50.  So not only do I love the lamp, but I love the price too!  Especially since I had been drooling over these much more expensive glass lamps before finding my steal.

Pottery Barn $199

Crate & Barrel $199

Pottery Barn $199

I like the idea of filling the lamp with something like the Pottery Barn lamp above.  Maybe not rope, but I think shells would look nice, like the lamp from Cougar Town (my favorite TV “home”).

I think I’ll enjoy the lamp as-is for now, but might be tempted to add some shells to it next summer.  Here’s another look at the lamp, with the before and after shots.



What do you think of my garage sale lamp makeover?  Should I leave it empty for now or try to fill it with something?

I'm linking this project to Southern Hospitality, House of Hepworths, and The DIY Showoff; check out the other great projects featured.

Powder Room Makeover

I’m excited to share the next room of my house tour today, the powder room.  The powder room is one of my new diyear resolutions from this year so I’m happy to officially check it off of my to-do list!  My goal was to makeover the bathroom for under $75 and I’m happy to say we come in under budget.

First, a look at the scaaaarrrry before of this room from when we first moved in.  BRIGHT blue paint everywhere.  And by everywhere I mean on the walls, back of the door, and ceiling.  Yes, bright blue paint even on the ceiling. 





To make matters worse, before we moved in the previous owner replaced the light fixture from the above photo with this builder’s grade one.



Needless to say, the first thing we did when we moved in was repaint this room a more reasonable color.  This was actually the first room we painted and Rob chose the color, Misty Surf by Behr, which is a much lighter and subdued blue.

The room looked much better after being painted and stayed this way for several months…until I found a major score at a garage sale.  I found this lighting fixture, plus an outlet cover, and towel ring for just $8 total!



The light and towel ring made a huge difference in this small room.  I also swapped out the light switch covers, but had to buy a second one at Home Depot to match the one I got at the garage sale.



The bathroom was looking much better, but it still needed a new mirror.  Luckily, I found another great deal at Ross with this great mirror for just $13!  The mirror plus a new soap dispenser and some art completed the bathroom makeover!  Here’s the much better “after” of the room:





I repainted a silver candleholder (from Target many years ago) to match the new bathroom accessories.



Some cute doggy art (another Ross score) adds some fun to the bathroom:





Here’s another look at the before and after:



Much better, if I do say so myself!  And here’s a look at how we kept to our cheap budget for the bathroom makeover:

$28 – Behr Paint
$8 - Lighting Fixture/Towel Ring/Light Switch from Garage Sale
$6 – Second Light Switch
$13 – Mirror from Ross
$9 – Doggy Artwork on Clearance at Ross
$4 – Soap Dispenser on Clearance at Ross
Total =  $68!

So that’s my bathroom makeover on the cheap.  Pretty, pretty good as Larry David would say.  What do you think?

Don’t forget to enter to win my 3M prize pack giveaway!


I’m linking up this post to the bathroom inspiration party over at Homemaker on a Dime, and at Southern Hospitality, Beneath My Heart.

Beach Print Pillows

Earlier this summer, I picked up this vintage beach print fabric at a garage sale for 25 cents.  I love the fun sea-themed print and couldn’t pass it up for just a quarter.  I think it was originally sold as a some sort of tapestry, or maybe a kitchen towel of sorts, but it was clear that it had been folded up and never touched- maybe even for a few decades!  If anyone recognizes this pattern, I’d love to hear about it!



So I took it home, washed it, ironed it, and decided to sew it into a pillow.  I simply folded it in half (wrong side out) and then sewed the three remaining sides shut, leaving a little opening for me to stuff it.



It was a fast, easy, and cheap project, and I love the results!  Both sides of the pillow have a fun look.





The pillow is a nice fit on my living room couch next to my starfish pillows (from The Christmas Tree Shops a few years ago).  I love this beachy look for the summer!





I’ve since been keeping an eye out for other vintage fabrics at yard sales.  Have you ever come across vintage fabrics?  Any good places to look for them?

I'm linking this project up to Southern Hospitality, Mad in Crafts, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to my Lou, Super Stinky Boys, c.r.a.f.t, Between Naps on the Porch, Making the World Cuter, Creative Kristi, Less than Perfect Life of Bliss; check out the other great projects featured.

Hosting a Garage Sale

This weekend I learned that hosting a garage sale is much more exhausting than shopping at a garage sale!  Luckily, it's also more profitable.  I got together with my sister and dad to host a garage sale at my parent's house.  My parents live in a popular neighborhood so their house was the perfect place to host a yard sale.

We posted ads on Craigslist and hung up signs throughout the neighborhood (I blurred out their address in the photo below).  I liked using one color of paper for all of the signs so people could follow the arrows as they made turns, but I wish we would have made the signs a little bigger because I think the 8"x10" size was a little on the small side.

Between myself, my sister, my parents, and my aunt and cousin that dropped off some items, we had a TON of stuff!  Having so much stuff displayed drew a nice crowd, but it was a little confusing to keep track of each person's sales so we could divvy up the money later.

We didn't bother pricing each item beforehand, but we set up one table where everything was 50 cents, a $1 table, and a $2+ table. This worked well so people didn't have to ask us the price of smaller items.  

The larger stuff we left unlabeled so we could adjust the price as we wanted to (towards the end of the day we were more anxious to get rid of stuff and lowered prices).

The garage sale was a nice success for all of us.  I sold our old kitchen sink, clothes, and small household items.  But we still had lots and lots of stuff leftover.  This stuff got loaded straight into my sister's van and hauled off to Goodwill.  Since we took the time to drag all of this stuff out of our houses no one wanted to bring it back in.  We had a huge car load of donations!

The garage sale was a success but it was exhausting!  I came home, collapsed and took a nap afterwards.

Hosting a garage sale taught me a few things about shopping at them:

-Negotiate: Some people asked for lower prices, but most didn't.  In most cases, we gave them the lower price they asked for.  Negotiating is worth it if you ask for a slightly lower price.  One guy showed up wearing a "Garage Sale Connesouir" t-shirt and offered us only 20% of our asking price for a couple of items.  This was totally uncool and we didn't budge on our prices.  But most people asked for $1 off here and there or a discount off of multiple items and this worked.

-Shop Early: If you're shopping with certain items in mind, shop as soon as the garage sale starts for the best selection (but don't be an early bird and show up when people are still setting up, that can be annoying).  My parents sold their barbecue grill first thing in the morning and later multiple people asked about it, but it was already marked as sold.

-Shop Late: If you're not looking for anything in particular (like a barbecue grill) shop late for the best prices.  Towards the end of the day we were just looking to get rid of stuff, instead of having to haul it away, so we dropped our prices on most items.

-Don't Buy Frivolously: Hosting a garage sale made me rethink the kinds of stuff I buy.  Next time I'm at a yard sale and want to buy a knick-knack I don't really need, I'll think twice.  Do I really want to keep this item in my house and have to sell it at a garage sale someday or drag it to Goodwill?

I was happy to get rid of so much stuff and make a little moolah (which went straight to our piggy bank for our next vacation!) but it was hard work to haul all of the stuff to my parents house, set everything up, sit in the hot sun all day, and haul the unsold stuff to Goodwill.  The "big ticket" items we had, like my old kitchen sink or my parent's barbecue grill, made the sale most worthwhile.  I may host another garage sale someday, but I don't see myself doing it for several more years until I have some more big items to sell.

Have you ever hosted a garage sale?  Did you think it was worth all of the work?