Enough

I've gone garage saling three times so far this spring.  When I came home last Saturday, my husband cautioned me to really think about what we need vs. what we want.  Every once in a while, I purchase something that doesn't work out.  It's part of the risks that come with garage saling.  Over all, it doesn't end up being that much, but it does happen.  I try to inspect things closely, but it's surprising how often people wittingly and unwittingly will sell you something that doesn't work at their own garage sale. 

A few weeks ago, I pointed out to a man that there was crack in the bottom of a container he was trying to sell.  It was a BIG crack.  I did end up buying a boombox at that sale and thought I'd looked closely at it.  Turns out it was missing the volume knob!  I missed it!  I felt bad.  My mom set the volume to what she normally listens to and it's still useable, but I felt foolish.  The same Saturday morning, I bought a bread maker for a friend.  I looked at it and bargained with the lady for the price to be $3 instead of $5.  I'm glad I did.  It only made 1 loaf of bread for my friend before quitting.  At the same sale, I looked at a teapot that seemed to have some rust inside.  I questioned the folks at the sale and the lady commented to me after a few minutes to stop giving her a hard time.  I didn't think I was, but I was concerned and couldn't make up my own mind.  I didn't get it.  Two big clues that I shouldn't have bought things at those two yard sales.  

But, I've had pretty good luck on the whole this year (two nice dresses for me, a rug for my girls' room, several cds for my husband, a pack 'n play for a friend, a roasting pan with a lid, a pasta maker for another friend...).  Still, my husband's advice is wise for me to heed.  I can call him if I have questions and need a second opinion.  I need to remember I have a smart phone!  

The idea of having enough is an important one, I've realized and it has a lot of applications in my life.  Someone asked me this week if we could add on to our house.  We could refinish part of our basement eventually, but that would involve a lot of work and expense.  Since deciding in February that we weren't going to move, I've felt convicted to strive to be content with our home and our yard.  Our yard is on the small size, but our kids make the most of it.  More importantly, it is enough for me to take care of.  There is enough room for flowers and a garden and for them to play.  I went through my basement last week and did a big purge.  Now, I feel comfortable down there again when I go to look for things.  

I've come to believe that making things stretch is as much about finding ways to save money as it is about not spending in the first place and seeking contentment.  I haven't posted many things lately about ways I've found to save money.  My mind hasn't been on it.  I've been dealing with a lot of life stuff.  But, I've also been thinking about not spending when I go to a store.  I've really wanted to buy a few new plants at Home Depot, but I've put it off.  I have some seeds for perennial flowers and I'm going to plant them instead.  We had a late frost after I'd put 6 plants in my garden and yard--and I didn't protect my plants. (I have to admit that I was tired that day and a bit lazy! ;) )  I wondered if they would die.  2 had no damage because they were in sheltered spots.  The other 4 did experience some damage, but they're coming back from it.  I'm thankful.  I didn't want to spend more money on plants.  

But, for me, it all comes back to the word: "enough".  God knows what we need.  He is so generous and I need to always remember that and remind myself of that truth.  Having "enough" and not "too much" should be what I consider important.

There is a twisting that can come with "enough" though.  The thinking can follow the lines of "just 1 more will be--enough".  Enough starts with what one already has, I think, and carefully considering whether 1 more is actually a need or a want.  I find I have to be very careful--especially when it comes to garage saling.  Many items are very inexpensive, so it's easy to get "just 1 more".  But, I just went through my craft supplies last week to organize them and I became very aware that I don't need any "just 1 more"s.  It's good to know what you have and make sure you're using it before purchasing 1 more.  

My kids wanted to sew and it frazzled me because over the past 2 years my crafts supplies had ended up in multiple spots.  They weren't labeled or organized.  So, we pulled everything out and organized it.  I labeled every bin.  I want to make sure we use what he have and I don't end up with two 18 year old girls and tons of craft supplies never used!  The point of having something isn't to hold onto it and let it sit, but rather to use it and enjoy it.  As soon as it was all labeled, the kids and I sat down to to do a sewing project (it's from the book Sewing School).  Here's Sami's stuffie:

My goal this spring is do more instead of buying more.  It felt good to do this project.  It felt good to use what I had and teach my children how to sew.  

