10 Ways to Save Time and Money at Garage Sales
By Angela Colley
Most of my books cost a quarter. Half the furniture in my house cost less than $50. I’ve been drinking wine out of a 10 cent wine glass for the past three years. And I owe it all to getting up at the crack of dawn to score good deals at garage sales.
While garage sales are a great way to make money, they’re also a great way to save money – if you do it right. Here are 10 things I’ve learned after years of garage sale hunting.
Related Articles
1. Make a map
Finding the garage sales ahead of time is the easiest way to maximize your early morning shopping hours. I start by looking in my newspaper and online for the weekend’s sales. Here are my favorite sites…
Then I plot each address on a map in a circle around my house. Having a map saves me hours of driving around looking for random signs.
2. Find neighborhood sales
A neighborhood garage sale (also known as a community yard sale) is just what it sounds like: An entire neighborhood bands together and hosts a mega-sale. It’s like striking gold. Since the neighborhood handles the advertising and organizing, sellers are more likely to participate, and you can find either one big sale or tons of smaller sales in one compact area.
Many neighborhood garage sales will have posted ads in the newspaper, but I also keep an eye out for signs during the week. The neighborhood association usually posts a flyer or a banner in front of its neighborhood sign a few days ahead of time.
