Yard sale update

Fri evening I loaded the remaining stuff into my SUV and could barely get the doors closed. I woke
up at 6:15 Sat morning, and was out the door by 6:30, travel coffee mug in hand.  

Although the yard sale wasn't officially to start until 8am, we knew from previous experiences that thirsty yard sale bitches will show up an hour early to get 1st dibs on the best stuff.  Sure enough, we weren't fully set up until about 7am (an hour prior to start time) and people were eagerly looking through our stuff.

Despite the volume of items I brought, none were worth much.  I had no furniture (which always sells well) and no pricey items.  The most expensive item I sold was $10.  I sold a total of $73 worth of items, all of which were under $5 except the one rug for $10.  A single guy bought our XL George Forman grill, a large electric griddle, a Turbo Cooker, and 2 partial sets of pots and pans.

But I felt a great sense of accomplishment as I cleared out so much room from the garage shelves, kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets.  

By noon the momentum was over and we were done.  I packed up what was left over and drove directly to a thrift shop where a lady pulled out what she would accept.  My next stop was my friend Paul's florist shop.  I donated back to him about a dozen flower vases that had come from his shop.  The 1 box I left had a couple odds and ends (small wicker baskets, plastic bowls, etc) and with no guilt at all I dumped into the trash can.  I figured if I couldn't sell those items for nothing at a yard sale and the thrift store didn't think they could sell them either, they weren't worth anything.  I was determined not to bring anything back into the house.

Clearing out

Our friends Steven & Thad live in a community that has an annual yard sale that's very well attended.  Last year they unloaded a bunch of stuff so I decided I'd participate this year too.

Not that I have anything to sell that's particularly valuable.  The point is not to retire off my yard sale proceeds, but rather to get rid of unneeded items.  Clear out cabinets, clear off shelves, thin out closets.  You get the drift.

Knowing that Spouse the "collector" would likely be adverse to me attempting to sell everything that I think we don't need, I convinced him to help me go through the items in our kitchen cabinets, in the garage, and in the closets to approve or deny my suggestions of what to sell.  It worked, and he was surprisingly open to getting rid of most of the stuff I wanted to get rid off.

Of course, the yard sale is at Steven & Thad's, not at our house, so that means I'll need to haul it there. Although the yard sale is not until next Sat, I decided to load up as much as I could fit into the back of my SUV yesterday, while I had the time to do so.

Unfortunately, this is less than 1/2 of the stuff and the rear of my car was already full!

Because I use my car for driving real estate clients around I couldn't fold the back seats down to put any more stuff inside.  The rest of it had to sit in the garage and next to the side door which leads out to where my car is parked.

I actually enjoy selling stuff at yard sales.  Spouse & I used to buy lots of stuff at yard sales so I know what people are expecting to pay for someone else's used stuff:  not very much.  So I am quite realistic with my expectations of what someone will give me for my used stuff.  

I don't bother putting price tags on anything.  Its a waste of time, and if sales are slow and you wish to be negotiable you have to reduce all the tags.

No... 

I don't price anything.  When people ask how much stuff is, I ask them "How much do you want to pay for it?"  At least 50% of the time they're willing to pay as much OR MORE than what I would have asked.  I think people really like it when they suggest a price and I say "Works for me!"  And if they offer me less than what I want, I simply say "Hmm, I was thinking more like ___" and see how they react.  I certainly don't want them to walk away empty-handed over a couple bucks.

For sure my goal is to clear out unneeded items, and whatever money I make in the process is a bonus.  Look for a follow-up post with my results.

Weekend highlights

Sat morning started out as most of our's do, and if you don't know what that means then just click on any recent post entitled "Weekend highlights". Then Spouse & I went to a community yard sale where I bought 8 purple dinner plates for $3. I think they will match (or at least coordinate with) Steven & Thad's dishes. After a light lunch on the screened porch we headed over to the DE Pride Festival. The weather was perfect: 78 degrees, clear blue skies, and undetectable humidity. We had a good time but finished seeing all the booths and talking with the many friends we saw there within 2 hours, so we left before Kimberley Locke performed. I would have stayed but Spouse was 'ret to go'. Later that evening we met up with Doug & Jim and their neighbors Charlie & John for dinner to celebrate Doug's birthday. We ate at the Rusty Rudder all-you-can-eat buffet since Doug loves their crab legs. It had a very nice time! Afterward I met up with my buddies at Mandance.

We slept in Sun morning, then had coffee and chatted on the screened porch. Jason & Kevin texted to see if we would join them for a late breakfast. Spouse declined due to the previous night's buffet but I met up with the guys at 11:00. Afterward Spouse & I met up with Jason & Kevin, Steven & Thad, The Bobs, Chris, Edwin and Matthew at the beach. It was another postcard perfect day: 82 degrees, clear skies and a lovely breeze off the water. The waves were rather wild, due to Hurricane Igor's affect on the ocean. It was beautiful to watch them churn and crash onto shore. Spouse & I visited with our friends and went for a nice walk on the beach. It was such a beautiful day we didn't want to go home, but eventually we did. I enjoyed a cocktail on the screened porch while Spouse showered, and then we had dinner on the screened porch too. Truly delightful!

