weekly wanderlust: May 2013

For as long as I can remember all of my aunts, my mom, my sister and I had an annual garage sale. Before my grandma got ill, we held these at her home in Alliance and truly embodied the stereotype of a Hoopie! You know how frustrating it is when you stop at a garage sale and there is literally one card table with like a mason jar and some old nails laying on it - well, we definitely weren't those people. We went 180 degrees in the opposite direction. We had shit everywhere - and I mean everywhere. I will have to dig up some pictures for proof (aunt Donna - I distinctly remember one with you and a bird that landed on your finger). We took up two driveways, two yards, and then some. My husband would have been appalled. We would joke that we were like a department store with certain sections for holiday, bath and bed, and clothing. My grandma had a neighbor who would actually go on a payment plan throughout the year to pay for her garage sale purchases from our sale. God bless her- she was always good for the money she owed. I would see my mom and aunts over there pushing their goods on her while the little ones reclaimed the barbies and dolls their parents were so desperately trying to sell. It was shameless! Between all of the girls we would rake in close to $700 or so a year. The neighbor was usually good for at least $300 of that. Unfortunately, times have changed - my grandma suffered a rare neurological disorder, the neighbor has since passed away, and kids have grown up and moved. My mom and I still try to do a sale once a year. We start at her house Memorial Day weekend (we end the sale with a Memorial Day cookout and pool opening party - awesome that this year it is in the 40's - not ideal swimming weather), and then crazy as it sounds, whatever doesn't sell we cart back to my house and I organize a neighborhood garage sale (so I can spend all the money I made on my shit on other people's shit!). In spite of protests from my husband that nothing is coming back in the house that doesn't sell the first time around I win out and we go through the whole process again. OMG - I really am a hoopie! By the time it is all said and done and we pay for wine and pizza, the newspaper ad, gas, signage, etc. we are lucky we even make a profit (we're heavy drinkers in my family!)But oh what fun it is - to sit in the sun, sip on a cocktail, share the same old stories we have told 100 times, haggle with the clientele, and see once 'prized' possessions find new homes is truly a memory in the making. Tomm. my goal is to make $299.99. This is the first year I am actually setting a set amount of money I hope to make and have decided what I plan to purchase with it. I figure if I have a big ticket purchase in mind it will help me to let things go for a little cheaper than I normal would (my mom always says I price things too high!) I know what I paid for those things though! So tomm. watch for updates, check my status, and cheer me on to success. Here's what I plan on buying if I make enough (actually it might be prudent to first make sure I even have $300 worth of merchandise to sell!):

Cheers, KAC RANDOM NOTES: It is always the things you debate just throwing away that actually sell - I will never forget my mom making fun of me for putting in the garage sale one of those plastic change holders that you get as a freebie - do you know what I'm talking about? You squeeze the sides and it opens up? I will look for a picture. Anyways, my mom was like 'just throw that damn thing away'. Well guess what - that sold and yet my crate and barrel stuff remained. In the end I made a 5 cent profit since I got free as a promotional item :) Tomm. I will take some pictures of our best and worst items and we will see what actually goes: