Happy Friday: Garage Sale Savings

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Sent from reader, Jillian:

I absolutely LOVE your website! And, I thought it might be helpful to remind all the Hip2Savers that you can find some really great deals at yard sales….and, in particular, community yard sales. There is so much more to choose from when there are a lot of sales in close proximity to one another. And, it’s much more efficient from a time and gas perspective!

Last weekend, I went to three community sales that were near my house. I couldn’t believe what I found……so many great brands including: Baby Gap, Gap, Justice, Mini Boden, Gymboree, Children’s Place, Old Navy, Carter’s, Nine & Co, Build-A-Bear and more! And, some of the items were brand new with tags!

Here is a picture of my haul……40 items in total…..and, my total cost was only $20!! I couldn’t believe it! There are quite a few items that would retail for over $20 EACH! I actually picked up a few items for people that I know who are on a limited budget and need clothes for their children! So, it is a very affordable way to help others and it is a fun adventure. You never know what you will find! Have fun!!

HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀


Do you have a funny, “Hip”, or unique photo to share?! Email us at happyfriday@hip2save(dot)com. Every Friday, I will post one photo, submitted by you and/or another Hip2Save reader, that gives us a glimpse into your frugal lifestyle or simply makes us smile. If your photo is published on Hip2Save, we’ll email you a $10 Amazon e-card!

** Check out all of the previous Happy Friday pictures here.

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Comments 32

  1. Heather Daugherty

    That is awesome! Way to go 🙂

  2. Kristen

    I need to hit up me some yard sales lol 🙂

  3. Jen Trimble

    ive done a bunch of bday/xmas shopping so far this summer and spent very little out of pocket. we even managed to find a $300 cat tower for….wait for it……$15!!! lol PURRFECT CONDITION! I just swept it and febreezed it so cover up the other kitty scents. we’ve gotten a def jam winter jacket retailed at over $400 for $1.00. you name it, we’ve found it! its been great to build a craft room from yard sales too. i bet i’ve saved thousands!

  4. Tara

    I love, love, love yard sales and kids consignment sales (only go on 1/2 price day). Most of my kids clothes are 2nd hand and in perfect condition and all name brand, such as Gymoboree (I have an obession), Carter’s, Children’s Place etc. I also get a lot of my 10 month old’s toys from there as they lose interest in them quickly. And I get DVDs and books, Melissa and Doug puzzles etc for my daughter. Then when they outgrow/ are done with I either throw my own yard sale or donate them. My best find was as Columbia fleece for $1.50, but I have also gotten Bonnie Jean dresses .25 (like brand new). Another good tip is most towns have yard sale pages as well, I just got my son some Children’s Place jeans for $2 and I resell on there as well. The only downside to that is you have to arrange to meet the person etc (always in a safe location of course).

  5. Kim

    Yard sales rock!!! I go to them every Saturday. You can even find things for almost nothing to sell on ebay and make a few extra bucks. Not too long ago I got a real coach purse in almost new condition for .50

  6. Erin

    It’s good for the environment, too.

    • Rebe

      Great point Erin! And its such a win-win situation for everyone involved!

  7. Nicole

    I’m a garage sale junkie! You got some steals, especially for name brand clothes. I have three kids, ages 6 and under and it seems silly to pay full price for clothes since they always end up with stains. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Amie C.

    My best yard sale find so far has been a beautiful solid wood twin size bed that I got for my daughter. I looked it up online when I got home and found out that it sells for $900. I thought the $20 I paid for it was a pretty good deal 🙂

  9. Jennifer

    I just got my daughter 5 pairs of jeans & 3 skirts for free. Sign up at https://www.freecycle.org/ and you will get daily emails from people in your community that are giving away items they no longer use. I have been able to get several items for free and been able to post a few of my own. You’re able to help yourself and others at the same time!

  10. Ali

    A few Friday nights ago my daughter was showing me the American Girl Doll catalog with these ridiculous doll beds that cost $150 each. I told her I was sorry, but I was never going to buy those beds. The next day we were in the car and my daughter saw a sign for a tag sale. She asked to go and I said okay. Well the first thing we saw were 2 american girl doll beds for wait for it…$1 each! Now I have one very happy daughter who wants to stop at every tag sale from now on!

  11. Heather

    Great find. We are looking forward to going to a yard sale tomorrow morning. Last time we found a 1967 Singer sewing machine in like new condition.

