My mother doesn’t ask for much. One thing she asks me for all the time is to go to tag sales. It’s something I enjoy as well, but with our summers being so short, there are many competing activities that we like to do on Saturday mornings. But this Saturday the stars aligned, the weather was good and off we went.
It might be an Eastern European thing, but for dear old Babci, there is no amount of money that is too small to negotiate. She was eyeing a set of monkey dishes priced at $0.30 or 10 cents each. Figuring she’s be pleased with that amount, I was shocked when I heard her say “quarta” in her Polish/Boston accent. The guy did a double take and says “are you serious?” Yup, she sure was. So she got her monkey dishes for 8.3 cents each. To put it in context, this is the same person who thinks that anyone who’s selling something at a yard sale for over $1 is some kind of shyster.
My son scored a set of cast metal canons for his pirate ship for $1.
The score of the day was a great wool oriental rug for $10. We just re-did my mom’s bedroom and it will fit perfectly in there. We gutted everything except the flooring. As the house is underwater, we took the campy route and painted the wide plank pine floor instead of spending another grand for flooring. The rug’s a nice design, but it smelled like a musty basement. As if that score wasn’t good enough, the next tag sale we went to, I found a little green machine still in the box for $6. I’m pleased to report after washing with resolve and vinegar, followed by a generous dousing with baking soda and plenty of sun, the rug smells great.
I also found the cutest necklace for $1 and is my new favorite.
This week, the yard sale gods were smiling down upon us. Do you have a favorite yard sale find? Some may find it cheesy, but when someone compliments one of my yard sale scores, I’m not shy in saying “yard sale, $1.” My frugal friends and I love sharing our tag sale adventures and I’d love to hear yours.
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