Re: What used products do you buy?

When I was in changed circumstances, and very broke, a man took me garage-sailing in his Lincoln.

Like me, new circumstances brought him a need to to furnish a small home on a shoestring.

He had been quite wealthy, and would be again soon...but I had not. Still, I had heard of garage-sailing, but knew little about it.

Sam's way was to see every garage-sale in town, over the weekend. He read all the classifieds and planned his route Saturday and Sunday...noting which advertised specific hours.

Then we zipped through the lot, glancing over each sale. In a few moments we could tell if they had anything that interested us. Then I learned how to negotiate, in a friendly fashion. If I wanted something but couldn't afford the asking price, I said so, smiling. "Will you take $XX?" The seller would say yes, or no, or another price...and I would agree, or say, "Not today. But it is pretty."

I hadn't known how to negotiate before.

In more recent years I have had need to purchase things for a pittance, and there is a wealth of stuff out there!

Beyond need, there are other reasons to shop garage sales.

...The big item at a price one can't refuse. You need a ride-on lawn mower. A seller is moving to a small apartment, and will sell his at less than half the price of new. Or, you spot a table saw that you know you can resell at double today's asking price. Or, there's a double stainless steel kitchen sink with all the bells and whistles, for $3.00.

...Unique finds. Seven-foot high wood carvings by a true artist, for $6,000 apiece. The seller needed the space, and the cash. No, we didn't buy, but we certainly thought about it.

...Collections. There are some things out there going begging. No one wants them much, but I could see fun uses for them, and the prices were always right.

Three I will list here are...brightly colored and pretty dishes...certain miniatures...and leftover/unused yarn. There is an ocean of leftover yarn out there, in every color of the rainbow. And I have discovered scrumbling, freeform knitting and crochet...tiny pieces, each a work of art in itself, added together to make anything you want. No one can make a mistake.

Leftover yarns often become a 'burden' to yarnworkers, or their heirs. And they are so little sought by buyers that sellers forget to put them out. I always ask.

When a seller brings out a box or two of leftover yarns, you can be sure of two things. They have treated their leftovers with respect, and, they have kept the ones they love. Whether I pay $10 for an armful, or $2 for a garbage bag full, I am doing the seller a real favor...their precious stash is going to a good home. I always tell them about scrumbling, too, so they can change their minds about selling. They never do. It's a learning curve, and one person seldom has enough colors.

Ask me, if you'd like to know what to do with a huge collection, sorted into colors.

I almost never buy second-hand clothes, or mattresses. And upholstered furniture I get from a discount place. Beds I pay retail. Linens I wash, thoroughly...mostly table cloths, curtains...some unsewn fabrics.

My husband has been learning the value of picking up deposit-bearing cans and bottles for recycling.

They have verbal contracts with hostels, coffee shops, and more...picking up weekly or monthly. In our case we do it for overseas charity.

Did you know that empty liquor bottles bring cash, too? I wonder how many bottles and cans a person could gather on their own residential street, picking up, say, once a month. Every home has a little stash, and many throw their liquor bottles in the trash. Any motels near you?

Specialized reselling has become a great home business. The one thing we must remember is to have enough space for sorting and handling. The lack of space is the very reason people are getting rid of stuff.

Enjoy!