Monthly Archives: May 2008

Family matters

I went sale-ing

Although we’ve held a few successful yard sales in our day, I’m not a habitual yard saler. (Should that be “yard sailor”? Yard sale, ahoy! I’d like to think so.) This is mainly because I don’t like to get up early in the middle of the week, much less on Saturdays. But Fancy Pants Acres was holding a community yard sale this morning, and it was scheduled from 8-11.

Here’s what I learned:

1) The FancyPantsertons buy lots of decorative bowls and pottery vases from Big Lots and Target. They’re just like us!

2) They are inordinately fond of scary clown figurines and gigantic clown heads. So maybe they’re not just like us after all.

3) Some of them put a high premium on their children’s clothing. I picked up three faded, “well-loved” T-shirts for Pete at one house. I offered the proprietor $1 for them, and she laughed at me. Then she said, “Oh no. Those are $2 a piece. Wait, did you mean $1 each?” I assured her that I did not mean $1 a piece.

4) They are canceling Christmas. You would not believe how many Christmas ornaments were strewn across those lawns.

5) They are giving up bicycling. I saw at least four Mongoose mountain bikes for sale. I thought briefly about buying one, but then I remembered that I don’t like it outside, especially when it’s hot out.

I did pick up a few good deals, though:

  • A cookbook from Le Cordon Bleu, $1.
  • A footed compote from Southern Living at Home and some dinosaur cookie cutters, $2.
  • Four new-with-tags Carter’s suits for Pete, $5.
  • A book of nursery rhymes for Pi, 25 cents.
  • An Old Navy fleece pullover and some footie pj’s for Pete, $1.25.

    It was fun, and I’d like to do it again sometime. I probably won’t become a hardcore yard sailor, though. (See: Not an early bird.)

    What’s your best yard sale find?