Hi there–I hope you’ve had a great week! Any plans for the weekend? I expect to hit a few garage sales today (woo woo for garage sale season) and will run out to my antique booth for restocking. We have an out-of-town wedding on Saturday, so just one day of vintage shopping for this girl.
Today I thought I’d talk about how to rock your garage sale season by walking you through the steps that I take when I’m planning a day of garage sales. It’s not rocket science, but I take for granted that everyone knows all of the ins and outs of optimizing their experience, but it just doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
I have a freebie at the end of the post, two actually, to help you get the most out of your day of garage sales. One freebie contains a check list of all the things you need to bring with you, along with all of the tasks you need to accomplish in order to make your day successful. The second freebie helps you plan out the route you’ll be taking to hit all of those fabulous sales.
THE DAY BEFORE
Your Vehicle
I can’t tell you how many times, early on in my garage saling career, I woke up early, readied myself quickly–with time to hit a great looking garage sale a few minutes early–only to discover that my car was full of junk. Not an auspicious beginning to the day. Empty your car the night before guys! You want to have plenty of room for all the amazing vintage stuff you’re going to buy.
Along the same lines, have you ever gotten into your car, just raring to get to that first sale, only to see that your tank is on empty? Yeah, me too. Fill your tank the night before so you don’t have to waste time at the gas station. And on the subject of cars, throw in a couple of cardboard boxes or plastic bins and some old newspaper for containing and protecting your finds. Now your car is really ready to go!
Moolah
There’s nothing worse than arriving at a sale, finding a 50¢ item you’d like to buy, and realizing your smallest bill is a twenty. That seller sure isn’t going to be happy with you. Load up on ones, fives, and quarters before you leave the house.
I highly recommend putting your money inside something, other than just your pocket. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve lost that way. I have a change purse that I use now that works great. I carry it in my pocket, so my hands are free, but it will not fall out like loose bills will.
Your Phone
Charge your phone the night before (unless you have a phone charger in your car, then don’t worry about it).
Plan Your Route
The night before is the best time to sit down at your computer and start checking out the sales. I look on Craigslist, estatesales.net, yardsales.net, and my local newspaper online. At the height of the season, I know the towns/areas I want to focus on, so that’s how I’ll track the sales.
One of the freebies I have for you let’s you organize by town/area. I also like to know the type of sale and its hours of operation, so there are places to keep track of that on the form as well.
I’ve provided a second page in case one page is not enough.
THE MORNING OF
Dress for the Weather
I basically dress in layers and bring a few extras with me in case it grows very warm or very cold. If I’m concerned about the cold, I might grab a sweater, scarf, and gloves. In case of heat, I’ve been known to throw a pair of shorts in the car , and then, if necessary, change into them quickly as we’re driving along. When it comes to garage sales, I have NO SHAME.
Food/Water
Bring some food and water. You need to stay energized and hydrated. You don’t want to have to stop for water or snacks–you’ve got a job to do and you need to keep at it. No time to slow down for things you should have brought with you.
Optional But Recommended
If you’re eyes are sensitive to the sun, like mine, then make sure you have your sunglasses. Additionally, you may want to carry a small measuring tape in your pocket, particularly if you are looking for items to fit a certain space in your home.
Wet wipes are good to have on hand because you’ll be touching a lot of stuff that has been touched by who knows who. You’ll also probably be pawing through some dirty stuff like tools and things that have been gathering dust in the basement. You’ll at least want to wipe before eating your snack.
Your Smile
I’m a firm believer in being as friendly as you can be while attending garage sales. Mostly because life is just so much nicer, not just for you, but for the people you’re interacting with. Yep, I’m on a mission and attending garage sales is actually a job for me, but I’m going to be true to myself and be friendly and even engaging along the way.
Eventually, you’ll notice the law of reaping and sowing kicking in, and you’ll have some amazing interactions with sellers, as well as other buyers. A seller is much more likely to respond positively to your offer if you’ve smiled and been friendly. Don’t do it for that reason alone, but it’s a lovely blessing flowing from good behavior.
Thanks so much for stopping by–
If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you’ll subscribe and never miss a post.
You’ll also receive access to my brand new
Adirondack Girl Member Library
When You Click Here To
With your subscription, you’ll receive the PASSWORD to give you access
to the Library where you’ll find these free printables:
Bye for now,
I’d love it if you’d pin me 🙂
Other posts you might be interested in:
I discovered your blog about two months ago through Pinterest and it’s just fabulous!
I just wanted to add that the night before my garage sale excursions I enter all addresses I don’t know into the maps app on my phone, then I have an idea of where they are at and when I’m out all I have to do is click the address in the app and I have directions from where I’m currently at. It saves time and I don’t have to type the address in each time in the glaring sun!
Boy, were we on the same wave length this week! I just posted “Garage/Yard Sale Tips”!
I see you shop at Aldi too. So do I. Love your blog. Look forward to each post.
I am incredibly organized when I am on the hunt for a bargain! Mid week, I copy and paste all the online sale posts that look good to me into a Word document. I make some personal notes too, based on what I saw in the photos, if there were any.
I also keep dates on my google calendar of church & community rummage sales that usually start advertising weeks before so I don’t forget them. These sales tend to be the same weekends year after year, so I can look back and know when to start looking for them the next year.
Any sales in my calendar for that weekend will also go in that Word document so I can work them into my route. The day before sale day, I go through the list and decide what area to focus on and then look for even more sales in that area, that didn’t catch my eye the first time.
After that I map the sales to find the most efficient route using google maps. I print out the directions and off I go. It might sound complicated to some, but it’s like second nature to me now and I often feel overwhelmed if I don’t go through this process first.
I still work 40 hours a week and have a side vintage resale business, so I really need to maximize my time wisely. It’s also like a game to see how many quality sales I can get to in a day or even on my lunch hour. It’s so much fun!!
Diana, garage sales make me twitch, and not in a good way. But, I still am intrigued by them, maybe because of the treasure-hunting aspect and my innately frugal nature. I think it would be an adventure to go garage-saling with a pro such as yourself!
Loved your ideas and was SOOO pleased with myself that I do most of them. I don’t have a fancy phone with GPS so I run off copies of the maps when I research the yard sale; it helps that my SO has always lived here and knows the area well! Cheapo me puts squirts of soap on facecloths and puts them in a baggie; everyone gets a different color facecloth or baggie. If it’s a hot day, I put them in the cooler; the feeling is DIVINE when It’s hot! Also sun screen; I put it on enroute to my first sale as it takes 25 min. to kick in; I figure that let’s me get a LITTLE sun which is all I need to prevent frog belly white!
By the way, tuck a few bandaids into your pretty purse in case you dance your feet off and start to get blisters with those new sandals! I have been known to put the bandaid on the shoe where it is rubbing on my heel or foot so the bandage pads the sore spot. Have a great time!