Where did all of this stuff COME FROM??

Cleaning is not fun.  Cleaning and having to toss away (or put on a table for sale) memories makes cleaning 2,000x worse!  But, as I said in my last post, it's not the item that matters it's the memory that was created.  Otherwise they wouldn't be called memories - since we'd always have the item.  They would be "Items that are significant in our lives that would be a memory if we could ever get rid of them".  I think I need more sleep.

(this is Auntie Grace putting little blue dot stickers on all of Jeanne's hangers...so she could make sure to get all of her "long" ones back -yes, she's a VIRGO)

Friday, we spent 15 hours hauling crap out of the basement, out of the dining room, out of the shed, out of the attic - after two weeks of preparing....SUCCESS!  We put an ad in the paper "Yard Sale, 9-2, no early birds".  We put it on Craigslist...."Yard Sale, 9-2, NO EARLY BIRDS".  We had SIGNS!

I haven't seen my DR table in two weeks!

The FIRST of the "no early birds" showed up at 5:30 am.  I was just coming down to make coffee.  Are you SERIOUS??  My crap is GOOD.....but it's not 5:30am GOOD!  It was a continuos stream of "no early birds" after that.  They are a funny bunch!  Maybe they are Roosters?  And they can't help but be early...and loud.  The first woman (Miss 5:30am) just kept creeping slowly by my house.  Then she'd back up.  Then she'd creep forward again.  I'm not sure why.  Everything was still covered in plastic!  Maybe she was trying to create a breeze to blow the plastic off.  After I peered "lovingly" out the window at her, she left.

(Then I had to make sandwiches and pack a cooler for BD and the Bastards - AND GABI to go to Canobie Lake Park for the day!)

Then it was back to business.  And back to the early birds.  The next few cars drove up - saw Teri saying "NO NO NO - 9 o'clock!", put it in park, walked over and had to hear it again.  One couple used the ol' "We've come a long way and we can't come back later".  OMG!  They drove from MICHIGAN FOR MY YARD SALE!!!  I would do that.  Anything for a good sale.  BUT, they didn't get by the "GATE KEEPER MORALES".  She simply said "sorry" and off they sped....FURIOUS!  Maybe they can't read!?  There were a few more, which Teri recognized as dealers from her "job" at the thrift store racks - and they too were told to "keep on keepin' on".  One guy, a classy guy (from Little Richie's Antiques), when told "9:00 - no early birds" said "You two must be soft as grapes!".  Why didn't he SAY that he knew us???!?!  We would have let a friend shop early!  Jeesh.


In fact, we did.  A nice firefighter, Russ, stopped by for a little dabblin' at the yard sale.  He was allowed to shop early - in fact, he got the "family discount"....and a free "peep show".  (Note to Teri: Tie the BIKINI STRINGS after putting it on.)  

BD and Teri, doing what BD and Teri do best.

When I go to yard sales, I pay what the tag says.  I'm already getting it for 95% off retail value.  Why haggle?  I think I'm the only one.

"How much for these 125 items of clothing, housewares and toys?"

"Well, it would be $65 but you can have it all for $45".

"You'll take $40".

"No, it's $45"

"Well, I'm not sure I even want all of these clothes".

"WELL, it's too late now since you TOOK THEM ALL OFF OF THE HANGERS!"

She was awful.  But, after loading all of that in her car, she came back to get more stuff.  I'm sure she'll make a KILLING off of it at her "Flea Market Table".  (but at least it's all out of MY HOUSE!)

Then there are the people that KNOW when the sale is ending, and come by to pick the trash.  HA!  We fooled them.  We were TOO tired to pack any of the crap up, so we were still sitting out there at 4:30.  BAM!  One guy said "I don't have $10 to spend" (when he asked about an antique radio).  (Um, then why are you at a YARD SALE??)  See, we're not soft as grapes!  We have these people ALL FIGURED OUT.

Derek made a boat load of cash selling Lemonade.  (part of his strategy is not giving change for a $1 - and the lemonade was .25)  Whatever works D-REX!  I'm not sure exactly HOW much he made, but at the 23rd counting of his loot, I think I heard him say $58.  Next time, I'm skipping the CRAP and just selling LEMONADE!!

This is the LEFTOVER stuff.  Come and TAKE IT!  Please?

We got everything under plastic, put another ad on Craigslist "Take it all away" and came in for some sushi and ICE COLD WATER.  Out feet felt like CEMENT BLOCKS.  We showered and hit the hay. And today, I have to deal with the GIANT PILE OF LEFTOVERS UNDER THE TARP!

In the end, it was a WONDERFULLY SUCCESSFUL YARDSALE.......and WE'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!  Ever.  Never.  Not a chance.