I love yard sales

I *heart* yard sales.

Yeah, that's right: I said *heart*

Because there's no other way to emphasize just how thrilled and excited I get from glimpsing "yard sale."

It's the unknown.

You might find treasure (like when I found most of the serving trays for the weeding for a total of $13).

You'll probably find trash. (People don't want this stuff, after all.) But it's also good for a chuckle.


Mom and I were both manic about hitting as many as possible each weekend last year, to make sure we got all sorts of great stuff for the wedding. Between illness, vacations and generally bad timing, we've been pretty poorly organized this summer.

Still:

• A full set of ionic curlers (and clips) for $3
• A fab Christmas gift for Tim (can't say what because he reads this blog). Suffice to say, he'll have a hard time figuring out which is from a store and which I got from a yard sale.
• Ankle boots for $1 (After 8 years, my Payless ones are beyond dead.)
• A pair of jeans for 25 cents. (Technically, 75 cents, since the other two pairs didn't fit.)

Sadly, yard sale season will be dwindling soon. And I'm not up for too much scouting in this current heat wave. (Seattle folks are not cut out for this weather -- we have fans, no air conditioners.)

So let this be a reminder to shop early and often for birthday and Christmas gifts. You'd be amazed what you can find -- for yourself and for others.

What have you found this year that you just love? What's your favorite yard sale coup?