The question I've been asked the most the past couple of days is, "How was your yard sale?" And usually the question is followed by muffled laughter (or, in some cases, not so muffled). And that's okay. Because, honestly, I can't think about it or talk about it without laughing either.
Case in point . . .
My cousin called me last Friday. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her I was just dropping off another load of stuff for my yard sale. And then she started laughing. Really laughing. She said, "When I saw you were having a yard sale, I just died! That is so NOT YOU at all. I wish I was there to see it. I'd even buy something from you for all the times we had yard sales when we were kids, and you'd come over and buy our junk!" So, basically, she called me to LAUGH at me about my yard sale! But that's okay. She is so right. I remember one yard sale they had . . . one of the items I bought was a large stuffed teddy bear that my uncle had given her for Valentine's Day! I'm pretty sure I bought it for a quarter. Thinking back on it now, that was quite hilarious! That was also the last yard sale I went to!
My friend hosted the sale at her house because she lives in "town." It took me three trips to get all of my stuff to her house. And, let me just tell you, I felt like the Clampet's! I realize some of you don't even know who the Clampet's are. But that's what I felt like.
There were four families who participated in the sale. We really did no planning whatsoever except put a date on the calendar back in February. And then I tried not to think about it as much as possible. I am just not a yard sale kind of girl. And those who know me best know that! I mean, I can't even shop at Marshall's or TJ Maxx or any of those places. I totally can. not. do it. I do not like to dig for what I'm looking for. I am also not that girl who "lucks up" on the best finds. Not me. The only reason I even had this yard sale was because my friend insisted I needed to quit "donating" all of my stuff and instead make some money off of it. Besides, she likes yard sales! And she promised to help me.
We did absolutely no advertising. I posted on Facebook a couple of days before the sale, and we put out a few signs the night before. That was it. So I was really thinking that people wouldn't come and that I wouldn't sell anything. I kept telling that to my friend over and over, and she kept telling me I wouldn't bring anything back home except the Pottery Barn Kids bedding sets that I wasn't willing to negotiate price on. She was right!
We put on our signs that the sale began at 7:00AM. People began showing up right after 6:00! It was absolutely crazy from about 6:45 until 7:15. That's when we sold most of our stuff! There were people everywhere. All I could do really was sit back and watch my friend sell my stuff! I really wish I'd taken pictures along the way, but I was so overwhelmed when we got there that I totally forgot. I took only one picture. This was shortly before 8:00. A lot of our stuff had already sold. And I didn't even get the entire sale in the picture. The carport bay on the far left was full of furniture and clothes that you can't even see.
I still can't believe the stuff we sold! Now, we also gave away a lot of stuff for free, too. But still. That big ole TV you see in the middle of this picture . . . that thing is a monster! It is SO. HEAVY. We got that TV when we bought our first house in 2003. It was a flat screen, but it was still a box TV. We had it upstairs in the playroom. But when Mason got his Xbox, it wouldn't connect to this TV because the inputs on the back are obviously outdated. We didn't expect anyone to buy it and had decided to just give it away if it came down to it. But that thing sold for $20! Seth was really glad it didn't come back home because he was tired of moving it everywhere. I also sold the glass top table and chairs that Seth and I have had since we got married. Many, many meals were eaten around that table and many conversations had. But it's been in the attic for eight years now. It's small and only seats four people. So we really didn't have a use for it. The cushions needed recovering, but the couple who bought it were so excited. I sold one of my everyday china sets to a mom whose daughter had just moved into a new apartment and didn't have any dishes.
At the end of the day, I came home with $364! I was very excited, particularly since my expectations were so low. I'm going to sell my bedding sets online so that will be added to my profit, too. My friend said we need to do this every year. She hasn't seen my attic yet. It is BEAUTIFUL! It is clean! I'm sure I can always find something to "donate," but I don't plan on having a need for a yard sale again! My children are just relieved that they still have some toys left! The best part of the whole thing was spending the day with my friends. We had a good time and a lot of laughs. There's a first, and sometimes a last, time for everything. I'm quite certain this falls into both of those categories. But I'd do a yard sale again if it meant I could spend the day with my friends!