So, those are my thoughts this morning.  Rambling, jumbled, meandering... as usual!

Garage Saling Begins!

Yippee!  Garage Saling began last Saturday where I live.  I only found a few--but enough to make it worthwhile.  I found brand new art supplies I needed for art next year, books for the kids that I'd considered buying for Eli's homeschooling next year, a cake decorator and treats for the girls birthday party in the fall.  I always look forward to the hunt!

Finding What I'm Looking For

My garage saling partner and I headed out Saturday morning in the search of treasures.  It was an interesting day!

Autumn has a 16" 2 wheel bike that I bought her last year at a garage sale for $3.  It works well.  Sami has a 12" princess bike with training wheels.  My husband and I talked and knew she'd need a new bike by the fall.  Eli is in the same situation.  We bought him a cars tricycle (which much to my husband's chagrin has plastic, nonreplaceable wheels) for his birthday in April.  It was $60.  We both realized that he has taken to riding a bike far more quickly than the girls and would need a 12" bike by the fall.  As parents we all have things that we would like to get for our kids as "new" items, but sometimes our budget doesn't allow for that.  Bikes are one of those things for my husband.  The first time I brought home a used bike for our kids, he was very sad and disappointed.  Then I brought home another for Sami, a $1 Big Wheel for Eli, and Autumn's $3 16" bike.

Last weekend, we bought new helmets for the kids which cost $15 each.  With 3 kids, it adds up fast!  But, I didn't want to buy used helmets for several reasons.  1) I wouldn't know how many times the helmet had been dropped.  2) I wouldn't know how the child who wore the helmet took care of their hair.  So, new helmets are justifiable to me.

But, pondering two new bikes at $60 each was daunting to me.  So, these two items went to the top of my garage saling priority list.  At the first sale on Saturday, we found this bike for Eli in like new condition.  I checked the tires to make sure they had air in them and gave it a quick once over before I bought it.  I could tell from the treads that the bike had been ridden only a little.  The gal wanted $15 for it, but agreed to $10.  I was very thankful.  It retails for $60 new, so my 10% rule almost worked.

We went to another garage sale down the street and I found a purse for me for $2.  I find that as a mom I need a practical purse, so it was a huge treat to find a nonpractical purse for special occasions for me.


We moved on and I found a huge plastic bucket of legos.  What I didn't realize at the time was that this bucket was going to require a lot of sifting on my part.  With most things from garage sales, I do expect some fixing or pruning to be involved.  I spent this morning pruning the bucket and discovered that about half of them were legos.  The other half was mega blocks or random toy figurines.  But, since I only paid $8, that's okay with me.

We headed from that garage sale to a community of houses nearby that was having a sale.  Early on, we turned down one culdesac and found a bike for Sami.  The bike was in like new condition, but it was a 16" bike (bike with 16" wheels) and it had no kickstand or training wheels.  It was also missing one of the handlebar grips.  I knew that though the bike was in like new condition, it was missing all of these things.  The fellow asked me for $10 and I offered $5 since I'd have to buy all the other parts.  Little did I know how much those other parts would cost!  Later that day, I went to Walmart and bought a kickstand, training wheels, and grips.  Altogether, the parts cost $26!  That brought the bike's cost to $31!  But, for a like new bike, it was still saved me at least $30.  A new 16" bike starts at $60.

The lesson I learned on Saturday is to know the cost of replacement, or missing, parts if I can!

My friend found this toddler bed for $10 for her grandson, which was what she needed to find.  So, it was a good day.  I'm thankful for how the Lord provided for us.

