Going, going... gone! - Our First Garage Sale

We just finished our first garage sale.  What makes a garage sale successful? The money you earn or the accomplishment of getting rid of all your "stuff"? For us we weren't too concerned on making money, we mainly just wanted to pass on all of the stuff we aren't going to take with us to the Philippines. 

Not knowing too much about how to host a garage sale, we called on our friends and family who did.  God graciously worked through the service of others and it came together quite nicely! My SMIL (Sister's Mother in Law) graciously allowed us to use her driveway and yard for the garage sale. My sister and her "garage saling buddy" helped price items and give logistic tips.  And my SSIL (sister's sister in law) helped set up, break down and took care of all of the advertisement.  Here is a picture of my sister and her family posing with her sister in law (my SSIL) and her family.

The early bird gets the worm
We set up early at 6am.  There was lots of stuff, some donated by others.  And the people came bright and early. 

Several people drove their pick up trucks, and you can tell they were professional garage salers by their vehicle.

 
No brainers
Some items were no brainers and were obvious that we wouldn't need them in the Philippines.  Items such as this

Or these

Memories Triggered
Then there were items that triggered memories - like this humidifier.  This humidifier was the culprit of sending my oldest son to the ER.  It was lined with mold and was spewing mold spores into the air each night.  After several days of its usage my son woke up with his eyes swollen shut, and we learned the hard way he is allergic to mold.  Needless to say it was easy to get rid of this.

Another memory came from this white hat.  Something I always joked my friends about before I got married was how I always wanted to go on a "hat outting", which in my mind consisted of going out on the town with my close friends where we all wear hats.  For my bachelorette party my friends planned a hat outting and this was the hat I wore.

Everyone has the one favorite article of clothing that is beat up, stained and worn out, but they keep it because they love it always.  These shorts were one of my favorites.  I wore these several years in high school for soccer practice.  Then again later when I moved out of the house and lived in an apartment with some friends.  And many nights at home when I just want to relax and veg.

Going through my stuff and getting ready for the garage sale revealed to me things I tend to collect.  And something I like to collect are bags.  Here are two bags that hold memories.  The maroon backpack is what Allan wore on our honeymoon to New York City.  He was wearing it when we got caught in the rain walking across the Manhattan bridge.  The weaved tan purse was the purse Allan brought back from the Philippines for me when we were dating.

These two dresses brought fun memories.  The blue one I wore in my sister's wedding, and the red one my sister wore in my wedding.  Ahhhh!!  :)

 Things that make you go "huh?"
Another category of items in the sale were just plain weird.  We had a whole box of door knobs donated.  Makes you wonder where they came from.  Is there a house somewhere without any door knobs now?  Or maybe someone was building their own house and bought the wrong size?  Either way they don't have any keys.

Anybody guess what this item is used for?

I wonder if that house with the missing door knobs also has some missing doors?  We also had two doors for sale.  Sold both.

How about this book?  If you are curious I flipped through it briefly and "A" stands for Allan.

Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere,
clean up clean up everybody does their share!
The morning went quickly and soon it was time to clean up.  When we cleaned up we made sure to put aside the boxes and return them to my dad.  If you ever have to buy a file box this is the one you want to get.  This box has been around for 25 years and it is still in great shape!

What's a garage sale if you don't buy back some of your own stuff?  Remember that funny plastic black lid pictured above?  My sister took it!  It is actually a top for a trash can.  It fits on a trashcan and turns it into a table.  My sister and her husband host a group of their friends every summer in Yosemite.  Usually 50 plus people.  They plan the whole thing and make all the food.  She is planning to use this for food prep for their annual trip.  Great idea!

Even though we sold a lot we had a lot left over as well.  Some of it was taken to Salvation Army and some of it was given to a friend who is having her own garage sale next week.

Good job everyone!  Looks great!  With the goal of getting rid of our unwanted stuff, I can confidently say our goal was accomplished!