Yard Sale
Many of you know we are downsizing due to our coming move from a farm to a condo. I plan to write about aspects of this move because it is something that many folks will face as they age, and we’re at the KTK vanguard. If people can profit from our inevitable missteps, so much the better.
We gathered many items from our home that we thought would be good for a yard sale. By we I mostly mean Mrs. side pocket. Many hours were spent wrapping fragile items and loading them into two cars. The yard sale was held on the condo grounds. Unfortunately there were many competing events such as marches and the long-awaited opening of the new Santa Rosa Courthouse Square so attendance was sparse.
Average number of garage sales each week in the US |
165,000 |
Average number of people who purchase something at a garage sale each week |
690,000 |
Average number of garage sales listed on Craigslist each week |
95,000 |
Average number of items sold at garage sales each week |
4,967,500 |
Total US weekly revenue from garage sales |
$4,222,375 |
Best time to start a garage sale |
7:00 am |
Best day to hold a garage sale |
Saturday |
Average profit margin when items purchased are resold on eBay |
462 % |
A few yard-sale professionals arrived just as we did. They were phenomenally annoying, pawing through our boxes before we had opened them. Some folks walked by the tables at a distance, barely looking with any hope of detail. A few insulting low-ball offers were made which I declined. We sold a few things, but barely “lightened our load”. Then we had to box everything up again and take them back to the farm. All that work and we made under $50. Was it worth it? Yes, because we learned a lot. And we spent much time in conversation with our future new condo neighbors. In addition we learned how little value our long-held treasures actually have.
This is one of our tables; such cool stuff. How could anyone resist?
Have any of you done yard sales or garage sales? How successful have they been? Would you use EBay or Craigslist rather than the person-to-person aspect of yard sales? Any tips for us?
Last week my KTK was about downsizing re: cookbooks, and I was asked for recipes from one I wrote many years ago. This is a favorite and I’m glad I rediscovered it last week.
Leek Salad
Trim 6 leeks to about 7 inches long. Split lengthwise and wash. Cook in boiling salted water till quite tender. Place in serving dish and add 1 tbsp chopped parsley, ¼ cup good olive oil, 1 tsp minced onion, 1 tsp minced chives, ¼ tsp each tarragon and salt, dash of pepper. Optional 1 tbsp vinegar. Then this cool step: Press a hard boiled egg through a strainer over the leeks.
Chill for one hour (both you and the salad) and serve with wedges of lemon.
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.