In two weeks, we are having a garage sale. My household usually borders on insanity. It's always a fine line from control to chaos and it doesn't take much to cross it. This garage sale, has pushed us to the edge and heaved us into the abyss. Like Alice before us, we have no idea when it will stop.
In the living room, we have boxes lining up to the ceiling behind the chairs. We have baby and toddler clothes in 7 boxes sorted by size. I have a big box of baby and toddler shoes. There are bibs, bottles, tummy mats, sterilizers, and so on and so on. Right now, it looks a lot like a junk heap because items that won't fit neatly into these boxes are piled on top. Just pile a baby bathtub and bathseat on even the neatest stack and you have instant dissarray. Throw in a few well used strollers at the bottom and a big box of toys DS just can't stay out of and you up your chaos ratio big time.
Why have I done this to myself? Why, oh why? I'm going to blame Dave Ramsey. When I first began the new No Buy lifestyle, I read several of Dave Ramsey's books: Financial Peace Revisited and The Total Money Makeover. I liked them both, but felt like they were the same book, but that Total Money Makeover had more true life stories. In both books, he talks about ways to raise cash for an emergency fund and for paying off debt. One of them was a garage sale. I remember he said to sell as much as you could of anything you could and something along the lines of selling so much stuff the kids begin to fear they are next. And what do you know? Seed planted.
I open a closet, see clutter and boxes of stuff that hasn't been unpacked in 2 1/2 years of living in this house and wonder, can I get a quarter for what's in that box? A buck, maybe five? It's like Monty Hall is going to try and make me a deal! I've got two dead mowers in the shed, would anyone give me $5 for a dead mower? Maybe someone fixes mowers and they'll snap them up. I keep pointing my beady little eyes at everything. Remember the old Looney Tunes cartoon where the two characters are in a lifeboat and they keep staring at each other? And as one looks at the other, he turns into a hamburger or chicken leg? Yeah, it's kinda like that. Only, I see a buck! Oh, Monty, Monty, pick me!
Pricing all this stuff is driving me insane as well. I walk the line between get something and be done with it and you're just giving it away. I'm leaning towards fifty cents for each piece of kids clothes, but dang, does that make some footed jammies a steal! However, I would rather get rid of it for a few coins than have to haul it away for nothing. I've already decided that whatever doesn't sell goes into a donation box. It's not coming back across that threshold if I have to haul away junk all night!
As I'm sorting, pricing, boxing and storing all this stuff, I am trying to decide what to do with our garage sale money. I'm optimistic, but who knows? The last garage sale I had was in the spring of 2003. It coincided with the first day of "Shock and Awe" bombing in the middle east. Talk about putting a bummer on a garage sale. We had almost no traffic as everyone was listening in or watching the reports. At any rate, I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff and that has got to be a good thing.
We also haven't decided on what to do with anything we make. There are so many things we would like and need. A new mattress for us would be great. But, I am also putting my car in the shop tomorrow to get the oxygen sensor replaced and new brakes. And I'm finally breaking down and calling the a/c guy on Monday or Tuesday. *sigh* Guess we'll just wait and see how we'll do.
Current reading: I've just finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. I couldn't put it down. It was fantastic and I want to read more of her stuff. However, it was so good, I got even further behind on chores and garage sale stuff. I don't dare start another one of her books until after the sale!
Overheard at the bookstore:
Sir, this coupon expired last August.
It's okay, I just printed it today.
No, I'm sorry it is expired.
That's alright, just go ahead and use it.
I'm sorry I can't, it expired several months ago.
It's alright, I give you permission.
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