Garage Sale-ing! Am I A Fuddy Duddy?

 A couple weeks ago I was excited at the notion to hit some city wide garage sales.  A few local towns were having them, and I thought about going. The first weekend had 2-3 options, yet that Friday came, and I wasn't really feeling up to it.  I'm not sure the reason, but I just didn't want to go.  It wasn't motivation or anything, I just didn't want to go.  So I stayed home and worked on a few projects.  Fast forward a week and my town as well as other towns were having city wide sales.  On that Friday I was waiting to find a map online of all the sales.  Off and on rain however and a lack of sleep caused me to lose interest.  So I figured I would go Saturday, and I did.  Though things weren't as they seemed.  More rain was forecast so I was hopeful it would hold off until the afternoon.

So that Saturday my mom and I left the apartment around 7:30 AM only knowing of two garage sales both of which were clothes heavy and didn't seem too appealing.  I should note that for the first time in a long time I didn't have much that I really wanted.  The only real thing I had an eye out for was maybe a bookcase or some other type of wood furniture.  Some wood furniture especially the crappy kind sells cheap, and I have no worries about tearing them apart to reuse the wood.  Though I just realized I have a bunch now in storage and could possibly build a bookcase, hmm... ANYWAYS!

So on this day we didn't know where to start, so after driving a bit we found our first sale.  It was at a former grocery store that has been for sale for a few years and one I showcased here a couple years ago in my town's 150th Anniversary.  Since then it was used as a type of thrift store for a nonprofit which I never checked out while open.  Anyways, we stopped to check it out, and there wasn't a lot to choose from.  In fact it was mostly houseware odds and ends and clothes.  Nothing really caught my eye, but my mom tends to spend a bit more time looking than I do, so I have time to take a closer look.  As we are browsing the workers are busy doing whatever (they had a bunch of stuff behind the tables but a lot in boxes, not sure what was really happening, and I didn't want to ask).  So I looked at this one table and one of the workers mentioned "everything is half price".  How nice, now first I have to find something I have an interest in.  As my mom was about to show me something in the "eh, might as well get it" category, I found a couple things that "eh, we kinda wanted them anyways".  So she found something and I found something.  That was it, and it set us back 2 dollars.  Big spenders we are!  So what kind of bargains did we find?

Curtains and a home plan book.  We have no interest in building our own house, but we've always been fascinated with blueprints and layouts of houses.  So much so that I show my mom a Youtube channel of a guy who tours mobile homes.  We have a couple other similar books, but at least this is something different to look at.  As for the curtains, for a couple years I have been wanting to get 1-2 more curtains.  Nothing fancy, but black out ones are the ones I'm looking for, and finding these while not the most exciting find, was something that I did have my eye out for.  I'm excited (or at least happy) I found curtains.... CURTAINS!  What have I become.

So we cruised around a bit to look for more sales.  We hit a lot of nothing.  Not as in nothing at the sales, but no sales.  We stopped at one other sale and it was pretty much all clothes.  It was a neighbor and we talked about 10 minutes but that was it.  She said she sold a lot of stuff the day prior, so thats good, just not for us.  In total I think we saw about 5 or 6 sales, and we passed on a couple because they didn't look like much except clothes.  We also might have forgot about another one, and the last one we saw much later in the day when we weren't in the mood.

The day wasn't a complete bust though.  My mom needed to get a prescription refilled and planned on going to Walmart on Sunday, but I remembered a subdivision on our way to the Walmart was also have some sales.  They claimed 15 or more sales, and while the threat of storms loomed, we figured why not.

In the past we've had a bit of luck at these sales, but they are also hit and miss.  Some sales have nothing, others are way too pricy, but a few have real good cheap stuff.  So we decided to got, storms be darned!

We got to the first area as the skies were starting to get a bit darker, but we persisted.  There were two sales on this one cul de sac and parking was a bit tough to find.  So my mom parked closer to one and we decided just to split up, and I'd go to the one further away.  She went to the closer one and found a couple good deals, I think one might be for a friend.

The box on the puzzle was crushed, but for 50 cents it was worth the gamble.  Plus I do like having options for holiday and Christmas puzzles.  While puzzles haven't been something I've done lately I think later this summer I'll get back in the swing of things.  We are a bit backlogged on puzzles but at least by the holidays we will find time for this one.  The best part though was after we got home, my mom found out that it was still in the bag, so its a brand new puzzle.  Not bad for 50 cents. As she was happy with her finds, I was just as happy, because I found something that I have low key wanted for a few years, but never put effort into looking for it.

