Garage Sale Shopping 101

Garth and I love Salvation Army and sometimes we strike out and sometimes we find everything we are looking for. The same is true for garage sales. I don't scout out or drop everything from garage sales, but I do like to browse our sub and the sub down the street. Sometimes I strike out. Actually, MOST of the time I strike out. 

But this year? I made out like a bandit! As did Garth. Speaking of Garth, he wanted a fridge for the basement forever. A beer fridge to be exact. I found one last year for $25, but he didn't answer my text so I didn't get it. Well, good thing I didn't because Garth came with me this year and scored this bad boy for $5!

It is now the beer fridge:

With a side of fruit snacks. :) As a germophobe I know some people may be grossed out by buying other people's stuff. But I don't have an issue with buying things I can wash. Garth took about twenty Lysol sanitizer wipes to this fridge and I throw everything in the washer as soon as we get home.

Another reason I'm so glad Garth was there was because I went straight to a clothes rack and totally missed the hammock on the ground. Garth noticed it and asked the owner how much he wanted. He was asking $25, which is a steal because we looked at Target and World Market and they were over $100. Garth asked if he would do $20 and he accepted. It looks perfect and it is sooooo comfortable!

Garth got two of the three things on his list, no bad! We are still looking for lounge chairs, but he was pretty happy with his buys. And me? Well, I pretty much bought a new wardrobe! Here are my finds:

This cute tank top was $1. How could I say no?

Work out pants that are ultra comfortable and make me look ten pounds thinner? Best investment ever. Oh and only $2.50 each.

Maxi dress. You can never have too many of these. They are super comfy and flattering and this was $2.

I'm a sucker for anything that says "Peace" so of course I had to have this. And it was $1. You just can't beat it.

My first pair of UGGs. Not knock-offs, but the real deal! I think this is the purchase I'm most excited about. I am sure I will wear them everyday next winter. Oh, and they were the most expensive thing I bought at $10.

I love this lightweight sweater that will be perfect for cool summer nights and make me look super tan. This shirt was $2.

Since I look tan in white I also couldn't resist this tank top for 50 cents.

I bought this dress for $5 and it is super cute with black leggings , cardigan and flip flops. My fave summer attire! And great for work too. Bonus!

I love this sweater/cardigan for next winter for $2.

Speaking of winter, I couldn't resist this fluffy, puffy, furry vest for $2.50. And that's my success story of garage sale shopping. It was a good day!

It was a good thing we went with experienced garage salers (here I go making up words again) because I don't want to rip people off and I don't want to get ripped off. So having my friend Jess guide me and tell me what to offer was soooo helpful! Though most everything was reasonably priced. Sometimes if I didn't say anything at all the seller would lower the price right then and there. Score!

Here are a few more helpful tips my friend, Jess, suggests (my comments are italicized):

* Bring more money than you plan to spend just in case because you never know what you may find. This is good advice, but a little dangerous. You really have to have discernment when garage sale shopping. We almost bought an elliptical, but I didn't have enough cash or my check book. But as I really processed it I realized I didn't need it. I have a perfectly good one I don't even use that often. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a good deal and forget to think through if you really want/need this item.
* If you see something you like, grab it and walk around with it while shopping. Even if you decide not to buy it, it is better to hang on to it in case you decide to purchase. This is a good one because we almost lost the hammock this way! Someone else was interested, but luckily Garth was already talking to the seller and snatched it up before the other lady could come over. I was so afraid of a bidding war.
* If you aren't happy with the price they are offering, it's okay to walk away. Even come back later. Jess' husband, Chris, wanted the Big Green Egg which retails for about $400, but the seller wouldn't go lower than $200. Chris didn't want to spend more than $100. Chris said he would come back later to see if it was still there. We finished walking around the subdivision and went back to that house and the seller accepted $100! Jess and I went back to a house we had purchased clothes from and the seller did 50% all clothes so we ended up buying up the rest of her clothes. Ha!

What are your tips?