Saturday 12/12 Only Two Sales

It was cold, a little misty and it's getting close to Christmas. We weren't sure what we'd find. We did our usual route and stopped at two sales. The first stop we found a chair ($30) for Evelyn, some Christmas decorations, ornaments, an under armor shirt for Alex, and a rooster serving dish for Eveyln. Someone at the sale offered to drive the chair over to our house - we are so lucky that way, I think that makes five deliveries. People are nice. The second stop is where David found the scooter for $20 and I picked up some DVDs and a silk tree ($3!). We think the scooter will need a new battery. I sold two of the DVDs: Fantasia 60th Anniversary ($21) and the Muppet Movie ($5). All in all, we're about even and if the scooter doesn't work out then we'll sell it at our next garage sale.

Cookie Molds on eBay

I thought I'd see what I could get for the cookie molds on eBay. I wasn't too optimistic. After doing some research I thought I might get up to $18 for the shortbread pan and about $5 for the cookie molds as a set. Which is pretty good considering my total investment was $1.75. The auction just ended and I got $30.15 for the shortbread pan and $31 for the three molds. $61.15!!! That certainly covers my expenses and leaves me some extra cash for future garage sales.

Theme: Cookie Molds

We had limited time Saturday because of other commitments. It looked like I was only going to have spent a quarter on a plate-sized stone cookie mold and David just $3.00 on a gas-powered leaf blower ($2) and a Colleyville Heritage High School miniature football helmet. On a whim, David turned into a nearby neighborhood that we normally don't visit...Got this great camel ($5), not sure where he will go; pewter knobs - elephants and monkeys ($5); candle sconce ($1); 3 cookie molds ($1.50); Godinger Santa candle snuffer ($2). I think I'll sell the molds on eBay as a lot and I looked up the elephant knobs and they retailed for $45 each, but I can't find any listed on eBay. It'd be nice to break even - I'll consider listing them later.

Got a tip from the lady we got the helmet from. CHHS was playing that night against Southlake at the new Cowboy stadium. Tickets were just $12 and parking $10. We went to check out the new stadium at a bargain price.

Here is a great article that sums up yard sales, garage sales, tag sales, estate sales, etc. I really enjoyed it and want to thank Mom for sending it to me: http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/yard_sale.html

Theme for the day: TVs

David and I went out in the morning to check out some of the Saturday sales I had found on Craigs List. We were on the look-out for a new TV in the guest bedroom. With the change to digital there wasn't any way to keep the old Sony working, it wasn't made with the right connections and purchasing the materials to keep it up to date was too expensive to make it worthwhile.

We went back to the Senator's house to pick up an area rug Mom liked that would be 50% off on Saturday. They had some nice furnishings, but we couldn't take advantage of them. I found a rabbit wine opener kit and asked if he could throw it in since I was a repeat customer, which he did, somewhat begrudgingly.

At our next stop we found a small color Sony that had the connections we'd need to hook it up to a DVD player or converter box. It didn't have a remote, but he said it worked and the picture was good. It was $5.00. Across the way was another sale and I picked up a very retro plaid cooler bag with a smaller one inside of it. Mom later said she thought it might be from the 60s. It didn't look like it had ever been used. I also got Mom a box of 7" candles that I thought she could use with her horn-shaped candle holders. I spent $2.00.

With our TV solution in place we headed home and hit some garage sales along the way. At one off of PV Drive North (or Palos Verds Doctor North, as the GPS calls it) I saw a nice mirror that I thought someone needed, either Mom or Catherine. I had a little remorse after buying it for $20, but it looks really nice in my old bedroom. I also got a beach bag thrown in to the deal that came in handy on the trip.

A block away from Mom's house we made another stop and found another TV that looked newer than the one we picked up earlier. It was also $5.00 and came with a remote. We figured it could go in the back bedroom if both TVs ended up working. When we arrived home the car was filled with an area rug, mirror, two TVs and assorted items. It was a good day.

Footnote: the TVs are fine and the old Sony remote works with the "new" TV that didn't have a one. David took the old TV and Mom's old Mac to a recycling center.

Palos Verdes Estate Sales, 7/10

I used Craigs List to find moving or estate sales in the area. I found one of interest. It was day two of the four-day sale and everthing was 25% off. The homeowners were downsizing and moving to Long Beach. The husband had been a Republican state senator. Mom was along for the ride and ended up getting some Christmas decorations, a red tablecloth, napkins and some red, white and blue flag items for the DAR. I found a somewhat unattractive trinket box for about 38 cents. It became more appealing when I discovered it was from Tiffany & Co. I got David a tie with elephants on it for 75 cents and a nice leather belt for $1.50.

There was another moving sale a couple of blocks away and we stopped by just as they were closing up for the day. More Christmas decorations, brass horns for hanging and candle holders were purchased. Mom also got a couple of Pyrex dishes in sizes she needed.

