Garage Sale Season

Elbows up girls...it's garage sale season! If you know me at all you know that:
1. I live for and love garage sales
2. I consider garage saling a competitive sport (I'm considering making myself a letter jacket for it)
3. I will brag on my garage sale deals to you and love to show guests everything in my house that came from a garage sale
4. I love to haggle over prices and know no shame

I don't know exactly why I love to garage sale. I think it might even be genetic...it's certainly a family trait. Maybe, I'm just nosy and love to see the junk that people have been storing away in their homes. All I know is that I love the thrill of a good deal and I love to find a new purpose for something that might have been thrown away.

Now, not everyone has the mad skills that I have when it comes to garage saling so here are my top 10 tips:

1. Shop on Thursday and Friday. The sales are pretty picked over by the time Saturday rolls around.
2. Take some time and search craigslist or your local paper for sales. Don't get too crazy. It's not worth driving more than 20 minutes unless your hitting a neighborhood sale.
3. Bring plenty of change and singles. You can't haggle very well with a $20! Also, keep cash on you at all times. You never know when you might drive past a garage sale or spot one on a walk.
4. Try to offer less. It's a garage sale not Macy's! Use phrases like: "Are you firm on your prices?", "Would you take...", "I'll give you...for this.".
5. Look for things to re-purpose. Look at things for their basic shape not their original purpose. I have a sister who is genius when it comes to this. She turned and antique cart into a planter on her front porch. She took an old record cabinet and turned it into an end table that holds blankets. she found an old planter and uses it to store her pens on her desk. You get the idea. See past the junk!
6. Look over things carefully. I can't tell you how sad it is when you get something home and find out it's missing a snap or button. It's worth taking a few extra seconds to look things over.
7. If the seller won't budge on the price and you're not ready to pay that amount, offer to leave your phone number in case they want to reconsider your offer if the item doesn't sell.
8. Give your kids some money to spend at the sales. It's worth giving them $1 to keep them happy and content.
9. Take a friend. It's easier to find things with an extra set of eyes plus, if you have little ones, you can take turns hoping out of the car.
10. Avoid the drive-by. You need to get down and dirty. You can't see what treasures they have from the road. Pull up your sleeves and get in there!

Share your tips in a comment! We can all use a little help!