I've already posted on what I didn't buy at today's yard sales. To read about those, go here.
Now, for my favorite part, let's see what I came away with today!
Find of the day
Pop bottle collection
price - $20
sold
He said he's already kept one of each and he was letting go of his duplicates. They were priced $2 each and I was tempted to offer $1.50 each, but then thought I'd just let him set the price for the lot, and he came in at about 80 cents a piece. He threw in the 4 insulators for a buck. Retail on these will be about $180, and my finder's fee is half of that.
Other things I bought today
Gently used vinyl
price - 50 cents each
sold
I need crisp copies of the Crosby Still Nash and the Zeppelin Zosa. The other four are nice to haves.
10-gallon aluminum deepfry pot
price - $1
sold
I don't know what I can use it for, but I know I'll think long and hard before scraping it out. If I do, there's $7 worth of aluminum here.
Jump rope
price - 50 cents
sold
I'm getting ahead of myself. I first need to start taking longer walks (and not just on yard sale day). Still, I used to be pretty good with one of these, and why waste all those good moves I learned just because I've gotten fat.
There's a yard saling no-no to point out here. The tag they put on this 50 cent item cost them 15 cents. There are much more cost-efficient ways of doing things. I'll use the tag in a future yard sale of my own, though, thank you.
One pound of copper scrap
price - $1
sold
I'm only netting 20 cents here, but it's business activity, kinda like bending over for a quarter.
Shirts
price - $2 each
sold
There's a nice heavy silk shirt on the left; not one of those slick creepy ones, but more like a raw silk shirt. The upper right is a half cotton and half rayon "Hawaiian" shirt; it too looked comfortable. The other is jet black, so it must be very new. I'm partial to black shirts and after the 5th washing they take on a blue hue. This has cat hair on it. I can fix that in about a half second.
Black belt
price - 50 cents and no lessons
sold
Janie wants this, though I might borrow it from time to time. You have to watch for good belts at yard sales. They're terribly expensive new, and everyone seems to remember that when they set stuff up to sell.
Reversible cordless drill
price - $4.50
sold
It's charging as I type this. Wish me luck.
Carrying harness
price - $1
sold
This is intended for golfers, but I've carried a lot of things and this looks ideal. Yard sales are not the only place my inner scrounge comes alive; I hike back into the mountains when I'm back home, and I find things - heavy things - I want to pack out.
Mexican curio pottery
price - 75 cents
This was very likely made in a factory in Nogales, Arizona. I know because I was there numerous times with my parents in the 60s. We'd go buy a carload of this work and bring it back to sell to the tourists in Colorado.
1940s shoe polish bottle
price - 50 cents
sold
I think I'll put $5.50 on this . . .
Hi-hat cymbals (tag says "symbols")
price - $1 (!)
sold
I don't need these, but they ought to be good for barter.
Books
price - 50 cents each
sold
Atlas Shrugged is partly inspired by my home town, where Ayn Rand used to spend some time. Bill Bryson is a phenomenal writer. I'm reading a book by Carl Sagan, and he recommended this Heinlein book.
Small cutting board
price -$2
Our kitchen is getting to be all maple, stainless and marble, but what the heck. More! More!
Measuring cups
price - 50 cents
sold
These are incrementally better than what I have. I'll take the ones I have to Colorado for the family kitchen I'm equipping there.
Malt blender
price - $1
sold
Runs great, and it's huge, so the motor ought to continue to last for years to come.
Saute pan
price - $18
sold
I'd tell you what brand it is, but the Gather editors recently suppressed one of my videos - I assume because it had a logo in it. Never mind that I was making fun of the product, not promoting it . . .
Just know it was brand new, and they retail in the 3-figures. Yippee.
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Would You Buy This or Not will continue weekly as long as the weather holds. If you'd like to see some of our earlier yard saling adventures here's what you do.
1) Search on the tag, "garage sales" or "garage sale".
2) Sort by most comments.
3) Scroll down looking for posts titled either "Would You Buy This or Not" or "To Buy or Not To Buy".
Thanks for stopping by!
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Comments: 44
Amanda, one of the thrift store chains here has half-off sales on every holiday, so while everyone who can get out of town and travel or go to their lake cabin, all those who can't go scoop up the deals. I love the idea, and admire the company for doing that.
Sarina, perennial yard sales are the worst.
Leigh, my mom's boyfriend bought a malt blender last summer, and I was so impressed with what it can do with that little blade. When I saw this I had to have it.
Help my wife become a published author -
please read and rate her Romance entry on Gather!
A Scandalous Overture
I'd expect nothing less from someone who can proudly her face, Sarina : ) Maybe someone just hit the wrong number by mistake. I've done it myself, and apologized profusely, of course.
The vinyl looks interesting too, although when my daughter leaves for college in less than a year, she's taking the record player with her, it's hers.
That's interesting, Corina, that your daughter would be the one to go for retro vinyl.
Thank you, Shannon!
Stacy, it was amazing how close to my musical tastes that person's records were. I would have bought more, but I already had so many of them!
Mary, I have several outlets. My mother has a gift shop in Colorado where we sell Pendleton/Woolrich/etc shirts, old bottles, and window art. I collect scrap metal at sales and take it to the junk yard. Books I sometimes take to the used book store. We also buy virtually all our clothing, furniture and electronics at yard sales, saving hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year.
Thank you for stopping by, Priscilla and Teresa!
Your garage sale finds hint at why you can live so frugally :)
I let a comment for you on the article on how to evaluate a job offer and why salary isn't the only consideration. I'd sure love to know your secrets to maximizing those retirement contributions !
THanks for your comments :)
The thing with the books - Ayn Rand and Heinlein - they're both to be read before you're in your early 20's - they seem to speak to alienated youth.
Good haul.
I wish NYC prices were that good.
I bought a baby car seat for $15 - nowhere near your price level.
Leslie, I will pay serious money for something if I really need it. The main reason I pay a dollar or a quarer so often is because people will sell about anything for that amount.
Krissy, two of the insulators had 1800s patend dates.
I'd love to have that saute pan too! I know the brand. You really stole that. You know that don't you? LOL
Thank you, Michelle. Life would be a lot harder if we didn't take advantage of yard sales.
What a fun lot of finds. Garage saling is awesome!
The Mexican pot is to die for and does that malt mixer actually work?!
Fiftieth anniversary? Jeez, I'm almost 50. I should read it and see if I'm in there.
Squeeze is great fun, and I'm only familiar with their hits, so the individual albums should be a lot of fun.
Thank you.