When I came home, I thought about the desire to buy something new for our children.  It's tempting to think that we should do that.  But, I read an essay by Wendell Berry today on Waste, at the request of my husband.  One reason I like to hand down our toys and clothes to friends and also why I like to garage sale is that I'm not contributing more to the waste of our society.  I don't feel very extreme about this, but I do value the idea of minimizing my family's consumption of natural resources.  I don't want to be wasteful.  So, at the end of the day, though new bikes would have been beautiful in my children's eyes, I think that their "gently used" and refurbished bikes have much greater value--to me and to them.

Garage Saling Etiquette aka Garage Saling Manners

I had been looking forward to this past Saturday's garage sales for several weeks.  There is a big one in our area and over the past few years it has grown bigger and bigger.  With that growth, though, there have been problems.  My garage saling partner and dear friend and I had a horrible experience on Saturday.  I have a wonderful garage saling partner that makes it possible for It made me realize some of the lessons we've learned over the past four years of garage saling together.  


Here are a few of them:


1)  Take an extra measure of patience with you.  Whether you need to be patient with other people, cars, or wrong directions, it is important to be patient.


2)  Be polite.  Wait your turn when driving down skinny streets and always choose safety over time.  When someone bumps into you, be gracious and don't snap at them.  When someone reaches for something you are looking at, let it go.  It's just a thing.


3) Look for what you need first, then what you want.  Buyers remorse works with garage saling just as it does at retail stores except that you can't return anything.  If you buy something that is broken, don't dwell on it too much.  Check out what you can before you buy since all sales are final after all.  But, some things you won't foresee.


4) Offer to pay what you can afford and feel is reasonable.  If the host of the garage sale isn't agreeable to the price, that is okay.  If someone refuses your offer, then very politely set it down, smile, and wish them good luck with their garage sale.


Some folks having garage sales feel that their things are worth a lot of money and aren't willing to part with it for less.  Others are interested in getting rid of stuff they no longer use.  The reality is that almost all the time whatever you are buying is used.  And often it is much used--so the original purchaser has often gotten a lot of  value for their purchase already.  


If you do need a certain amount of money for items, they are in like new condition, and you are considering having a garage sale, I would recommend instead consigning the items.  You are going to get more money for your children's clothes and other items than you would at a garage sale.  At a consignment store, if an item is sold at 50% of the retail price, you will receive between 20-25% of the price.  If it is sold for less, then I believe you will receive less.  Some consignment stores will require you to bring clothes in clean and pressed.  


This is something I keep in mind.  My rule of thumb is generally 10% of the retail price.  But, all of that goes straight to the person I'm buying from and they didn't have to transport their goods.  Sometimes people will tell me that they can get more on ebay or craigslist and I wish them luck.  Again that is more work on the part of the seller and something they have to be willing to do.  


If you simply want to get rid of things, having a garage sale is a great way to go, but if you want to receive a certain amount of money in exchange for your things and you are willing to put in the work and take any associated risks, then Craigslist, ebay, and consignment stores or sales are a wiser activity to pursue.  


Sometimes there is a need on the part of the garage sale host to make money to pay a bill or raise funds for a charity, but most of the time, I've found when I or friends of mine have garage sales that the money is simply to buy other "wants".  If you do need to make a certain amount of money from something, the other avenues I mentioned earlier, might be wiser choices.


One thing I've noticed is that in the many blessings we have in this country, we can begin to hold onto them.  They can become a "lesser idol".  But, they are just things.  Sometimes there is a sentimental value that we ascribe to them, but most of the time I find we get caught in the thinking that we need to make the most money from what we have.  It is a value of capitalism.  But, it is not biblical.  I've never found a spot in the Bible that says make the most money from what you have.  The parable of the landowner and three servants does advise not wasting what is given to you, but we are warned repeatedly in other places in the Word to keep ourselves form the love of money.  When we hold onto "things", we are tempted to love money.  We have to be careful and guard are hearts.  


My way of guarding my heart has been to simply give things away.  Once in a while I am tempted to want a certain amount of money for something, but then I remind myself of how God has taken care of us.  It is work actually at times to find someone who wants something I need a new home for, but when I find that new home it is so satisfying!


