Yard Sales & FreeCycle

Well, I just finished holding another yard sale. I don't know how many I've done, at least 10 or 15 over the last 20 odd years. The first one was from the necessity of moving to Prince George BC from Southern Alberta in 1986 and was very successful. My sister Debbi or "De Bee" as she likes to refer to herself. I remember we worked two long hard days holding the sale and we didn't have time to eat and after we made some money (we didn't have much money back then), we went to a local buffet place and our stomachs hurt so much because we were so hungry, then we ate and our stomachs hurt so much cuz we were so full.
Anyhow, back to yard sales. The biggest sale was in our 900 sq ft garage in PG in around 1988. My uncle Henry had a lot of junk collected from renters who would vacate his places (often without notice) and leave behind stuff. Henry needed some cash and I offered to sell his stuff. He would drop a truckload of junk in the back-yard and I'd clean it up, price it and place it in the garage for sale. This went on for a few weeks and we had a garage full of stuff to sell. Lots of people came and bought, I price things really cheap, cuz what good is the junk? Someone else might as well have it. We wanted cash. We made donuts and sandwiches and sold lemonade. We had a backyard carnival that my daughters ran and gave away used stuffed animals as prizes. After the weekend was over, we made over $1300. Henry generously shared it with me, although that wasn't the plan.
Things have changed a lot since the 80's, there is so much more stuff (junk) around and everyone is cleaning out that very few want much any more. 3 or 4 years ago at my last previous sale (prior to this past weekend), I cleaned out the basement and had a big sale. It took me a week outside to prepare for it and my girlfriend, Barb, came over with a few van loads of stuff she wanted to get rid of. We ran it for two days and I don't remember how much money we got, but I think it was probably under $100, it was mostly little stuff and it takes a long time to add up, when you sell cheap.
Trying to get rid of the leftover stuff was the challenge. I usually end up keeping a few things from the sale, cuz I think of another use or change my mind about whether I will need it or not, but most of it always went off to charity, usually the Sally Ann "Salvation Army" thrift store. So, I called them to arrange a pick up, which they couldn't do for 4 days, so the stuff remained under tarp under my front lawn. They called Friday and said that the appointment had gotten mixed up and we're coming until Monday. I was pretty frustrated about that. When Monday came and went and the stuff remained, I called the Sally Ann and they then asked if the stuff had been in a yard sale, I replied yes. Their response was - They don't take stuff leftover from yard sales! Now the charities are getting picky! That's how much stuff was out there. I was pretty annoyed that they hadn't said that when I called for the pick up. So then I called the Canadian Diabetes Assoc. They only pick up small household and clothing. Well, there was nothing bigger than a kitchen chair and a sewing machine table and they said they would take it, I forget how long the wait as, a couple of days I think. So there the stuff sat again, under this huge freaking blue lump in my front yard. So then I saw this big truck backing up to the lump and I sighed relief, the stuff was finally leaving and I went about my chores, only to return to the window 15 minutes later with the truck gone and still this big huge LUMP of stuff. They had taken ONLY the clothes! Great! Now I still have to get rid of the junk. I don't like taking stuff that still has some life in it to the landfill, so I had to look for other means. The Yoga club was having a sale and we delivered boxes of books and glassware to one of their member's garages. We knew a few students and they came over and picked out some stuff they could use and the pile went down a little. Of course, everytime I opened the big blue lump and people were coming by, they started looking through the stuff and I just gave it away. And of course, being the junk collector I am, I would always find another item or two to find another use for. A book I was interested in or something for a family member. So back to the charity, I called the Catholic Charities and they said they would pick it up. It was probably half the size of the original blue lump by then. And they did take it all! That stuff sat out in my yard for over 3 weeks, who know what they neighbours were saying by then. So after that, I said I would never have another yard sale!
But then I just finished my sale yesterday and I am saying that again, but will I?
It does motivate me to get rid of stuff when I have a sale, where otherwise if I just had a small box of stuff I would take it to the thrift store. But I also enjoy having someone else get a deal on something they need or want and to meet and visit with the people who go to sales. I meet my neighbours and old friends that I haven't seen in years. I did better at this sale, as I had some larger items to sell.... I still have the fridge and stove (although a friend will now take the fridge). and now that I know about freecycle.com, there are lots of willing people to come and take it away for free. Those were very interesting people who came by that I learned a few things from like the artist who is going to use our old windows to paint and do collages on. And the lady who is also renovating her home, and attended a renovating class and the class worked on her house every Wednesday night. Wish I had known about that, I could have used another 11 people's hands to work on my house. I still have some stuff left over, but I will take it to the MCC thrift shop, they don't hike their prices up like Sally Ann or VV Boutique (Value Village) and I go there fairly frequently. So I may have another yard sale if I have another big clean out, but more for the fun NOT the money. I will still use freecyle.
In case you haven't heard about freecycle, it's a website group within your own community and they are all over. If you have something to give away or need/want, you post an offering or request on freecycle. No money exchange is allowed. It's set up on a gift system, you choose who will be the recipient of your item. People requesting it, email and ask and you get to choose who gets it. You may put conditions on it, like "first to reply" or "someone in need" or "when you want it picked up". That's the great part, THEY come and get it and THEY want it!
I have a cute story about freecycle with my daughters Teddi and Alison, but I'll save that for another time.