Yard Sales

Every now and then I like to bring the blog back around to its rough theme of theatre. This will be another one of my lame attempts. As with most shows I will ever be a part of, the budget is tight. Designers are making magic happen with $10 and a trip to Goodwill. That is my inspiration for baby right now. I am really lacking a vision for this nursery and accessories so my default vision is what is safest and cheapest. Cue yard sale music. Don’t you wish there was yard sale music?

I started the process a few days before doing a search on Craigslist for local garage and yard sales. Apparently, the first Saturday in May is a big day for selling your stuff outside. I had a list of about 4 different neighborhoods that I was going to hit that had advertised community yard sales. If I’m going to drive 5-10 minutes to a yard sale, I want there to be a few in the area to choose from. My main goal for the day was to find a dresser for our second bedroom that we could use as a changing table as well. I wasn’t looking for a particular style since we have a real hodge-podge, “hey, we’re college kids” kind of look to our furniture so why start now trying to coordinate styles…

Saturday morning came and I got up and got my stretchy pants and tennis shoes on and got out the door by around 8:45 am, which is late in yard sale time but I wanted my sleep. I started out by walking over to the yard sale they were having in my neighborhood. Not a lot of people were set up yet so there wasn’t much to look at. I decided to head on out to my first stop which was a nicer neighborhood about 10 minutes away. I ended up spending about 30 or so minutes driving through the area and stopping and looking at several houses. My stops were real quick because they either had furniture or they didn’t. Lots of places had toys and clothes but I just didn’t feel like buying anything until my main goal was accomplished. Eye on the prize, baby. I finally drove past one house and saw what looked like a buffet table out in their driveway. I stopped and walked up, trying to act nonchalant that I had finally found the item I was looking for. You always get a better price when you look like you could take it or leave it. Good thing I’m an actor because I was loving the piece. Another yard sale strategy I use is if I find something I like I find another item or two to add so I can offer a bundle price and get everything a little cheaper. I found a Moses type basket and I offered $15 for the dresser and the basket and she said YES! I almost did a dance in their drive way… instead I did it in the car as I drove away.


Here is the dresser I got. It has three rows of drawers and the top is designed to be a changing table. It is a really soft finish on the wood and it’s just so naturally beautiful. I hug it before I leave my house and when I get back home. I don’t know how well the picture shows it but it has a lot of character with the knots in the wood. I love it.

Once that goal was met, I was free to shop for whatever I wanted. Which means clothes and books right now. I am in love with children’s books and I love reading to baby every night so I like having a nice selection to choose from. Andy has joined in that tradition now that Godspell is over and it is a fun time to revisit an old book from our childhood AND watch our baby move around as we read. Blueberry really loves reading time. So, any cute kid book I found I bought. They ranged from $.10 to $.75 cents so there is zero guilt on my part for bringing home about 8 new-to-us books.

Then I found some clothes. I went to a few more houses and neighborhoods and picked up little things as I went along. I got mostly older clothes, like from the 9-12 month range since a lot of people say that you get a lot of newborn stuff at baby showers and such. Let me just say now that this child is going to be handsome and will be turning heads at an early age. I’m just preparing you now. Here are a few highlights of the outfits I found on Saturday.





Yard Sales have been “bery,bery good to me” (SNL reference). I am very proud of my purchases and I am eager to get the room in order. I have yet to tackle Christmas decorations so I am building myself up by organizing some of the smaller closets in the apartment. It’s building my confidence slowly but surely. The Christmas closet is my arch-nemesis and I will defeat it eventually. So help me God.