yardsale Season!

Yardsale season is so much fun and we are now patiently waiting for it to arrive.  It's just about two or three weeks away.  Probably right now as we speak, people are beginning to get the spring fever and are busy cleaning out their houses.  They want to clean out the clutter and then get ready to either sell it on ebay, bring it to goodwill or have a yardsale in hopes of raising some money for pizza and other little things that they do need.

And we are patiently waiting to drive around town and start to see the signs popping up along the side streets.  White signs, neon pink, orange or green that lets us know there is a sale that way.

I have always been the driver that sees the sign and quickly comes to a halt and stops and drives in the direction of the sign.

When I was growing up, we went yardsaling with our mom, Nana and my Nana's sister, my Aunt Mary.  My Aunt Mary has always been a big yardsale fan.  We used to have summer barbeques and would be waiting for her to arrive.  She wouldn't get here until later afternoon because she would also be yardsaling all day.  I have fond memories of yardsaling with her.  We also would have fun getting lost too.

But now that I am older, it is the hopes of finding that treasure that someone else doesn't want but I do.  Someone else's trash is another person's gold.

It's fun to yardsale and see what they have.  I stop at even the small yardsales.  You never know what is going to be there until you start to look over what they have.  That hidden gem could be hiding but it's there for you to bring home to your house.

And then, the other thing is the parking.  You always know there is a yardsale when you see all the cars parked.  Which means lots of people who want to find a good bargain.

I think it is also a good way to get a whole new wardrobe at an inexpensive price.  

As I have yardsaled for a long time, I find that now when I yardsale, I need to be really selective about what I buy.  You have to think when you buy their junk.  Is it going to become your junk that you are going to immediately be putting in your yardsale?  Don't get it if you don't think you will need it.

I used to come home with all kinds of stuff when I was a younger married woman.  And if you don't want to see your money go quicker, make sure you leave your kids home.

Kids love a good yardsale too and will want the expensive items that the sellers are getting rid of.  One year I took my youngest daughter more often and she wanted to bring home a bird cage (no bird to put in it), a pocketbook shaped lamp, and lots of toys.

And we all know that when we do bring our kids, they also get tired quick and just want to go home.  They don't want to spend all day in the car while you drive around going to the sales.  I usually loved going by myself and called it Mom time away from the kids.  I would yardsale for a few hours and call it good.

And the great thing, in the middle of yardsale season there was a yardsale on almost every street.  And I didn't feel that I needed to drive all around other towns to shop at the sales.  I usually have my routes.  I drive up the main streets and check for signs.  And sometimes I go up the main street into the other town as there are usually yardsales off that street too.

Sometimes there is lots of junk that I don't want, but then there is good stuff.  And now that I am selling on Ebay, I will be buying to sell.  And also will be on the lookout for crafts and jewelry and knitting that I can use.

And sometimes I bring my camera along as I like to take pictures of flowers.  You never know what will be blooming in someone's yard.  Most people don't mind at all if you would like to take pictures of their plants.

And when you yardsale, you never know when you are going to come across something that is going to be an antique.  Not everyone knows the value of something that is worth money.

And then sometimes they do know how much it is and you will find that they want a hefty price for it.  And you can choose to just walk right by.

The other fun thing about yardsales is the kids selling brownies, cookies and the famous lemonade.  I always buy something from them.  In the middle of summer we get thirsty and that lemonade goes down great.

It makes it fun for them to earn a little bit too.  Teaches kids to be little sales people.

It's so much fun to pour through their stuff and see how much you can get for a little amount of money.  You usually come out of a retail store with one or two things and in a yardsale you can come out with ten or more things and still spend less than you would on something you would buy at a retail store.  It's awesome.

And we know that Spring is here now, with plants blossoming and the signs cropping up.

Already I am seeing my magnolia tree blosssoming.  And on the side of the road, I am seeing people putting out bigger furniture for people to take away for free.  Signs are popping up.  No yardsale signs yet, but signs for other stuff.

And I am also one to stop on the side of the road if there are some boxes of free stuff.  Usually there is nothing I want, but sometimes there is.  And the way I see it is that I am helping them to get rid of it, so they don't have to take it to the dump or something.  Stopped at the side a few weeks ago, but they were just getting rid of lots of VCR tapes and most people don't want those anymore.

And as a crafter and an artist, when we go to yardsales we are usually looking for items that we can do something with.  Recreate junk into something really cool.  Lots of people like the old furniture too that they can fix up.  People have shops where they like to buy stuff to sell in their shops.

Jennifer Jo Fay

Copyrighted April 12, 2012