Happy New Year! Top 10 Finds in 2009

Top Ten Garage Sale Finds in 2009
(in no particular order)
1. Concrete flower pots: $2 each and now on the back patio
2. Entry table (actually a desk) with faux copper finish: $40
3. Camel center piece: $5, faux burnished finish.
4. Las Vegas man's personal CD collection: $25. Almost 200 cds, we had to buy a small suitcase to get them home (which we bought at another garage sale that day) and we're still selling them off.
5. Gaming chairs $10 each for the boys. Speakers, vibrations: they rock - literally and figuratively.
6. Dog sweater: $4. Kitschy, clever, almost $200 new. (And the recent Rick Steves' Italy DVD and book set from the same sale just sold on Amazon for an $18 profit which helps cover the cost.)
7. Long sleeve black Lacoste shirt: $5.
8. Tiffany trinket jar from a Calif garage sale, not so attractive, but such a deal and it's Tiffany! 38 cents!!
9. Britta Water Filter, the large size. It was from a church sale. I might have paid $3 or $4 for it. We use it everyday and it has paid for itself many times over because now we don't have to buy bottled water.
10. All the DVDs and CDs we bought and resold. On Half and Amazon I made over $2,500.

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.