But, I am thankful for all the people who have garage sales, since I enjoy meeting folks and shopping at their garage sales!  


5) Don't Cuss.  Be Careful about what you say.  This one may seem very obvious, but you'd be surprised at some of the things I've heard and overheard.  There are usually little ears around too listening to what others are saying.  


6) Enjoy the unexpected.  Some days we find huge treasures and others not.  You never know what you are going to find.  It is a bit like a treasure hunt.  Last Saturday, I didn't find any big treasures, but I did find what I needed!  I bought 4 pairs of shorts for $1 for Eli, 4 brand new short sleeve shirts for the girls for $2, a plastic bucket for $1 for my kitchen compost scraps, a backpack for Sami for $2, 4 books for a birthday gift for $1, and a baby monitor for a friend for $5.  


7) Be aware.  In the basic motorcycle course I took last summer, we were advised to use this acronym as a guide:  

SEE   

Scout ahead

Evaluate what to do

Execute and act

The most important step is the "S".  Scout and be aware of all that is going on.  When garage saling, I have noticed that many pedestrians and drivers are distracted and not paying attention.  Be a good defensive driver and pedestrian.


8) Be honest and have integrity in your exchanges with people.  This has many implications surprisingly.  But, at garage sales you, whether a buyer or seller, are exchanging money and goods and so you need to be wise and have integrity.  Don't sell something that is broken if you are aware of this.  Don't give someone less money than you've agreed to pay.  Don't agree on a price and then go back on it, whether you are a buyer or seller.


So, here's my story...


I do want to share what happened last Saturday to help you put all of this in context.  My friend and I drove to the BIG garage sale.  As we were driving into the parking lot, a woman walked right in front of my car.  She did not look around her or behind her.  She simply walked.  She blended into my line of sight with her black shirt and tan pants and my friend alarmed me about her appearance close to my car.  I stopped in time and the woman never even noticed.  We were both shaken up.  I saw the woman later and approached her.  I cautioned her to pay attention to where she's walking.  Closure.  But, that was only the beginning.


A bit later we witnessed something fall on someone and the person became very angry and cussed loudly about the incident.  My friend and I were notably shaken up.  I still am actually.  


We did try to go on from there, though.  Another row along in the yard sale, someone accused my daughter of stealing a book I'd bought from another vendor.  I would never think of not paying for something, nor would my friend.  


At that point, we began to quickly find our way through the rest of the vendors.  We wanted to leave.  We had such a bad taste in our mouths from these encounters.  I'm not sure if we'll go back to this yard sale again.  Something seemed to happen and change at this yard sale this year.  With more people came more problems.  Maybe it's that I don't like crowds and I prefer space.  I feel safer with my three kids when I can keep a closer eye on them and not feel so encroached upon.  


I still love to garage sale.  We found many more to go to after the big one.  My treasures actually were mostly found at the small ones, rather than at the big garage sale this Saturday.  We just may not go back to the big one again next year.  We'll see...

Garage Saling begins! Thoughts and Tips =)

Through the winter, I try hard not to shop in stores for toys and extras for the kids. I try to remind myself that garage saling season will come again in the spring. Sometimes I'm good at staying out of stores and other times I'm not. Christmas and birthdays have traditionally been the one time we've bought new toys for the kids and bought them used toys the rest of the year at garage sales, for the most part. It's been a little different with Eli, because he's a boy. My husband has a very soft spot for buying him trucks and cars--because he loves them too and because he loved Matchbox cars as a kid.

Eli's birthday is in 2 weeks. It's hard to believe he will be turning 2! We've been in a lot of stores lately because my husband hasn't felt like he has enough "boy" toys. Most of the toys we have were bought for the girls. Although, once I discovered we were having a boy, I did try and start collecting the "boy" little people toys like the trucks and construction set. Still, my girls have loved My Little Pony and are now getting into dolls and Barbie (in a very limited way).

