The Garage Sale Secret

When it comes to careers, love, faith etc. I will be the LAST one to support the Secret (you know, the book that aquired Oprah-induced fame a few years back). But, when it comes to garage sales - I know the secret. I believe the secret. I live the secret. Here's the secret: we don't need to buy anything new. With all the junk we have in our basements I guarantee you that your neighbours have just as much junk. Knowing that your neighbours have junk too, I promise you that somewhere in your neighbour's pile of junk is that one thing you are looking for.

I recently heard a friend say, and I quote, "Robin has a golden horseshoe up her butt when it comes to garage saling." Nope. No horseshoe. Just the secret.

The secret - I name it and claim it.

I get up early (key world EARLY - can't garage sale after 10am).

I tell George what I am looking for that day.

I go get it.

I know that somewhere on a wobbly folding table on someone's driveway is just what I'm looking for. Hopefully the price agrees with me too.

It's out there. I just don't know where.

Before you get all sceptical on me listen to this:

1) A few years back we were in a train phase. I wanted trains to give my son for Christmas. Crack of dawn Saturday morning I call my mom (fellow garage saler!). I say, "Today I'm looking for Thomas or Brio trains. I'm willing to pay $30 for about the size of a laundry basket full." I hit the road on my search - the hunter on the prowl! A bright orange garage sale sign draws me into a neighbourhood, I stop the car, grab my cash and jump out. Voila - there it is, pink laundry basket, filled with Thomas tracks, sign says $40. Heart pumping I race to the basket, claim it as mine, offer the kind young lady $30, she agrees. Call my mom back, "Mission accomplished". Check that one off the Christmas list.

2) Needed an electric griddle for camping (this following the advice of Joyce Banninga who said, "We're paying for electric, why are you using your propane?"). Wanted a fan for the camper. Mom comes to pick me up for our early morning saling, I say, "I need two things, a griddle and a fan." Two hours later I'm home with a griddle so good we use it for day-to-day cooking, and brand new mini-fan that is both fan and heater. Total cost = $10.

3) And this brings me to the summer of 2010. We have entered the world of Lego - left Duplos in the dust. Christmas is 6 months away. Birthdays 9 months away. Our only source of lego is the neighbour boys and their dad.

My Saturday morning quest, Lego. Name it and claim it baby! I leave the house telling George, "I'm looking for Lego today." And boy did I hit the jackpot ... maybe that day there was a golden horseshoe lurking in the shadows. I came home with four tubs (large ones) of lego ... total bill $15. Yep, $15.

First early morning stop yeilded two tubs, each $5. I thought I was done for the day. One more stop on the way home. I noticed that the family had teenage boys. In conversation with the mom I said, "You wouldn't happen to have any Lego would you?" Ding-ding-ding. She turns to her son. Go get the Lego from the basement. She turns to me, "Five dollars?" Excuse me while I hold back my gasp. "Yep. Sure. Five bucks." Her son returns with two large tubs. Start the car!"

Fifteen dollars! Zero to hero in no time flat. The tubs got emptied on the living room floor. I discovered an unused Rubbermaid 6 drawer thingy in our basement. Project for the week: sort Lego. It was like a treasure chest. We found Star Wars figures, Harry Potter, cars, houses, space ships etc. Fast forward to today. Most of the Lego is sorted. Hours upon hours have been spent creating and recreating. This is no short lived phase. Side note: Lego on shag carpet - not a good idea.

So the Secret to Garage Sales ... is there something to it? Name it and claim it? Maybe. Maybe not. The truth is that we have far too much stuff. Stuff is cluttering our lives and keeping us from truly living. Somewhere out there someone doesn't want what you DO want. Someone needs what you have. Can we just share? Can we stop producing, start sharing? Yes, eventually stuff will wear out. So, no we can't do away with producing all together.

Tomorrow is Saturday - somewhere out there, on some driveway in your town is just what you are looking for. Name it. Once you name it you'll have eyes to see it and you won't be distracted by all the other junk.

My perpetual garage sale list:

Fiesta Ware dishes

Lego

Usborne Books

Magic Schoolbus Books

One final question for all you Lego enthusiasts: Where do you keep all the creations? They don't fit back in the box. They end up all over the house, little men sitting on my desk shooting cannons at me right now. Any creative ideas for keeping lego creations?