Some garage sale days are a bust. Others turn up treasure on every driveway. For @feralcathomereno, this one was the second kind. “The garage sales were amazing today!!!” she writes, and her video of the day’s finds makes it easy to see why.
The haul started strong with a heart-shaped shelf. “How much are you asking for this stuff?” she asks one seller. The answer was $3. “Okay, perfect. I’ll take it,” she replies. Her caption sums up her reaction with a mind-blown emoji: “Heart shelf for $3.”
Then came her weakness. “I’m obsessed w vintage foot stools,” she writes, “so when they are only $1 I just can’t help myself.” Throughout the video, the prices she hears are the kind every bargain hunter dreams of. One dollar here, two dollars there.
At another stop she found vintage western wear, also priced at a single dollar. “For a buck,” she says, clearly pleased.
The biggest surprise came from Zack, who was out shopping the sales too. He found an oil painting for $3, and it turned out to be a perfect companion piece. “It matches the one we have in our basement,” she writes, followed by a string of heart-eye emojis.
@feralcathomereno
How to Score Garage Sale Prices Like These
Prices of a dollar or three are not unusual at neighborhood sales, especially when the sellers are more interested in clearing space than making money. A few habits help you find the best of them.
Go early for selection, late for price. The first hour gets you first pick of the good furniture and decor. The last hour is when sellers are most willing to make a deal on whatever is left.
Carry small bills and coins. When something is marked $1, handing over a twenty can be awkward for a seller who only has a small cash box. Bring a stack of ones and fives.
Ask, as she did. Many items at garage sales are not marked at all. A friendly “How much are you asking?” often gets a lower number than you expected.
Map your route. Check neighborhood groups and community boards the night before and plan a loop of sales that are close together. Clustered sales and whole-neighborhood sale days let you see far more in a morning with less driving.
Inspect before you pay. Open drawers, check the backs of shelves for cracks, and look textiles over for stains and holes. At a dollar, a small flaw may be fine, but it is better to know before you load it into the car.
Know what you collect. She knew she loved vintage footstools, so she was ready to buy without hesitation. Having a short list of favorite things keeps you from coming home with clutter you do not need.
What to Look for in Vintage Footstools
Old footstools are often better built than new ones. Turn them over and look for solid wood rather than particleboard, and check how the legs attach. Screwed or dowelled joints are a good sign. Give the stool a gentle wobble test; a loose leg can usually be tightened or reglued, but a cracked one is a bigger job.
Worn fabric or vinyl tops are rarely a deal breaker. Many stools have a removable seat held on by a few screws, which makes recovering them with new fabric and a staple gun a simple weekend project. Needlepoint tops are worth keeping when they are in good shape, since they are often handmade.
Is That Garage Sale Painting a Real Oil
A $3 oil painting can be a wonderful find, and it is fun to check what you have. Tilt the canvas toward a light. Real oil paintings usually show texture, with raised brushstrokes and paint that sits on top of the canvas. Prints are flat, and under a magnifying glass, many show a pattern of tiny dots.
Look at the back, too. Older paintings are often stretched on wooden frames with tacks or staples along the sides, and may have gallery labels, pencil notes or an artist’s name. A signature on the front is worth looking up, though many lovely paintings were done by talented amateurs and have more sentimental value than resale value. Either way, a painting that matches one you already own is a win.
To clean a painting, skip water and household cleaners. Dust it gently with a soft, dry brush, and leave anything more involved to a professional conservator.
Bringing Finds Home Without Bringing Home Clutter
Great deals can still crowd a house if every one of them comes home without a plan. Before you buy, picture exactly where the piece will go. A heart shelf needs a wall; a footstool needs a chair to sit in front of.
Try a one-in, one-out rule: when a new treasure comes in, something older goes to donation or into your own next garage sale. Wash secondhand clothing before it goes into your closet, and wipe down wood pieces with a mild wood soap before bringing them inside.
Done that way, a lucky day of garage sales, like this one from @feralcathomereno, adds charm to a home instead of piles.
More From Decluttering Mom
- Reseller Who Says Thrift Flipping Helped Pay Off Thirty Thousand Dollars of Credit Card Debt Shows One Week That Turned Three Hundred Eighty Six Dollars Into Over Two Thousand
- Reseller Buys Six Salty Crew Shirts for Six Dollars Total at a Yard Sale and Plans to List Them Online for About Thirty Dollars to Turn a Quick Profit
- Seven Items That Sell Almost Instantly Are Listed by a Reseller Who Says Most People Do Not Know What They Have