We had fun and got some nice treasures!

July 4th - Dismal

I've found garage sales the day before Easter and Father's Day, but not on the 4th of July. Must have been a combination of the heat and the holiday. Had to use Craigs list to find the two sales I found and not much to report. T-shirts for Alex, and copper tea pots for resale (someday). Hoping California offers up more next weekend.

Blue Boy is a Fake

Looking up the original Blue Boy (and Pinky) from the Huntington Library, we discovered the Blue Boy we have is much more attractive/prettier in the face than the original. Our frame is similar to this one - great success for a total of $4.00. We might even recoup some of that cost when we sell the old frame Blue Boy was originally in.

Blue Boy in His New Frame

Blue Boy looks pretty snazzy in his new gilded frame. He's hanging in the master bedroom right now but will probably end up in the guest bedroom.

Other finds today: The house with all the framed art was a moving sale and all the clothes were free so I got some groovy red pants, t-shirts from places I've never been, a winter jacket (which I needed), a cashmere scarf, and a black poncho - I thought it would come in handy at work when the ac runs too cold. Also got a really cool modern-looking acryllic bowl that looks like crystal, a pressed glass decanter, etc. At another sale, for the first time, I got some dress shoes. They were in almost new condition and from Talbots - they were priced at $2.00 and I successfully bargained them down to a $1.00.

Later, on my own, I found a Tang decanter for David and some vintage books. It was miserably hot and humid today which really takes the fun out of the hunt. We decided to wait until Fall, when it cools down, to have our own garage sale.

Some garage sale excursions end up having themes. One weekend it was chairs, another was cds. This weekend's theme was frames. We bought a total of nine frames at two different garage sales. Prices were from $1 to $2 each. I got a nice series of framed impressionists prints "Artists and Their Visions" that may find a home somewhere; an original water color of mushrooms with a really pretty frame; a relaxing beach scene for my office; Blue Boy; a pretty gold frame; and a framed poster of a ballerina that David thought might be the right size to frame his Paul McCartney poster from the Hard Rock show we went to last April. It was a perfect fit and saved us from getting it custom framed or paying retail at Aaron Brothers. We love the $2.00 solution! Blue Boy was taken out of his wooden frame and put into the gold frame. It had some extra space on the sides, so we cut the ballerina poster with its dark background to fit behind it - - - you can't even tell. I'll post it in the next blog.

Pictures of desk and elephant lamp

Here's a better picture of the new desk, being used as an accent table. The table runner and both lamps came from garage sales. The one on the left has its lamp shade made entirely of wax and it burns like a candle. It came with two wax shades, one was brand new. We use a battery operated votive to get the candle effect without burning it. The elephant lamp on the right is in the office. I thought it was a pricey purchase for $15, but had to have it. Someday I might upgrade the fringe around the bottom. The interior of the lampshade is gold which gives a nice glow when lit.

Friday June 19th Part 2: Cool Desk $40

At my second stop of the morning there were two gorgeous mcmansions having garage sales - which is rare. At the first house I got a Disney Mania CD (which I have played and don't like, so I've listed it for $1.99 on Half.com). I also got an elegant table runner. I had no idea it would end up on my next purchase which I call 'the concierge desk.' You can't tell from the picture because of where we put it, but this table is actually a desk. On the other side are 3 drawers with a semi circle indent so you can sit at it comfortably. We covered that portion with the table runner which is held taught by the two iron pieces (from other garage sales - We found the perfect spot for the lion). The finish reminds me of copper because of the subtle use of green in the carved details. I think it's supposed to simulate a pressed tin or copper design. I thought it would go upstairs by the window, but it hasn't made it there yet.

Friday, June 19th Part I - A Quarter Goes a Long Way

Garage sales off of Glade are usually good ones. Today there were about four within two blocks. At my first stop I was told, "Everything's a quarter." Someone else got to the CDs just before me, but I don't think there was anything too good. I stuck to my new guideline - only buy it if I want it. So, I didn't buy any. What I did get was an old hardback called Garden Flowers that might look nice on the shelf and an old rotary dial telephone that I thought David might like. The 1930s book has a dust jacket and I saw a couple listed online for $3 to $15. For now, it will go on the shelf. As for the telephone, it was in pretty rough condition, we cleaned it up and took this cool picture of it. The handset says it is property of Bell System property - Not for Sale - Western Electric. We think it's from the early '70s based on a sticker we found on the bottom. The feel and sound of dialing it is a nostalgic experience.

Happy Flag Day!

On Friday I didn't find a thing. I made a couple of stops and passed up a couple in David's old neighborhood. On Saturday we went out, but didn't find much. There were a lot of people out, but not many garage sales. Would have been a great weekend for us to have ours, but we're not ready. I ended up only spending a $1.50 for an Italian CD, deck of sealed Vegas playing cards and a 'New Orleans jigger' the size of a rocks glass - it looked a little retro.