Although it is inevitably coming to an end soon, we have really had a terrific summer for spending time on the beach, and I have tried to take maximum advantage of it. I'm definitely NOT ready for long pants, socks and shoes, or shorter days. Not yet.

Crush du Jour: Jonathan Bardzik

Weekend highlights

Our weekend started (as all weekends should) on Fri night with dinner out. We dined with 'the usual suspects' at Po Boys and everyone really liked their meals. We watched the Mecum Auto Auction until bedtime.

Sat morning was our long-anticipated neighborhood yard sale. My friend Thad (who gets up early anyway) came over at 7:30 and helped me transport my stuff to the site and set up. Thanks Thad!! (Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment.) Although it was supposed to start at 8:00 we had buyers at 7:30 as we were unloading and setting up. I sold a youth size wooden desk for $50., a small formica top table with 2 wood chairs for $40., a queen comforter set for $20., and a ton of $1. $2. and $3. items like clocks, lamps, and baskets. My grand total was $143. which is not too bad considering it was just stuff taking up room in our house.

Spouse and I had lunch and then went to Old Navy because the location near us (an outlet store) was having a big sale. I got a pair of plaid 'patchwork' shorts, a bathing suit, 2 t-shirts, 2 polo shirts, and a pair of flip flops. Spouse got 2 t-shirts and 3 pairs of flip flops. (The flip flops were $1. a pair.) We drove over to the beach but decided it was a little cool to hang out there, so we headed home. Spouse took a nap and I enjoyed a cocktail on the screened porch and flipped through 2 magazines while listening to Ella Fitzgerald. Positively dreamy. Later I took my 1st bath in the jacuzzi tub. Its crazy that we've had it for 7 months and this was the 1st time, but it was nice and I felt luxurious. Then I took a quick shower, got dressed, and we met up with Steven & Thad and one of The Bobs for dinner at a seafood buffet. It was a gorgeous night so we went for a walk on boardwalk. We watched several episodes of "Sex and the City" since TBS was running a SatC marathon.

Sun morning we met Bryan & Jason and Dan for breakfast at Crystal restaurant, a local favorite for breakfast. Why does breakfast always taste better when someone else makes it? Then we went to Bryan & Jason's and watched "Avatar". I had no interest in seeing the film until everyone on earth said they liked it, even the people who (like me) had no interest in it. I must agree that I liked it as well. I thought the integration of real people and computer-generated stuff was pretty well done. After the movie Spouse & I went for a 2-mile walk on the boardwalk, where we discussed lots of stuff. It seems the times we talk and plan the most are riding in the car and walking on the boardwalk.

Once home again, Spouse took a nap and I watched a little TV. I was in the mood for buffalo chicken pizza so we had that for dinner at Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House. Mmmmm... I unloaded the dishwasher while Spouse walked Jordan, and then we watched "Casino Royale" since it happened to be on TV and we had missed it in the theatre. It was pretty good.

Crush du Jour: Vince Roman

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

For some reason, all the funny stuff I've gotten this week from my regular suppliers has been sex-related. This one comes from Jared, and gave me a real chuckle.
This one also came from Jared and had me rolling on the floor laughing!!

My friend Jason sent me this funny faux pas. You just KNOW he regretted saying that as soon as the words came out of his mouth. I like how the woman thanks him for 'clarifying' that!

Last evening Spouse & I took Big Ella to a 'cruise-in', sponsored by TGIFriday. Car enthusiasts bring their cars to the designated part of the parking lot for the public's viewing pleasure. I think TGIFriday bartenders pick their favorite and award a restaurant gift card but I'm not certain. They'll have these 'cruise-ins' every Thurs evening throughout the summer so it will be nice to show off Big Ella once in a while.

We finally heard back this morning regarding the offer we submitted last weekend for the investment condo. At the time there was just 1 other offer on the table, and the listing indicated the bank would review offers immediately. Apparently they were lying, as they notified our realtor today (5 days later) that they have 7 offers as of today. We decided to increase our offer a bit to improve our chances. I'm not very hopeful so we will keep looking.

Tomorrow my neighbors and I are having a yard sale. I'm not doing it so much for the money, but rather as a chance to de-clutter. The problem is that Spouse doesn't want to sell anything he still likes. I reminded him that selling stuff at a yard sale doesn't mean you don't like it anymore, it just means you don't need to own it anymore. Hopefully he won't try to keep everything I pull out of the attic.

Crush du Jour: Peter Obsas