Garage Sales

I love garage sales. I especially love benefit garage sales.  I have had dozens of them to raise money for various projects for people with disabilities.  Ron used to beg me never to do it again, and I would promise, knowing I was lying.  The next time I had one, he would remind me that I had lied, and I would explain that this was just this one little exception and it was for a good cause...He usually forgave me, but once or twice he stayed mad and wouldn't help.

What I don't love is all the work involved which is why Ron hated them.  I counted on him to help, which he usually did.  However, as time went on, we became sloppier and sloppier about how we did them.  We didn't notice any dip in our proceeds though, which made us even sloppier still.  We no longer advertised them in the paper; we just put up signs on main streets - which we made ourselves (much cheaper and you can use atomic pink poster board, make HUGE signs and put them everywhere).  We didn't pick up stuff from the donors - they had to bring it themselves plus price it for us.  I refused men's clothes and most women's clothes unless they were designer clothes.

We only priced the really big items and sometimes not even them.  We put up a sign that said, "If there's not a price on it, ask us."  Then we could just give them a price based on how long the sale had been going on and how tired we were.  Everything else just went in piles on various table labeled, "Everything $5, $1, 50 cents and a quarter."  There were paper bags labeled, "$1.00 for everything in this bag."  Sometimes we didn't even put out tables - we just used cardboard boxes for tables and laid all the stuff on top of them.

For the past couple of days I've been helping with a benefit garage sale for a friend whose daughter has been selected to compete in the International Special Olympics in Greece this summer.  It's been an interesting experience.  I suggested that we do a garage sale so I thought I was in charge and was going to do it my way.  But she wasn't comfortable with the concept so she did it her way.  It was a lot of work for her and I doubt she made any more money than she would have by doing it the "Almost No-Work"  way.  But everyone was happy - she probably made enough to pay for about 25%  to 33% of her travel expenses (and going to Greece is not cheap) and it was a fun social occasion for friends.  We loved it.

So now I'm having dreams of having garage sales again.  I might be able to do it if I can find some help.  Of course I realize I'm going to have to see what shape I'm going to be in after they repossess (recall?) my hip.