Anyhoo, here are some things that I learned.
1. I have way more crap than any one family should ever have. My word, the stuff. My house feels thinner after ditching so much baggage.
2. A yard sale is a great meet and greet in the neighborhood. Granted, our neighborhood is the whole R.D. of Rockingponyville, but I met people that I haven't seen in years. We're all caught up on news now, yo.
3. The extra traffic that the yard sale generated on our rural road also generated extra gossip. Micah is doing very well with his mad potty training skillz, but only as long as it's his own idea. His own idea includes dropping his drawers right there on the lawn, completely oblivious of the extra guests we have. I couldn't even be upset about it because he was going potty somewhere besides in his underpants.
4. The cash money made from a yard sale is just enough to eat out for one evening (sans kids, except Micah), take the kids to the movies with, and hit a few clearance sales. While it's certainly not a windfall by any standard, it did give me something fun to play with for a weekend. If only I could do this every week, but then the IRS would probably be knocking on my door.
5. While I managed to offload huge amounts of stuff, I was left with even huger amounts of stuff remaining. With very few exceptions, that stuff will never see the inside of my house again. It's loaded onto the back of the truck awaiting a donation run into town.
6. Things that the kids haven't played with in years are now The Best Toys Ever. I was all set to make a small fortune on Legos, but the boys rediscovered the joys of building. As long as they're willing to play with them I'm game to keep them. I love toys that inspire imagination. Unfortunately, I loathe toys that make my feet hurt in the wee smalls of the night when it's dark and I can't see.
7. I will surely use some of the money that I made to buy more stuff to fill the house with. Why do we do this?
12 comments:
I have not had a yard sale in a decade either. I tend to just get rid of stuff by donating or repurposing. I like going to a good yard sale but I hate to host them.
Thanks for the tips. I am purging and having a yard sale next week. Hoping to feel freer without all the stuff not hoping for a windfall of riches to be obtained but just a sense of freedom from stuff that has overtaken my house since my kids were born.
Oh what fun! The LEGOS, not the yard sale. :)
Why do we do this? Oh, my friend, WE don't do this. Some of us are far too chicken. I couldn't stomach a yard sale, so kudos to you! Our stuff is simply given to the next person who needs it that we know (it helps having the early learning center with such a varied group of kids and needs) or donating it. The house is still... cluttered though.
LOVE the Legos but WOW is that a lot. We're nowhere near that amount, but is that what we have to look forward to?
Go Micah!!! Progress is progress!!
I keep thinking that we need to organize some sort of large group event between the Burgh Moms, but it sounds like so much work. Maybe you could get your church to hold a huge garage sale next year? They get a fee for renting space, and you get extra people willing to buy your crap.
I know exactly how you feel! I need to downscale on everything! This house was roomy, comfortable and easy to keep clean when we first moved in. Now it's getting crowded, disorganized and is always in need of cleaning at least SOMEWHERE.
I hear ya! We have so much crap, it's crazy. I had a garage sale a few weeks back. Man i hate having those. I also have been bagging crap up from the playroom to donate. I just hope Sam doesn't look in the bags and find the "favorite toy" that she hasn't played with in ages!
We had a yard sale last year and I think we made $12. Huzz-ah. But we did get extra time to talk with the neighbors that we usually don't talk to. So that part was good.
Numbers 1 and 6. Hubby ran a very small scale garage sale in May - we got rid of a few bigger things that were cluttering the basement and made enough for a couple of pizzas. I am still not sure it was worth the time, but I do like going downstairs and not seeing wall-to-wall crap.
I hate stepping on those Legos. Argh!
I'm not patient enough for a yard sale. I rid myself of extraneous crap so often that there isn't enough to sell. I'm a major purger.
PS - that's a lot of Legos
because we are nuts and never part with educational toys, Legos are awesome!
Post a Comment