The Garage Sale Lady

08.27.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: 8 tracks, advertising, bargains, Coca-Cola, garage sale, Hwy. 36, Kansas, Moving, Star Wars

The Garage Sale Lady

In working with the public during Ottawa’s citywide garage sale, community members come to be like a part of your family. When folks started calling work and asking for the “The Garage Sale Lady,” I knew I was doing something good. I feel connected to the people of the community. It is wonderful to work with people and share in a small part of their lives’ stories.

There was the young man who came in after just having gotten married and is starting a family. He is letting his Coca-cola collection go – cheap! He explains that it’s just stuff that is taking up room and he doesn’t need it. Then we get to the real reason. He has to choose between his Star Wars collection or Coca-cola. Star Wars wins hands down!

There is the woman with the excessive giggle that makes it sound as if she is having more of a party then a garage sale. She is so tickled that her husband has finally agreed to let go of his collections of 8-tracks tapes!

There is the garage-sale pro who needs to recycle her bought goods and probably will make a nice little profit. She plans her vacation around the Highway 36 Treasure Hunt (http://www.ushwy36.com/treasure.htm). She and her sister have a trailer and they re-visit their favorite haunts every year.

There are the virgins who call in and the first thing out of their mouths is, “I’ve never done anything like this before.” I walk them through the process: Address, Day, time, teaser items. It is quick and painless.

There are people moving out, moving in, having a baby, becoming empty nesters, getting married, getting divorced, but mostly getting by one garage sale at a time.

More Coupon Match-Ups!

04.06.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)

Did you get your P&G coupon in Saturday’s Ottawa Herald?
Here are this week’s coupon match-ups with Country Mart & Walgreens.

Country Mart April 7-13

* Dawn dish liquid soap 99¢, P&G coupon for 50¢ , FINAL PRICE – 49¢
* Charmin 9 roll $3.88, P&G coupon for 25¢ (CM will double this). FINAL PRICE $3.38.

* Tampax Tampons or Always Pads: 2 for $6. P&G Coupon Buy one get one free. FINAL PRICE 2 for $3.

* Pringles Potato Crisp: On sale 2 for $3. P&G coupon $1 off 4. FINAL PRICE  4 for $5.

Walgreens Advertised Sale Prices, good April 4-10

* Tide Laundry Detergent: on sale for $5.99, P&G coupon $1 off. FINAL PRICE $4.99.
* Pampers Diapers: on sale for $8.99. P&G coupon $1.50. FINAL PRICE $7.49.

* Natural Instincts on sale for $5.99. P&G coupon $3. FINAL PRICE $2.99.BEST DEAL OF THE WEEK?

Country Mart’s Dawn dish detergent 49¢ with coupon.

If you stocked up on Joy last coupon round, you should be about ready for new detergent!

GARAGE SALE WIZARD

03.30.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Children, garage sale, math, school, Wizard

At my last parent-teacher conference the teacher was pleased to announce that my first grader is a MATH WIZ. Really? Math, you don’t say? That’s nice. HOW?!

It’s not like I’ve worked with her with flashcards since her high-chair days (Oh, those commercials drive me nuts, pleeaaase!).

The teacher continues her excitement, “Yes! She is the only one in my class that has a full grasp on money and change.

Oh, I get it now! Perhaps this teacher doesn’t realize how many garage sales this poor little girl has had to endure. I did the dragging, but little Miss Math/Garage Sale Wizard did the shopping! This one ain’t shy. Before I can browse through a box of book titles, she is up at the card table asking if they would take a quarter for a toy, shoes or anything that sparkles.

She found out early that mama wasn’t going to buy her everything just because it was cheap. Really how many Little Pony’s do you need? That’s when she started taking (and buying!) little purses to throw all her found change in.

We started early.

At first she would need help identifying coins (The quarters are the big ones.). Then we worked on how much each was worth, followed by adding and making change.

She has it down, sometimes even assisting the poor little lady who is adding items with her industrial-sized adding machine next to her muffin-tin change organizer.

Last week my daughter was all excited saying that she had to get some old toys priced and, “Oh, could you make some cookies and maybe some granola bars?”

I’m thinking I must have missed something on a school note. It’s not like the teacher uses flashcards with us parents. I’m lucky to read school notes half of the time. But as I’m going through the assortment of gold star math papers, I find verification of my Little Miss Math Wiz demands — A Math Class Garage Sale.

Each child is to bring 25¢ in dimes, nickels and pennies along with low priced items. A math class garage sale! How ingenious! I wonder where are on earth the teacher came up with such a brilliant idea.

She’s a garage sale wizard
There’s got to be a twist
A garage sale wizard
She’s got a coin purse on her wrist

How do you think she does it?
(I don’t know)
What makes her so good?

She ain’t got no distractions
Can see the bargains and deals
Doesn’t let high stickers stop her
Pays only in small bills

Always gets a bargain
Never over-pays at all
That Math/Garage Sale Wizard
Sure has a bargain ball!

TAG, I’m IT

03.18.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Baseball, Dress, Fashion, Garnett, Thrift

Ever hear of triple tags?

In baseball triple plays are rare. In thrifting it’s even rarer, but when it happens it is worth celebrating with a warm bag of peanuts and an oversized beverage!

Last week it happened to me. I found myself shopping in the quaint little village nestled between three lakes otherwise known as Garnett.

Garnett also has something else going for it. A nostalgic square. With a three-story antique store, a natural food store, several unique gift shops and a new coffee shop, it is thriving now more than ever. Nestled in all this commerce is the good old ARC Thrift Store.
The ARC Thrift Store is run by fellow Granny-type volunteers. The gem of the store is that anything not marked is $1.50. This makes it enticing to do a quick browse every week or so.

Last week, I snatched a complete outfit, new with tags. The dress was a knee length cotton design with a modern bold flower design, the bonus was the loose-fitted calf length leggies that came with it.

Here’s the the Triple Tag Play – it had the original store tag on it ($50), a Goodwill tag on it ($5) and here I was stuffing it in my cart for $1.50.

In case you’re thinking that dress must have been ugly to have been passed down so many times, I don’t think so. I received a near-record number of compliments when I wore it, and not one time did I reveal my cost. Sure, folks may have been being kind to the Granny in a $1.50 outfit, but my co-workers and friends are often brutally honest!

The only way this outfit could break it’s current record is for someone to buy it when I grow tired of it at my garage sale for a quarter!

Then, TAG – You’re it!

Great deals with coupon matchups!

02.11.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)

Good news for Herald Subscribers.

Country Mart February 10-16

Walgreens Advertised Sale Prices, good February 7-13

BEST DEAL OF THE WEEK?

Country Mart’s Joy dish detergent 39¢ with double coupon.

I hate spending any money at all to buy something that you need for a chore!