Successful Yard Saleing

There are lots of great deals to be had at yard sales and garage sales. They can be a Frugal Monster's dream, or nightmare. They can be a dream come true when you find that perfect score that you've been waiting for. They can also turn into the world's worst nightmare when you don't know how to pass up that great deal. Here are some tips that I've learned from my many years of scouring yard sales:

• Its not a great deal if you don't need it (or love it). Only buy things you will use or that you need. Now, the one exception is if you resell things on ebay. But you have to know your prices in order for this to work. If you buy something at a yard sale for $3, but it will only sell on ebay for $3.50, is it really worth the time and effort?
• If you collect things (I collect fabric and vintage pyrex) you must know when enough is enough. I'm struggling with this right now with my fabric stash. If I find a great deal its really, really hard for me to pass it up. But I am drowning in my fabric now so I must work through some of it before I can add any more.
• Make a list of things you need. At the beginning of every yard sale season I make a list (either a mental list or an actual pen/paper list) of things I want to keep an eye out for that year. This year I'm looking for a few more crockpots in various sizes (easy to find at yard sales) and some supplies to get started in soap making. I'm also looking for a sturdy book case and dresser that I can refinish. My husband usually works on weekends and he will often arm me with a list of tools or other various "manly" items to look for.
• Check craigslist on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and list out the sales you'd like to check out. List them in the order you'd like to go. I try to do a circle hitting ones close to my house, going further out into town and then circling back towards home from the other direction. I also keep an eye out for signs on the way, as a lot of people don't post on craigslist, but rely solely on signs.
• Take cash. Decide your budget for the day and only take that much cash. This will help keep your spending in check.
• Don't be afraid to barter. Most people expect it. I'll admit that its outside of my comfort zone and I tend to do it more often if I'm purchasing multiple items. If I have 3 or 4 things in my hand that total $5.00, I'll usually ask them if they'd accept $4 for the lot. I only rarely have people come back and ask for more. Usually they just say "sure" and they're glad to get rid of the stuff.
• I am in love with vintage, mid century stuff. So I have found that church rummage sales, estate sales and other networking groups (Eagles, Lion's Club, etc....) sales tend to be jack pots for me.
• If you plan to make a day of it, pack a snack and some water. You can't focus and you lose interest if you start to get hungry. Most yard sales will sell bottles of water for $1.00. I can get several yards of fabric for that!!!!
• If you are yard saleing with children (and they are old enough) give them a budget for the day also. I give my kids plastic baggie's and they throw some change from their piggy banks in them. In the past they have found treasures that they "had to have" but neither had enough money. They pooled their change together and both were happy. It teaches them valuable budgeting skills.

That's my basic list of things to keep in mind while yard saleing. Come back and let me know if you find any great scores this season ~ I'd love to hear about them!

~The Frugal Monster

A Few Tools of the Trade...

While one can just as easily live the frugal life with the basic common items found in every house and kitchen, there are a few tools that can streamline the process and make this just a little easier and convient for Frugal Monsters.

The FoodSaver has really been a long term penny saver for us. When I used to find a good deal on chicken, I would only buy enough to get us through two or three months because well, have you ever had freezer burnt chicken? I don't recommend it. Now, if I find a great deal (like the whole chickens I found at Costco for .50/lb or the boneless/skinless breasts for $1.17/lb) I stock up. The whole chickens I can throw in the freezer. When I cook one for dinner, I usually cook a whole extra chicken. I pull the meat off of the bones and stick it in a FoodSaver bag. Seal it up and freeze it. Now I have cooked chicken meat ready to be thrown into chili's, soups, salads, etc...and it stays fresh for up to 2 - 3 years!! When I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale, I trim them up and seal them into the sized portions that best suit our family. Sometimes I cube some up before sealing so a lot of the prep work is done for me already when I pull them out of the freezer. But we'll talk more about that when I get to freezer cooking.

Another BIG money saver for the Frugal Monster is a freezer. Chest freezers are more efficient than an upright. The one pictured above is the one we have. We started out with a 7 cu ft. freezer that we got for free and once we realized that a freezer is a tool that we just had to have, we sold an older fridge, sold the old freezer and used that money to purchase this one. Right now I have the freezer/fridge in my kitchen, another freezer/fridge in the garage and this chest freezer and all three freezers are packed FULL! And I didn't pay full price for anything in those freezers. When you find a once in a lifetime deal on meat (turkeys at Thanksgiving time, hams at Easter, etc...) you can buy several and use them throughout the year. We have Thanksgiving dinner about once a quarter. I then use the FoodSaver to keep the leftover meat fresh until I need it for casseroles, soups, stews, etc...

I had been asking my husband for YEARS for a fancy Cuisinart Food Processor. But when I finally sat down and determined why I need a food processor and what functions I most wanted it to have. We decided that an everyday joe would be the most economical option. So he bought me this one. And I love it. I'm glad we saved the $100 plus. There hasn't been a single thing that I've wanted my food processor to do that it hasn't delivered. I buy a lot of my food in bulk (cheese, veggies, meats, etc....). I also cook in bulk (more on that later). Having a food processor has literally cut my prep work by about 3/4. Making Jambalya? Need to cut up some onions, celery, green peppers and carrots? Not a problem. Put enough for about five batches and give it a whirl. Serve one for dinner and put the other four batches in your freezer for another day.

The stand mixer goes along the lines of the food processor. It saves time and time is money in this day and age. Are you making a batch of cookies? Why not make three batches and freeze the extras? You can easily do this with a stand mixer. And I will admit, I do have a commercial grade, 6 qt Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. It was a gift from my husband. However, we chose to buy a used/refurbished one directly from Kitchen Aid. It was about half the original price and now I'm not sure how I ever survived without it.

If you have some or all of these tools, well then you are a step ahead in the frugality game. If you don't, don't fret. You can find any one of these items at yard sales, on craigslist or keep your eyes peeled for great sales around Mother's Day and Christmas. And DON'T go out and buy all of these right now and say "The Frugal Monster told me to!!" I'm just giving you a list of things that you may want to look out for and purchase when you find that great deal!

Remember, take what you need and leave the rest!
~The Frugal Monster