A garage sale of my own

Is there anyone out there that enjoys having a yard sale?

It’s a bit like pulling teeth, isn’t it.

This year, my annual garage sale was a means to an end; the last of the money I wanted to earn before going to New York City.

I didn’t want to do it, but I had to face my demons, I mean trash.

It really does add up.

All the trash I buy for the shop at QcumberZ that doesn’t sell.

All the trash I buy for craigslist that hasn’t sold.

Trash I’m selling for friends and family.

Plus, my own trash.

After all, I do have a growing family.

I set everything up in my driveway the night before and marvel at all my junk.

I just want it gone.

Funny thing about all this trash.

If I crashed my own garage sale, I would buy most of this stuff back.

The picture frames, the vintage scarves, the birdhouse lamps.

Ugh!

Instead I sell it for next to nothing.  Now, I’m standing on the other side.

I’m not normally on this side of trashing. I'm suddenly so sympathetic to those of you who sell trash to me.

Thank you, all those brave souls who have garage sales.  

You keep me in business.

You make the weekends amazing.

You have such great trash.

Someone bickers over a .50 cent picture frame.

“Would you take .25 cents?”

“Sure,” I say, promising myself I will never bicker over a quarter ever IN MY LIFE!

At about 10:00pm the night before the sale, I decide it’d be a great opportunity for my kids to have a bake sale.  It will teach them how to earn money, they’ll have a blast, they’ll be responsible.

Instead of working on getting more organized for the garage sale, I decide to bake cinnamon rolls, brownies and rice crispie treats.  Licking the batter wasn't all that bad either.  I’m in bed at 1:00am, than up at 7:30am to put up my neon signs with the black arrows pointing down the street I live on.

The first car rolls in, then the next.  By 8:00am, I’ve earned $30.00.  I go inside and check on the baby, hoping she’s awake. 

Later that morning, a woman in my driveway asks if I have a blog about trash.

We hug.

She’s amazing, with her 2 beautiful daughters.  She shares the story of their adoption.  I feel like I've known her my whole life. I start focusing more on the relationships with the people browsing trash in my driveway.

These are some cool people.  

A few of my friends come by and it turns into social hour.

I give all the baked goods away and put $10.00 in the boy's tip jar.  

I close shop at noon Saturday.  It’s over 100 degrees and I’m ready to be done. 

The rest of this stuff I’m donating to my kid’s school annual rummage sale.  Kelly and our friend Cindy are taking charge of that little project.

Good-bye trash, you’re moving on to bigger and better things.

With my house cleaned out, I feel the pull.  I can’t wait to go out garaging this weekend.
It's the circle of life.