  12. Nicole

    I am a yard sale and thrift store junkie but I am careful not to infect myself with bedbugs as my friend did.The bug man told her that is where alot of people were getting them from yard sales and thrift stores.They had to drill holes in her walls and throw all her furniture out.He suggested tieing things up in a garbage bag out in the sun for a day.The heat is suppose to kill them.I have another friend that has been fighting them for months herself from getting a comforter set off of craigslist. I have found alot of real gold jewerly at yard sales and at one time made a living from them selling the stuff I bought on ebay and selling at flea markets.Most of my house is furnished with antiques from thrift stores and yard sales.

    • lauraS.

      good reminder nicole!

  13. Samantha

    Omg! Thank you so much for sharing your whole story it was so inspiring to me and I am sure many others. I am a mother of twins a boy and a girl and I am 32 and in school as a freshman. My life has come to a stand still because their father started driving truck about a month ago. After just graduating college this year at 27. Corey and Aja are only a year old and I am not employed right now, so pressed for time and money he went to truck driving school right after. Things are ok but I’ve had to take leave from school to be a stay at home parent. Your story has made everything feel right again! Thank you and I am enjoying my kids pressure free you are truly blessed and enjoy you goodies! Love the Richardson family.

  14. Angela.H.

    My 5 year old loves shopping yard sales. I give him $10 for allowance and he looks for his treasures. Hes bought collectible comics, hand made wooden jewelry boxes, toys, even picked himself out some clothes. Beats toys r us. I find lots of treasures also.

  15. sophie

    I love going garage sailing! Few tips though!
    1-Keep a box of lysol wipes in your car
    2-Bring a trash bag for your goodies
    3-Always bring small bills and change
    4-Bring water and a light snack
    5-Full tank of gas
    I ALWAYS wipe down all my hard surfaces before they enter my home-flu, bugs you just never know!
    I like to bring a giant trash bag for clothes and transport them straight to the washer
    I HATE finding something awesome for a buck and they don’t have change :/ , plus you just stand there and stare at each other and wait to see if others will come with change…
    I bring my daughter with me every Sat. and a sippy cup with some raisins or apple is like magic! Plus I like to bring a bottled water and protein bar, you’d be surprised how fast time goes 🙂
    Its annoying to get gas in the morning when all the good stuff goes fast, get your gas night before, plus once someone ran out of gas in front of my garage sale AWKWARD!
    If you see high prices, offer a little lower if not move on, there are plenty of other sales that have dirt cheap items!
    Last weekend I hit up a community sale with my three year old and we made out like bandits! 10 PAIRS OF LIKE NEW GAP 1969 JEANS FOR A BUCK A PIECE! I was giddy! Barbie galore, toys etc-movies a buck a piece and good ones too!
    My final note is to just SANITIZE everything! It might look new but it could have been on the floor in their garage lurking with bugs or mice seriously you never know!

  16. Tilla Ham

    i am too leary of things like bed bugs and cockroaches to buy furniture or clothing at yard sales and second hand stores. you literally have to throw everything you own away to get rid of bedbugs if you get a bad infestation…it’s too bad because I do like to find a good bargain but i am just too scared of the potential infestations

  17. Destinee

    I love going to yard sales and thrift stores. I have never had an issue with bugs…but I do wash my clothes twice in a row after bringing them home. Is that why? Have no idea… 🙂 but I did find my son jean shorts at the thrift store for $1 each. Old navy, carters, oshkosh…in perfect condition!!! 🙂

  18. Melissa h

    Love love love garage sales too!

  19. Cherie

    That is AWESOME!! You must live in or near a place that has quite a large population….unfortunately….I live in the second poorest county in my state and in a VERY rural area…..where people live MILES apart….if I happen to drive by a yard sale I might stop….but I can no longer afford the gas to go hunting them…and when I do stop…..most of the items are pretty much worn out and wal-mart/dollar store brand….sigh……

  20. Janel

    Must be regional. I love garage sales and grew up going to them but in So. Cal most people definitely dont mark their stuff so cheap and I’ve never found new stuff. Either way though there’s usually great finds! 🙂

    • Erin D.

