We have just moved to a new town and I've just become a sahm this year and will now have some time to go to garage sales!!!! We really need to save some money and I thought what better way than to find my things for the year at Garage sales.

I was wondering if you would share your best Garage Sale secrets.
Thanks!

Go either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day (in the morning you have a better chance to find what you are looking for and late in the day- people are just willing to give stuff away- BTW a few years ago I got my daughter tone of barbie stuff and a house- gently used- for $25! it was forgoteen and at the end of the day!). Bring smaller bills and change so you don't wipe the people out of their change and it looks better when you negotiate- you don't whip out a $50 bill! Write a list of specfic things you are looking for (ie- Christmas presents, camping gear etc.) in the beginning of the yard sale season- that way you don't lose your goal of finding that special item you want.

i am a nut about it. i go every sat morning and try to sneak to some friday ones as well.


my biggest, overall tip - go through your kids clothes for the upcoming seasons and keep a little notebook of what you need to look for. i *didnt* do that and ended up with about 11 pairs of jeans for my 3 yr old because they were "cute" and i didnt realize how much i had at home already from previous sales.

tip #2 - either get there early or get there at the end. sure you dont have much to choose from (sometimes) but in alot of cases, after all day of a sale, by the time the last hour arrives, the people most likely just want to get rid of the stuff. thats when you can make a big score!

tip#3 if your kids are young enough and you can still get away with garage sale toys as presents, then do it! but when you get home PUT THEM AWAY and dont be tempted into just giving them right then and there!



ok, sneaky tip #1 if you see something you like and you feel its too much, walk away, get the big bill out of sight and go back and show how much you have...meaning....i saw a sesame street little people set from the 70's and they wanted 50 bucks for it! i put away my 40 bucks and had a 10, a 5, and 11 ones and counted that in front of the woman and said "oh...i only have $26 left...would you take 26 for it?" (cash in full view speaks volumes)

sneaky tip #2 if you know a development sale is happening, try to get in the night before. like, park somewhere and put your kid in a stroller to "pre shop" (but looking like you are just out for a walk) or my personal favorite, drive by, scope out what they might have, then pop out of the car, holding a map and asking "im looking for my girlfriends house...do you know where ______ drive is???" then you have engaged them in conversation and you can do a quick scan. i scored TWO cozy coupes for 5 bucks each that way!

oh i can go on and on....have fun! you never know what you'll find!

Awesome tips! Do you all look up Garage sale adds in the Sunday paper? Is there any secret to finding the "Best" sales"?

I have never had any real success on Sunday's. I usually can't go on Friday's because I do work full time. But I am up at the crack of dawn on Saturday's. I go early in the morning because I feel like I can find what I am looking for. My biggest tip is to write down what you need most and search for those items. I always shop a size bigger for my kids for the next season. Good Luck in finding the bargains!!!

crazykelly... girl you just earned your nickname... you need to befriend my sister...you too could really rake it in together... That was toooo funny!!!!

all I was gonna say was keep a bag of change in your car for those off moments you run out and stumble across one that wasn't listed in the paper...or pass one on the way home from shopping on an off day....but now I would just say listen to kelly...that girl knows her garage sales!!!!

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Avoid Fruits~N~Nuts....you are what you eat!!!

i *am* a garage sale nut.....and i admit it!


i dont know about your area - but there will be some newspaper that all the sales are listed in. for my area, its not so much the daily paper but a once weekly "shopper" newspaper that has mostly classifieds in them...my advice is to ask around to see where people list theirs...its usually one main paper thats a "go to" each week.


last tip of the day - have extra batteries in your car...just in case you stumble about a gidget that you do want...but it has no batteries in it to test if it works or not. i wont buy something on the promise of "oh yeah, it works!" anymore....i test it myself!

I just wrapped up my second garage sale this month (& did VERY well too!:happy dance and one thing that worked on me, twice, was "I really don't want any change, what deal will you give me to round out my $15?" I usually knocked a couple bucks off something to make them a good deal.

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I am my son's mom & my husband's wife.

I get all the tag sales online- we don't get the paper but you can read the paper at it's website for free and get all the classifieds as well. Also, I belong to freecyle and our freecycle let's you post tag sales so more people hear about it and spread the word. Then there is just driving around which we do too!


I always have a list of things we need like pp said and things we may want so we don't buy things we don't really need.

All are really great ideas...I would second the going through your kids clothes to see what you'll need for the next year, and make a list. I think I ended up with 8 pairs of pjs for my dd one summer. Also, if you see something you like and you aren't totally sure, pick it up right away - someone else could pick it up any minute! And you can always put it back down if you change your mind. Make an offer on a "lot" if that is what you really want or need - if the box of children's books is 1/2 full and they are 25 cents each, just ask if they would give you the whole box for $2. Usually people are so ready to get rid of stuff, they will be happy about it. Don't be afraid to make an offer! All they can say is no. I can wait for garage sale season to start! Still a little too cold here!