A huge part of reducing our Trash Factor and Waste Factor is reusing–and there’s no place better to begin than shopping the rummage sale circuit. (See also: Garage sale, Yard sale, Moving sale, Estate sale and for you Brits, Jumble sale) Spring is the hot season for shopping in yards and garages–in fact a lot of places hold “City-wide rummage sales” complete with maps and hot dogs for the kids.
Sure, shopping thrift shops is a good place to start, but the price point is so much lower at a rummage sale. Consider: recently Enviro-Girl had to buy serving spoons for the teachers’ lounge at Happyland Elementary School. She went to Goodwill and found used serving spoons priced at $2.99. She found brand new serving spoons at Target for $4.99. She discovered used serving spoons at a rummage sale for $ .25.
Most rummage sales offer huge bargains on crap stuff. Baby clothes and gear, sports equipment, holiday decorations, random dishes and small appliances, and boxes of Harlequin paperbacks are the usual fare. But mixed in you’ll also find some wonderful treasures–dressers and chairs, yard equipment, and even brand-new-still-with-a-price-tag-attached-items. Once Enviro-Girl found pieces that matched her dishes inherited from her great-grandma. Another time she landed a hardcover copy of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History that she’d lent out twice and never got back. Her whole front porch is furnished by rummage sale finds: pots for plants, apple crates for small tables, stools and a watering can.
A few tips will make your forray into rummage sales less frustrating and more fruitful, but overall, if you’re looking to save in lean times and enjoy living in green times, buying used is a great way to start.
1) No price at a rummage sale is final. Counter-offer. Once Enviro-Girl had $5 and mentioned as much to a lady holding a sale. Enviro-Girl was buying clothes for her baby boy. The lady grabbed a garbage bag and told her to fill it because whatever she didn’t sell at the rummage sale was going to Goodwill. For $5 Enviro-Girl clothed Mr. T (and subsequently Mr. B and Mr. G) for two whole sizes!
2) The newer and nicer the house, the higher the price point. Seriously, a used Baby Gap onesie is no different than a used Gerber onesie, but these folks don’t know it and price their brand name wares like they’re brand new. Avoid these McMansion neighborhoods unless you’re looking for Little Tyke toys or ugly holiday decorations.
3) Old people have the best deals at their rummage sales. Best prices, best stuff. Their kitchen ware is unparalleled.
4) Expect to be disappointed–figure 1 find for every 4 garages/yards you stop at. Rummaging is a LOT of work. But if you love to shop, it cannot be more disappointing than elbowing your way through Younker’s at 6 a.m. for a Door Buster sale.
The final sentence of #2 may seriously be the funniest thing you’ve ever written.
Thanks for putting together all these helpful tips — I am a total novice at yard sales.