      I live in So. Cal. and get my daughters clothes for $.50 to $1. I have walked away with trash bags loaded with clothing! Neighborhoods with growing kids are great for scoring clothing deals. I have also gotten most baby/toddler toys. I have even gone as far as picking up free-bies by the side of the road. I have gotten a free turtle sand box w/ cover, free kitchen set, free art easel, free Little Tikes Cozy Coupe police car, free Little Tikes tractor w/ matching trailer, free kids patio chair, free plastic doll house, free walker. I scrub them down and let my kids play. My BEST free-bie on the side of the road was a baby swing for newborns w/ sounds, mobile, etc. Retail Value $140! I washed the cloth seat and gave to a woman at work who is low income. Keep your eyes open. They deals are all there.

  21. mary

    I think the prices all depend on where you live. I havent found deals like that in S. Fl 🙁

  22. Keri

    Great finds!!

    I love garage sales!!! I have three boys and almost their entire wardrobes, from the time my oldest was 6 months, are from garage sales. Here are my tips:

    Don’t be afraid to haggle, even if it already seems like a good deal. 9 times out of 10, I get the price lower than what is asked. They may not agree to the price you offer, but usually they will counter with something in between. Or, if you don’t want to offer a specific price, you can always ask: “would you be willing to come down on this price?” Most people have garage sales because they want to get rid of everything. They don’t want to have to haul it back into their house.

    Also, when I first started, I didn’t think about asking for a lower price on multiple items. I was only thinking about big ticket items and I thought asking to lower a $1 piece of clothing would be insulting. But I never thought about if I had 7 pieces of clothing for $1 each, that I could ask the seller to take $5 for it instead. They are almost always happy to do this.

    I have been to many garage sales that have been WAY overpriced, as well. I can tell the difference between a person who is having a garage sale to get rid of things and a person who is having a sale because they want to make money.

    Be careful not to fall into the thinking of “I have to have this now because it’s such a great deal!” If you don’t need it, or know someone who does, it’s not a deal if you waste money on something that just collects dust. Make sure what you buy is something you really want.

    And lastly, always remember, there’s no return policy. So if you’re buying something electronic, ask them to plug it in, turn it on and show you how it works.

    And my best find was a Giddyup-n-go pony that retailed for over $200 at the time. It was in excellent condition, barely used and marked $15. I was hesitant as to whether I really wanted it, so I hymned and hawed and decided to ask if they’d take $10. They were happy to get rid of it so they said yes. It never hurts to ask!

    Happy Garage sale hunting!

  23. Makayla

    I am in Florida and local moms have made facebook pages offering their used clothing and other items for cheap and to meet to buy. Ive also seen diapers and formulas swapping which is very neat.

  24. Amber R.

    I love yard selling! Me and my mother have been going since I was little, but I really got into it when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter. I was able to buy almost everything I needed for my kids at yard sales. There are some things that I refuse to buy used though, like bottles or underwear. Anyways, it can be a lot of fun and you can always car pool with a few friends to save gas! Another tip I have is always ask if you think something is too expensive most people are more than willing to negotiate their prices beacause they just wanna get rid of it!

  25. freezergal

    We have around 6 online garage/yard sale sites on facebook for our area. It’s great to look at what people post from the comfort of my home. I have bought many things I needed this way and usually the seller will sell for less than what they post it for. I can go to tons of garage sales in a day and only use gas to pick up what I want to buy 🙂

    • Donna

      How do you find them on Facebook? Thanks

      • Sarah

        Donna, usually you can type in the name of your city/area + yard sale in the search bar of Facebook and it will pop up with a few. There are about 8-10 different yard sale pages in my area and I have done pretty well selling/buying stuff on them.

  26. Stacy

    This summer was my best yard sale findings. Usually I pay $1-$4 for used clothes for my son. This summer I ended up finding a yard sale for my son with clothes from Nike, Carter’s, nautica, and other expensive brands for .10-$1. And the lady had so much she said she would do 1/2 price. I was shocked that she would do 1/2 price at those prices. She saw me getting so much she grabbed me a bin. I got a huge garbage bag of clothes 2t-5t for $8.

    I never thought of bugs though. I just only go to sales that look clean though. I do a drive by to see if its worth if.

  27. Donna

    I’ve always loved a good yard sale. That is I love to shop them. I’m not organized enough to hold one. When I have stuff that I don’t want, but it’s too good to just throw away, we set it out by our curb on days that the garbage truck doesn’t pick up. Must be an unwritten rule in our neighborhood or something, because lots of people do this. It always disappears. Usually very quickly. I mean like in 5 minutes! Not sure who takes it, but I’m happy that someone wants it! Makes more room for me to shop the yard sales.

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