Sold two CDs for $13.00 this weekend. Still tire of it, though.

Went to an estate sale today, Sunday, hoping for some interesting things for the yard. I got this table top torch. It's heavy and when filled with citronella should help keep the bugs away.

Million Dollar Home has a Garage Sale

Last week I went to an "estate sale" across the way where they are building the homes that start at $1,000,000 (but that was before the economy tanked). I read online that they had moved from a 10,000 square foot house into a 5,000 sq ft home and had to get rid of the surplus. I got a new backpack designed for lap tops. It's Eddie Bauer - I paid $15 feeling like it was okay to splurge and that a good one at retail would be much more. I also got a pretty table runner, some fancy chop sticks, and a really cool bronze lion statue/candle holder. It's fairly substantial. We still need to find just the right place for it. (Notice how I didn't reveal what I paid? For the record: $30. But isn't that why I was carrying around that hundred dollar bill for weeks?) Sometimes you just have to be willing to pay a little more, is how I justify it to myself.

Million Dollar Home has Garage Sale!

I took David to the Million Dollar home garage sale and he noticed an overstuffed chair right away for $40. He offered $30, she countered for the asking price of $40 and they settled on $35 (what he had wanted to pay in the first place.) It barely fit in the trunk. Luckily we didn't have to drive far. We vacuumed it thoroughly and put it upstairs in the living room. As we were cleaning and inspecting it we noticed how well the pattern of the upholstery had been matched on each side, across the back and the seat cushion - we're pretty sure that's a sign of good quality.

Apathy is Setting in...

I've taken a new approach: Now I am only interested in CDs or DVDs that I am interested in or absolutely sure will sell for a profit on Half or Amazon. I'm drowning in CDs. I unlisted anything priced at $3.00 or less. I had thought we'd take them to half price books but after doing some internet research I think we might do better at our own garage sale. We may still look into CD Warehouse in Addison. DVDs that I know will sell well are: TV show box sets of newer shows (Desperate Housewives did quite well and sold for $12 and $19.90), Wizard of Oz in the yellow box sold for $19, and unusual DVDs like the Salsa Dancing and Learning the Electric Guitar. I'm tired of the trips to the post office and I'm ready to get rid of the surplus. We might have our own garage sale in two weeks, but it sure is getting hot!

Friday 5/29

Picked up some nice DVDs and for the first time, books on CDs. Got Desperate Housewives seasons 1 and 2 for $3 each and now have them listed for $10+ each. Also picked up a skirt and a rock candle. Hope to come out even with a DVD sale, if not a little ahead. Tomorrow I'll hit some more garage sales before flying to California. Maybe I'll hit a couple on Sunday morning. The last time I did that I only found one kid's book that they asked 25 cents for, when David and I searched our pockets and were going to look in the car for change, the woman said, "Merry Christmas, it's yours." I liked the primer because of the 1960s mid century art. I ended up selling it pretty quickly on Amazon for $20.00!

$400 Accent Table

Last summer this $10 find was hidden from view with fabric piled on top of it. David found it and the seller told us it was a $400 table. That didn't seem possible, but when I looked up the brand on the internet I found one just like it for more. David polished it and now it's in the study and makes a great accent piece.

May 23rd - A Grrrreat day!

Had a migraine and started a little later than usual - after 8am. Almost left without my husband, but he jumped out of bed and said he wanted to come. We went to the neighborhood sale across the way. Big neighborhood, but not many garage sales. At our first stop we found a Monkees Greatest Hits CD. David presented his dollar assuming the price was $1 and was told to hold on while change was made. The 50 cent CD was enjoyable and turns out it's now listed on Amazon for $7.85.

Second stop: I dug through a box of CDs, not much there, but I pulled out a few for David's approval. He was taken with a large framed painting. They were asking $30, which seemed a little high. We discussed where it might go and decided to offer $30 for it and the 10 CDs we had found. We dusted the picture and it's now hanging on the wall of the staircase. It matches well and fits the space nicely. (After a little bit of research it turns out that one of the CDs we got in that deal is listed for $59 on Amazon and not available on Half. We don't have the case, so I listed it for $22.)

Third stop: Got a pretty "stained glass" frame with grapes for $3 (it's new and sells on Ebay for $19) and a pretty stained glass night light for Evelyn, also for $3. Also picked up an accessory for a candle as a potential gift for a co-worker for a 1$ - I'll still need to get a candle to hang it on (so don't think I'm totally cheap) .

