In July, the front lawn of MBR was part of the annual community yard sale again. I wasn’t planning on participating—I didn’t think there was enough stuff left to get rid of—but MOMN and my brother brought up items from their house they were ready to dispatch so I joined in. I’m glad I did.
My contribution to the sale was basically remaining stuff in three categories: 1) my old toys from the 1970’s, 2) family paintings, and 3) antiques—china cups and Christmas ornaments. I priced everything CHEAP so I could get things into the right hands and off mine.
Sale highlights:
- A woman picked up the Velvet doll for her neighboUr who sews new clothes for and restores old dolls (Velvet’s specialness was a long hair extension and I still had the original box).
- A couple bought a 1980’s oil painting by a local artist because they are decorating their cottage with a local maritime theme.
- After he and his daughter bought something else, a man came back to get the soda fountain machine that had caught his eye (it was a toy that dispensed from a hidden pop bottle). I’m out of practice, but he might have been flirting with me.
- A couple were delighted with the oh-so-fragile Christmas tree ornaments because they are decorating their tree with only antique ornaments. These were items I didn’t want to include in a box for a donation center because they would have quickly become a broken glittery mess.
- The biggest surprise was overhearing a young woman telling a friend about a life-changing book—the book had a huge impact on me too! I broke in and we enthusiastically chatted about motivational, spiritual, and self-help books.
I enjoyed the overnight visit with my brother, MOMN, and my younger niece and the sale provided a lot of fun. The advantage of joining a community yard sale is free advertising—the buyers are out in full force. The $ from my old stuff went in my pocket and the $ from the family paintings and antiques went into my niece’s RESP. The sale was much easier than in the previous two years—because we weren’t selling any big items, it was easy to set up and tear down. And then—this is key—we took it to the finish line: they dropped boxes off at a donation center on their way home and I went to a local donation center with the remainder of my yard sale items the following week. Done done.
References and related links:
- MBR: Minas Basin Retreat, the property where I am living in my tiny house. The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy (with the world’s highest tides).
- MOMN: Mother of My Nieces, my sister-in-law.
- RESP: Registered Education Savings Plan.
- ye olde stuffe (post #116)
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