...to Save Money by Shopping at Garage Sales.

There is almost nothing I love more than getting a lot of stuff for a little amount of money.  It doesn't matter what kind of stuff.  It's all about the savings in the end.  Of course, that means I have a lot of stuff I probably will never wear, use, or even look at.  But if I got a good deal on it, totally worth it!  Okay, I may have a problem.

Nothing brings out my love of being cheap more than the semi-annual neighborhood garage sale.  The weather is beautiful.  Bright and shiny, but not so warm you're sweating all over your already-probably-sweated-on [not so] new clothes.  I look forward to it for weeks.  I almost never carry cash with me except for special occasions, and believe you me, this day would be special.  I planned to get up around 7:30am to hit all the sales before the good stuff was gone, but I ended up getting a much later start.  But still, even at 9:30, I managed to find some real treasures.

I started the morning with $15.00.  It's usually enough, unless I find a big item, like my suede-cushioned wooden stool from a couple sales ago.  So comfy, so practical.  I shelled out eight whole dollars for that one, and it was worth every penny.  But on to my recent finds.

Everybody wants to get rid of books.  I don't get why anyone would want to get rid of these gems, but there they were on the big table marked "Free," and the only thing better than cheap stuff is free stuff.  My bookshelf is already full of books I'll probably die before I ever get a chance to read, but you can never have too many books.  The One Good Deed a Day book is actually a cute little journal-style book with daily "good deeds" you're supposed to accomplish.  Since I'm not really the "good deed" type, this book is for my grandma.

Grand total for books: $0.25 (one of them wasn't on the free table, so I splurged)

Glade mini candles for only $0.50.  Which is, according to Amazon, a great deal!  They are probably last year's holiday collection, but a candle is a candle, and I'm not one to be snobby about outdated scents.

Smells like Christmas!  Only $14.75 left.

Okay, this next sale was a little weird.  They had at least thirty of these scarves, all in plastic packaging, in every different color.  It's not really my style, especially since it's almost always too hot for scarves here, but my family up in Portland is all over scarves.  Hello, $2.00 Christmas gift (surprise!).  But even weirder than thirty scarves, were the massive amounts of the As Seen on TV Genie Bra and, I kid you not, no less than fifty of the same long sleeve white baby sweater.  What?!  Oh, and swimsuits.  I would advise not buying swimsuits at garage sales.

Lovely on chairs and people alike.  $12.75 to go.  

Clothes!  I had good luck at this house last time.  This lady tends to buy clothes she will only wear once, if even at all.  I got a nice shirt with tags still on it for only $1.00.  Score!  This time she had her fancy clothes out, and while I think she overcharged, you can't argue the fact that they were still a great deal.  I went for it.  And the best part, everything fit!

Shirt for a dollar!

Dress for three dollars!

Two more dresses for three dollars each!

If you're keeping track, I've now spent $12.75.  Add in this pomegranate from the neighbor...because when a neighbor is selling pomegranates, you buy a pomegranate, even if it's a whole dollar...and my grand total comes to $13.75.  Well under my $15.00 budget.  A successful garage sale day, yet again.

What can you make with a pomegranate?  Suggestions?