My dad had this same exact model for many years.  As I get older nostalgia kicks in and I wish we kept his.  However I think his started to break down so that's why he either tossed it or we just didn't keep it when we moved.  This set me back 2 bucks, but it was the best 2 bucks I spent on that day.  After getting home we tested it and it works flawlessly.  My mom has hinted that she might want to use it and honestly, I don't have an issue with it because I have a clock on my chromebook and I have a stereo by my bed so I'm set.  So she might use it until she finds something better.

So far we spent 5 bucks.  Big spenders we are, but looking back.... did we really just buy housewares and puzzles and books?  What have I become and why am I so happy buying housewares?

We went to about 10 more sales but it was a real crapshoot of high prices, items bathed in cigarette smoke, and a whole lot of nothing.  My mom did spot a bookcase for 5 bucks, but it didn't look that great.  Cheap wood that while sturdy, already had chips in it and would fall apart easily.  Also I didn't want to carry it down the driveway.  Though looking back maybe I should have.  Not so much for the bookcase but at the chance to bundle it with an item I also passed on.  They had a Food Saver vacuum sealer, which is something I've wanted for a while, and it was pretty cheap- $5.  What stopped me from getting it was I wasn't sure if it worked, it didn't come in a box or even have instructions (which usually isn't a big deal, but I don't know how to operate on), but most importantly it was drowned in dust.  I think the dust might have even been vacuum sealed onto it.  Again, 5 bucks was worth the gamble I guess, but maybe if they'd take 5 for both the food saver and the bookcase I'd do it.  Oh well.

That was the last sale we went to as the rain looked like it was about to begin, and my mom isn't a fan of driving in the rain.  So we called it a day and went to Walmart to get her prescription and to Dollar Tree.

Besides the clock radio I think Dollar Tree was what made me the most happy.  There is a drink they have that I enjoy sometimes, which isn't something I'd normally drink.  Anyways for the last 2 months or more each time I went they were sold out.  So this time they had a ton.  I wanted to buy a case of 12, but settled on 4 bottles (1.25 each so $5).  The reason was because I don't drink it all in one setting and one bottle can last 2-3 days and its not something I drink daily, so 1 a week will last a while.

I won't claim its good for you, but its probably better than other stuff I drink or have drank in the past.  No caffeine and 10% coconut water, makes it a unique drink, but I like having a glass during breakfast.  Strawberry Banana is my favorite but last time I did get the Mango (maybe Mango Orange or something) and it wasn't too bad either.  Between that and occasional V8's, I like to have a variety of drinks during breakfast since I usually drink sweet tea (not crazy levels of sugar) or Kool-Aid.  I also drink Orange Juice and Apple Juice but not as much lately.  So finding this made my day much better.

I also found a pair of socks.  I have temporarily stopped buying socks because I forgot what I have and don't have anymore, plus I am in the process of moving them since I ran out of room to display them.  I also don't want to hang them until I can bag them better (to prevent dust).  Its the reason I want a vacuum sealer.  Anyways, I still look, but only buy a pair if I know I don't have them or don't want to run the risk of passing on them then realizing I didn't have them.

The last few months, some socks have come in two packs, such as this one.  It makes it harder to display the back ones, but it makes it more tempting to wear them also.  Chester Cheeto on the front pair made grabbing this a no brainer, and even the back pair looks nice to display.  So much so that if I find another 2 pack like this I might even buy it again to display both sides and then have the choice to wear a pair.  Once I get things decluttered, I will do a new post showing all my socks again.  Its crazy to think 2-3 years ago I had no socks, and now I have probably 70 or more pairs.

By the time we got to Walmart and did a bit of shopping, we were a bit tired.  After we checked out and headed to the car we noticed the rain had started but nothing bad.  We headed home and was quite surprised we actually did so much stuff and it was only 10:30 AM.  All in all it was a fun day, and the only concerning part is I got excited buying curtains, socks, (semi) healthy drinks, and a clock radio.  I'm either getting old, or just in a weird spell.  Maybe I'm a fuddy duddy.

To make matters more interesting a few nights ago I did something I never do.  I bought into the hype of a "super rare once in a lifetime (weekly event)".  I kept hearing about a "Strawberry Moon".  These sun and moon events are always overhyped as a rare instance but seems like they happen every month.  Anyways I was up and they said around 2:30 local time was the best time to get a shot, so I decided to go out and take some photos.

My photography skills have regressed but it was also it was 2:30 AM and I never have gotten good pictures with my camera phone.  I have thought about getting a monocular but also wonder how often I'd use it.  At any rate I was happy with the results and it actually felt nice outside.  I don't plan on taking more pictures like this but maybe I will if I remember.

So I guess that wraps it up for today, I'm in the process of cleaning up around the house and even cleaning up files as well as working on a few projects, so I'm staying busy with stuff.  Thanks everyone for reading and I hope everyone has a great weekend.