Garage sales are everywhere at this time of year. And even if they aren’t called garage sales, you will see them possibly advertised as yard sales, church sales, rummage sales, tag sales, sidewalk sales and even moving sales. Regardless of what they are called in your area, they are a terrific option for purchasing second hand or used items that still have a lot of life in them.
But how do you know when they are happening? Where do you find these treasure filled spots?
It would be the opposite of frugal to aimlessly drive around looking for garage sale signs on a Saturday morning. So your first plan of attack is to figure out who is having a sale.
Grab a newspaper and look for the “garage” sale section which should be somewhere in the classifieds. They might be listed separately, or they may all be grouped together under garage or yard sales.
Choose the sales that look the best or seem to have the most interesting items. It’s also best to choose garage sales that might seem to have a larger advertisement. Why? Mostly because these sales probably have a lot of merchandise that the owner expects to move that day to recoup his/her losses. These are usually the most lucrative sales.
Cut out or write down the sales you wish to visit. A cool tip that I used for the past two summers that a friend told me about, was to take a clear strip of tape, stick it over the ad you are interested in, and then once the tape has adhered to the entire ad, pull it up. Place the strip of tape on a piece of paper and then you should have the addresses all in one place. It’s handy!
When you are placing them on paper or writing them down, try to write them in order of which ones you will visit first. You should also map out your plan ahead of time so that you don’t back track or have to skip a sale because you were already over in that area.
Another place to find garage sales advertised is to look online! The Internet now has tons of message boards and other types of lists that have places for people to advertise their sales. Do a search for garage sales and I bet you find a few.
Keep watching the garage sale section of the frugal living blog for great tips, and techniques to make your garage sale experience, whether selling or buying, a frugal good time!
Related Articles:
Garage Sale Season Has Arrived
Garage Sales: How And Where To Find Them