Volley's Lo-Carb Cafe & Life Lessons: Wedding Fundraiser--the Ultimate Garage Sale(s)

I guess other people save money for their daughter's wedding, but I was clueless. In the first place, I didn't expect her to meet anyone to marry. The only place she ever went was church (once in a while). She rarely even went to the grocery store with me! I left facebook out of the equation. Silly me. Her first (and only) BF reconnected with her (about 4 years after they broke up) and they started seeing each other again. A year later, I'm scrambling to pay for a Renaissance Festival wedding.

It's been a long time since I had a garage sale--more than 10 years, actually. I'm a bit lazy. OK, not lazy, I'm getting OLD, so I worked efficiently. I brought in three large metal rolling shelf units and packed them (over a couple of days). On the day of the first garage sale, I rolled them out and I was ready to go! No time flat.

We wanted things to SELL, so I priced about 50% of the items at $1 or less. If you count the fabric, at 50 cents a yard, at least 80% of the items were under $1. I had buttons at 5 cents a card, zippers for 10 cents each, and patterns for 10 cents to 25 cents each. I had packages of patterns with the fabric cut out and ready to sew--at killer prices. We had hundreds of T-shirts for 50 cents each and at least 50 for $1 each (gaming shirts, etc.). Two printers for $10 each...sold one for $5 (for use at a church). Both garage sales were successful, but I learned an important lesson at the second one. For our third, and final, garage sale of this summer, we will only be open from 8AM until 1PM. It is just too hot to stay outside for that hour or two between the 1 o'clock customers and the ones who trickle in about 3 or 4PM.

When the time was up on the first sale, we rolled the shelf units onto the back patio and started filling them up again. I continued to go through the sewing boxes and bagged up more of the fabric and organized patterns & notions.

I still have one storage room and the garage to sort through and price, so we will have to have another sale. It will be the week before school starts (for me). I am going to make sure that I put out all the school supplies, etc. I hope to get the extra wall-paper and painting tools out. I may end up putting out the tools I no longer use. I'll also put out any duplicates of gardening tools to see how well they sell.

I've posted some of the more expensive items on Craigslist and kingwoodyardsales (antique dresser, entertainment center). We'll see how it goes. I didn't move the furniture outside, but it is available.

The entertainment center is new. I'd return it to Big Lots (it cost $300), but I lost the receipt. I want at least $200 for it.

This dresser is in good shape, the drawers are large (and deep). I want at least $100 for it.

I also have a scooter for sale: 150CC, red, Chinese manufacturer. I have the owner's manual and title. It will need some maintenance before driving (or starting)--gas tank needs to be drained and fresh fuel put in. It gets 85 mpg, and is a blast to ride.

Another great thing (apart from making some money to help pay for the wedding) about the garage sale...I got to know some of my neighbors!

Volley's Notes:
If you're reading this blog because you followed the link I posted on kingwookyardsales, please know that some of these items have been sold, but many still available (I took pictures toward the end of the day on the second day of the second sale). Members from my church will be donating additional items and they will be added before the next garage sale. A few of the items are listed below:

Household items--Coca-Cola glasses, square tumblers, baking pans, candles, mattress cover, chair cover, valence, etc.
Craft items--fabric (yards and yards of it), sewing notions (buttons, zippers, pregnancy panel, iron-on patches), ribbon, silk flowers, iron-on facing, knit & crochet patterns, sewing patterns, pre-cut "kits" of pattern and fabric (women's clothing)
Home maintenance--gasoline/oil edger, weed-eater, wallpaper and painting tools, some plumbing & electrical supplies (PVC pipe, etc.)
Books--children's books, diet books, cookbooks
Canning supplies--pint & quart jars for 25 cents each, antique 1/2 gallon jars for $1 each, wide-mouth seals for 50 cents/box.
I've added 2 more boxes of fabric and craft items.
Another couple of boxes were donated by people at my church.
One of the donated items was a cute decorator shelf for porcelain, etc.
A TV was donated, too.

Here are a few more pictures of stuff for the next garage sale. I'll add things as I go.

Items added this week:

Curio Shelf, $20 SOLD! 08/03/12 (Not bad for less than 12 hours posted!)
The stuff ON the shelves is still available.

Barbie doll patterns--SOLD! 08/03/12 (Not bad for only 8 hours posted!)

Craft items

Holiday Craft pattern (some of the parts to make the Thanksgiving crafts are in the sale)

Decorative bird cage--used for candles at a wedding, silk flowers when used as home decoration
$25 for the cage, $3 for the silk fern

Wallpaper border...4 rolls, 5 yards/roll...$15/roll (discounted price online runs $18-25/roll)...this pattern is discontinued.

Audio-books--cassettes, $1...CD's, $2

Refrigerator Magnets...from 10 cents to $2
I included some magnets advertizing local businesses--they can be used to display photos or business cards.