The Key To Finding the BEST Yard Sales

I'm a yard sale fanatic.  If I see a sign for a Yard Sale, I will change directions or risk being late to wherever I'm going just so that I can do a quick drive by of a Yard Sale.  You never know what your going to find!  Sometimes people value their used items too high (yes, yes, I get that it was given to you by your dead cousin and that it has sentimental value or that you bought that sofa for $1200, but it's used so it's not worth as much to me and it's outside on your driveway, do you want me to buy it or not?!) but occasionally you will find one of those Yard Salers that really just want to get rid of everything and are willing to negotiate down to anything you ask just to get it off their lawn.  THOSE are the kind of Yard Sales I look for.

Yard Sale type #1: Some people are meticulous about their yard sales.  Everything is well organized, items have been photographed and are available online at social media yard sale sites,  and the yard saler has advertised in all the various locations.  These people have prices marked, sizes separated, furniture cleaned, and toys sanitized.  These are NOT the yard sales that you want to shop at if your looking for a GREAT deal.  These Yard Salers are in-it-to-win-it.  They want to make the most money for their effort and they want you to think that their used junk is worth more than it really is.   They aren't going to bottom line their price because they are hopeful that someone might come along later and pay more.  These are the people that yard sale every weekend.  They are patient and they are waiting for the right customer to come a long.  Again, these are NOT the Yard Sales you want.   Sure, you MIGHT find a good deal at one of these, but is it really worth all the extra effort?  No, not to me.

Yard Sale type #2: The kind of yard sale that you want to go to is the kind that looks like someone just emptied their entire garage onto the yard.  Willy-nilly and crazy looking.  It looks like their house vomited all their crap out into the front driveway and yard.  These people will have piles of things you can't recognize from the road,  They will have dirty sofas, broken chairs, and random bits of stuff.  THESE ARE THE YARD SALES YOU WANT!

You see, the difference between Yard Sale #1 and Yard Sale #2 is that the people in Yard Sale #2 are frustrated.  They are frustrated by the clutter.  They are frustrated by the junk.  They are frustrated by the disaster of random broken things that live in their house with them.  These people aren't in it to make money, no no, they are in it to get rid of stuff.  THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO SHOP FROM!  They don't care what you pay for it as long as you'll haul it off their property.  These people are impatient and they don't want to haggle with you.  They just want you to give them an offer and then take their junk away.  You can find some really AWESOME DEALS at these types of yard sale, especially if your willing to put a little elbow grease in.  Yes, you have to dig a bit and you'll have to negotiate prices, but in the end this is a great way to save some money while your fixing up your home.

Here are just a few of the awesome deals that I have found!!

I got these UGLY and Dated Lamps for $1 each.  After coating them in $3 worth of Silver Spray Paint they make BEAUTIFUL Bedside Lamps in the Master Suite!  *Lamp Shade info in future post*

I found these two chairs at different Yard Sales.  The one on the left was covered in white paint and cost me $2.  The one on the right's back was loose (just needed some good old Gorilla Glue, which I always have on hand) and was an odd brown color for $1.  I got a $3 bottle of Spray Paint from Walmart and now they are great Dining Room Table Chairs!! *Read my future post about Creating A Dining Room Table from an Old Door*

 This is a hodge podge of items that I got at a few different Yard Sales.  The Lanterns were $6 for 4 (the glass was broken in some, so I just took the glass out!  Who needs glass?!).  The Coat Rack was purple and only cost $3.  And the Bathroom Shelf was brown and only $1.50!!  So, naturally I used my trusty Spray Paint (Rustoleum Rust Resistant Flat Black for the lanterns because they are outside) and simi-gloss black for the other two.

Here are the finished products! These Iron Lanterns look great outside our back door and around our patio.

The Bathroom Shelf looks GREAT above the toilet in the Kid's Bathroom, which we decorated in a Monkey Theme

*and come back later for another post to see how the Coat Rack gets used!!*

Want more great tips on how to find cheap or free stuff for your Fixer Upper?  Come back and check out our future posts where I will detail how you can find COMPLETELY FREE finds for your home!

Here's a list of the products I used to update these finds:
From Walmart, ColorPlace Black Spray Paint


From Walmart, Rust-Oelum Rust Reformer

From Walmart, Rust-Oleum Metalic

From Walmart, Gorilla Glue



 Do you have any tricks or tips to find the BEST Yard Sales?  Have you ever found something totally amazing at a Yard Sale that just needed a little TLC to make it new again?  Share your thoughts and comments below.