Find A Great Garage Sale Deal

With Lawton's Largest Garage, Antiques and Collectibles Sale just around the corner (April 15th and 16), I thought it might be a good idea to re-post some of the best "deal hunting" tips I've found over the years.

Count Your Money -- Then Do Your Research

Most garage sales deal on cash-only basis, so it's important to know, in advance, how much you can spend and then only take THAT MUCH money with you.  The temptation to buy what you don't need grows when the money is burning a hole in your pocket.  And, it's also a good idea to have a "wish list" of items you are looking for.  Write them down on a piece of paper so you will remember why you are there and won't leave without those items or WITH a lot of items you DON'T need.

Organize

At an event like ours, it can be pretty overwhelming to walk into a room where 200 booths of bright and shiny objects are staring you in the face.  If you've come with a friend, it becomes more important to make sure you are not left waiting at the exit for an hour or you've left with a lot of purchases but not your friend!  When you first come in, spend a few seconds organizing your day.  If you split up, make sure you both have your cell phones where you can hear them and set a pre-determined time and place to meet back up and compare great finds.

The Early Bird

Arriving at the sale on-time is a great idea.  The first few through will get the absolute best selection, but if that isn't possible for you and you're REALLY serious about finding something on your wish list:  find a friend who is going and ask them to keep an eye out for that special something so they can grab it for you before it is gone.

Kids Keep Me From My Mission

You know your kids well.  Are they mature enough to walk around by themselves?  If so, give them $10 each to spend on whatever cool thing they find.  Stress this would be a great time for them to buy birthday or Christmas gifts for people they love.  Then set a time and place to meet back together.  Every 30 minutes or so will make sure you have a reign on them and they can't get too out of control.  If your kids are too young for that, give them some money anyway and let them walk around with you.  Sure, they fixate on the weirdest things, but hey, they are kids!