Beatin' the Heat

Last weekend was blazin' hot, but have no fear! The Garage Sale Diva isn't dissuaded by a little sunshine. :) Nope .... I headed out to several yard sales on Friday and Saturday and came home extremely satisfied. The best sale I went to was this unadvertised one that had a brand new Mr.Clean mop for $1. If you happen upon an unadvertised sale ... STOP! It's probably a lot less picked over by the other garage sale divas and divos.

I bought these two Care Bears (vintage and including a cousin; gifts for my sister) for 50 cents, the patriotic Santa for 50 cents, and bunch of books for my classroom for 10 cents each.

My heart was racing out of my chest when I found this gem! This is a brand new, still in the package, $60 paper trimmer ... it comes with a dock for your mp3 player. The asking price was $10 and I talked the seller down to $5. HISTORIC.

I paid around$3.50 for everything in this photo; 2 garden flags, an angel figurine, a remote holder that I plan to use as a pencil caddy on my desk, a string of country hearts, a beautful tablecloth for my dining table, a mini Crock Pot for my mom, and a snowman dish/utensil.

I spent about $5.50 on everything in this photo; 2 purses, a brand new pair of Danskin shoes, brand new slipper socks, new stickers, new teacher bag, a vintage clothing steamer (they work better than the newer ones), and a little notebook I plan to embellish and give to a friend.

All twelve books for $1.20. All are published by Scholastic, and that means I have a Reading Counts quiz for them in my classroom. YES! Btw, never pay more than 25 cents for a softbound book in mint condition. If it's a little worn, ask the seller if they'll take ten cents.

The two hats were a splurge at the flea market ... $3 each, but I loooove them so much. The little garden decorations were 10 cents each, and all of the stamps and blender pends were $1.00 total. The blender pens alone retail for $9.95 plus shipping and handling.

So, you can see it was a great yard sale weekend. I'd love to hear about your finds. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. If you'd like to become a follower, just click the link on the right.

What To Bring

All avid (and rabid!) yard salers know that there are some items to pack that will make their yard sale adventures more fun and easier. This is The Garage Sale Diva's Yard Saler Packing List:

1. Full tank of gas.
Nothing is worse than being in between two awesome sales and having to divert your route to go to the gas station.
2. A list, printout, or other way of knowing your route. I usually just jot down a few addresses on the back of an envelope after scouring Craigslist, The Buyer's Guide, and the local newspaper. For the most part, I can remember my route in my head, and I only write down the sales that I'm afraid I may forget. On particulary busy Saturdays, I'll use Yahoo maps and actually map out my route.

3. LOTS of change and $1 and $5 bills. This is a biggie. Many people that are having yard sales grossly understimate the change that they will need.

4. Sunglasses. I actually use these not only to protect my eyes, but I also don't like for others to know exactly what I'm looking at. Weird, I know.

5. Water and a snack.

6. Hand Sanitizer. After handling items, it's nice to have. I've been to a few sales that have made me want to bathe in it.

7. Boxes, bags, and bubble wrap. Make sure your treasures make it home safely.

8. A likeminded friend :) Going to yard sales with a friend is incredibly FUN if you are the same type of yard salers. My friend Cheryl is a great yard sale friend. In a future blog post, I'll write about what makes a great Yard Sale Buddy. I'll also be writing about WHAT TO WEAR when yard saling.