Stuff, stuff everywhere! That's how we've been feeling lately. We had all this baby stuff lying around (car seats, swings, mobiles, bouncers) and we don't plan on using it again, and neither does anyone in our family. There was also enough other stuff that we no longer had a need for, so it was time for it all to go. Sure, we could have just donated it somewhere, but why not try to get a few bucks for it? I'll tell you why. It's a lot of work!
For a few weeks, I had been pulling clothes out of the closets and setting things aside to sell. The day before, I went through some boxes that were still packed and in the garage from when we moved into this house 3 years ago. I'm thinking we don't need it if it's been in a box for 3 years. I felt like we were moving again with the way I was purging things left and right.
I have to admit, it was a little sad to be getting rid of some of the baby things that signify such a special time in our life. It's the end of an era, I guess. Tyler was 'helping' me on Friday and I was admiring one of Ava's newborn outfits and he said "why are you hugging that shirt?" Is it wrong to be sad to get rid of a breast pump? That trusty Medela and I spent many hours together. Ah, the memories....
Anyway, somehow, it all got organized and Dave and I were up at 5:30 am on Saturday morning to get it all set up outside. It's hard to stomach putting a price of $5 or .25 on something you know cost much more...or is priceless in sentimental value, but it didn't take long to see that those perusing our priceless goods didn't feel the same. "Will you take less?" Sure, why not.
In the end, we made about $300 on Saturday. We packed it in around 11:30 with the plan to do it all again the next day. That is where we made our mistake. Make yourself a little note, don't do a yard sale in Mesa, AZ on a Sunday. No one will come. No one. At all. We had one family buy a few things, for a whopping total of $6.25. Not worth getting up at 6:30 am and setting it all up again for $6.25. At about 10 am, we loaded most of it into my car and Dave drove to Goodwill. We kept a few of the things we could still sell on Craigslist, or are worth keeping until someone we know needs them, but we got rid of most of it. While we were waiting for Sunday salers that never came, Dave did some yard work, I read a book, and we enjoyed the nice quiet morning. So, it was not a complete loss. Since the garage was so empty, Dave swept and mopped it and now it looks like we just moved in!
So the moral of the story is.....
Sell your expensive stuff on Craigslist and donate the rest. That way, you can sleep in. Oh, and if you insist on having a yard sale in Mesa, shoot for a Friday/Saturday. Apparently, people in this area have other plans for their Sunday mornings.
But hey, $300 is $300, right?!