I was so excited for the beginning of Garage Sale Season here yesterday. Only one neighborhood was having a sale, but I knew a group of moms that were having one as well. So, we headed out--my garage saling partner, the kids, and me. The first neighborhood only had a few, but we stopped by one that didn't look promising. It turned out to be the first treasure of the day. =)

10 Thomas the train take along trains for $3 and 3 Thomas DVDs for $4.

Next, we went to one around the corner and found the exact Tonka playset I had wanted for Eli at Target the night before (that my husband wasn't sold on) for $2. It was $23 at the store. I was so thankful--and Eli's been playing with it ever since.

Finally, we went to the one where a group of moms were. I found a Little Tikes outdoor picnic table fore the kids for $5 and several Hot Wheels City Sets so Eli can have roads to drive his Matchbox cars on (or should I say so my husband can drive them with him =) ) for $3. I found several other small treasures, but each of these treasures have been a blessing to us. My kids and husband have enjoyed them. I am very thankful that the Lord used these folks at the Garage Sales to bless us =) with fun toys we could afford.

I am so glad Garage Saling season has begun.

My Garage Saling tips:

These are a few things that I've found to be helpful...

What I usually aim for price wise is about 10% of the retail cost when I am buying toys or household goods. I've found that it is a pretty good estimate of what I'm willing to pay and what seems reasonable.

Clothes: If they smell like smoke, wash them with oxiclean and your regular detergent. The smoke smell will come out. I try to stay away from other things that smell like smoke, though.

I choose to first go to neighborhoods or larger garage sales to make wise use of my gas.

If I offer a price and the seller isn't willing to haggle or thinks my price is way too low, I kindly tell them good luck and that I hope they have a nice day--rather than being offended if they are snobby or snippy about my offer.

Price for clothes. There are so many little kids clothes. Many people feel that clothes are worth more if they are Baby Gap or Gymboree. But, the clearance clothes at Target are brand new and often cost the same as some people ask for clothes at garage sales if they are worth a lot to them. I feel that it is wiser for people who want a lot of money for their clothes to take them to a consignment sale or a consignment store. Garage sales don't generally charge as much for clothes. I try to take into consideration whether or not I really need an item. Last week, I paid $4 for a winter coat for Autumn for next winter because it was something I really need for her. Normally, I won't pay more than 50 cents for a pair of shorts, shirt, or pants. If it's a coat, I'll offer between $1 and $5. I try to pick out several things at one time and make a bulk offer. If someone wants a lot of money for their clothes, though I don't generally look. I don't want to offend them and I don't want to be offended. It seems the wise thing to do.

Toys and plastic items: Baking soda is my best friend when it comes to these items--a damp rag and some baking soda will rub off just about anything. It also is a natural and safe disinfectant for children's toys.

Some baby items: I wouldn't buy a car seat from a garage sale unless you knew the person and it hadn't been in an accident and was less than 5 years old. The infant seats I've seen are usually about $20 for a Graco and $5 for an extra base--if they're in great shape. Otherwise, $10 if the cover on the car seat needs a lot of washing. This is one of those items though that I don't think I would buy used. There are strict regulations about them now and Thrift Stores aren't legally allowed to resell them anymore.

But, back to the 10% rule. $10 or $15 is a great price for a high chair in good shape. $20 is a good price for a baby swing that retails for $100 and is in good shape. I've bought them for $10 or $15, but I've seen them as high as $35 (way too high).

Consignment stores sell things at 50% of the retail price. I think that's usually the rule of thumb. I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is for the new wave of consignment sales. Does anyone know what the recommended pricing is? I do keep this in mind when I'm shopping because when someone asks for $3 for a Thomas DVD that costs $5 new, that's too high a price to me.

The price does depend on how old something is. If it's an older pack 'n play--I'd pay $5 at the most. But, if it's a new one with all the bells an whistles $10 is a good price, I think.

I'm sure there's a lot more that I could write, but I'm afraid I've begun to ramble!