Junk and Treasure

When I was in high school I would wake up before 6am on Saturdays and climb into a mini-van with my mom and several other women in the ward. One person would be the navigator. One person had a map and a newspaper. And we would go around our side of town, piling out in clown car fashion at different stops. All for a sort of contest – Who can get the best deal?

Now, neither my mom nor I are morning people. So for us to get up that early, and on a Saturday no less, was highly unusual. But if we weren’t out the door that soon all the good stuff was gone. That’s right, we were going garage sale-ing. And it was a blast.

That’s how we outfitted my kitchen at college, complete with crock pot/deep frier, electric frying pan (still in use), and my Bosch mixer (which we got for $25 thank you very much, and I still use it to make bread now). We’d get books, jeans, dishes. My mom even came home with a glass top table for our dining room one day (that was the win of the day in our group).

So when I saw this story yesterday on NPR – Do’s and Don’ts for the Great American Garage Sale, it took me back. There is haggling going on. There is stiffled laughter you let loose back in the car that someone would be selling that for that price. There’s that feeling of victory when you get a great deal. There are the early-birds (which is why we had to get out early too). In El Paso all the good stuff was gone by 8am. So it’s strange for me to see sales that don’t even start till then here.

What did I learn from all of those Saturdays with those women? I learned what’s really worth my money and what isn’t. I learned to get a good deal. I learned that even if it is a good deal doesn’t mean you need it. Some times we saved so much money we went home with exactly what we left with. These lessons are also very appropriate for shopping in places other than garages.

I learned if you are going to haggle to make sure you have small bills in your pocket and to show the money you are willing to pay (there’s something about seeing the money that makes people more willing to sell), and that haggling to get something for $1 and then asking for change for a $5 or $10 doesn’t quite go over well.

And I definitely learned that I don’t want to have a bunch of junk for people to go through if I ever have a garage sale. Because, well, people judge you by your junk. Speaking of which, I have a few boxes I should probably go sort through.