As we were walking back to the car we noticed a smaller garage sale across the street and were both drawn to the cement basket urns. When we asked how much, the husband said $2.oo - - - What a steal! David also got a gas leaf blower that was almost new for a couple of dollars. Then, the seller walked out with two nice video game rockers, which I really don't like but I knew they were nice, for $10 each - sold! (They're almost new and have surround sound speakers built in - they retail for over $100 each. I'm now a big fan of the surround sound and would not be opposed to a home theater set up...) Stand up steamer for $2.00 - sold! Then the seller came out with a really substantial gas powered edger, nearly new for $10 - sold! We couldn't get it all in the car and had to make two trips. It's been a while since we bought so much we filled the car. (The last time we filled the car was at the garage sale where everything was free.)

Later, as we drove to the movie theater to see the new Star Trek movie we drove my route to see if we could find any other garage sales. We found one on the other side of the traffic circle in a nice neighborhood. Lots of stuff and kind of pricey. I didn't find anything, but David did. It was a resin bathroom set with toothbrush holder, soap dish and soap dispenser (I just realized a soap dish and dispenser is redundant). It was listed for $10 and David said, "Since my wife isn't interested in this would you take $5.00?" The woman said, "When does that ever happen that the husband wants to buy something? I'll tell you what - you can have it." Free is always good and we felt like our movie tickets had been paid for.

A great day for a Memorial Day weekend. Next weekend should have many more and I'm counting the days. Just added up what we spent (79.50) and what we may make in resale ($42.57) so that makes it about $37.00 spent and we really got some great merchandise.

I love my Campus Green Schwinn Breeze ($15)

I did a lot of research on this find. It's a 1973 3-speed Schwinn Breeze. Ladies bikes don't go for as much, but this one can sometimes sell for as much as $200 on Ebay. It's in very good to mint condition.

We got it for $15.00 and when we couldn't get it in the car, I ended up riding it about a mile+ home. The seller was kind enough to adjust the seat for me and pump up the (original) tires. I washed it and polished the chrome and replaced the tires and brake pads.

Everyone wins - I gave my husband my 1993 mint condition men's mountain bike and now we can ride together.

$1 Bargain goes for $17 on Ebay

I really thought I'd get more, but I'm not complaining. This is a nice piece of kitchen equipment - I already have one, so I washed this one and listed it.

Pampered Chef - good resale!

I picked this up for $3.00 and an octagonal mirror in a gold frame for $5.00. The timer was still in its box with the battery - it had never been used. I listed it on Ebay and got $17.00! That's more than what they sell for through Pampered Chef. Shipping was easy because it was small.

Lot of Copper for $5.00 / Sold on Ebay for $51!

These don't really go with my decor. They were all pretty nice and a super deal. The scoops were still in their original box. I ended up listing it as a lot on Ebay and was surprised at the winning bid.

First Real-Time Post!

Friday, May 22nd - I always go into work late on Fridays because I have to check out the local garage sales. I have the perfect route - I go through my neighborhood to see if anything is going on and then down the main street to Starbucks. I get my usual (from my Costco Starbucks gift card) and head down Glade against traffic. Today there wasn't much. It's like it's winter again. (I forgot this was a holiday weekend, Memorial Day.)

I drove to the end of Glade and stopped by the post office to mail some CDs that sold online. I had picked up one of them for a dollar at a garage sale a while back and was able to list it for $58! I really never thought it would sell. It's not worth what you list it for until it sells. This funds my garage sale compulsion for a couple of months.

I did find a couple of sales. At the first one I picked up a box of plastic hangers with clips for $2.00. I think I can take what I want/need and sell the remaining ones for about that much. I also got a very large clay vase for $3.00. I noticed a price tag on it later for $58. It has a chip in the base, but I'll turn it the other way. Right now it's on the back patio.

$5 spent, I'm on my way to the freeway to go to work. I find another sale and pick up two kid's DVDs (they seem to resale well) and 1 Hawaiian Christmas CD. The odd CDs seem to sell well on Half and Amazon. The seller wants $10. When I said I'd only get the CD he offered it all for $5. That seemed more reasonable.

At last! Satisfaction - I found DVDs and CDs. Now I can go to work before I'm late for my meeting. I haven't told anyone at work what I do on Fridays and Saturdays, other than expressing you can get good deals. I was complimented on my necklace today, "I really like your necklace, where did you get it?" I wanted to say I got it for $1 at a garage sale, but instead said it was a gift. The necklace is two flat silver mishapened circles hanging from two thin leather strands. It's hip - but I wonder if it's dated; apparently not.

Turns out the two DVDs arent' worth much on line so we'll have to try to recoup the cost at our own garage sale in three weeks (Care Bears and Shark Tale, full screen; wide screen is worth more). The CD did better and I have it listed for $12, but may price it more aggressively to move it out.

Tomorrow is the neighborhood sale across the way that got called off last weekend because of rain. I don't like neighborhood sales - they're crowded, sellers don't always have much. I've had better success elsewhere, but I can't stand the possibility of missing out, so we'll be there at 8am.