We all have perfectly good furniture and art pieces that no 
longer fit with our décor and yard sales are a good way to get 
rid of them while earning enough to buy something new that really 
fits. And visiting those sales is one of the most inexpensive 
ways to add new life to your home decorating style. The piece 
that doesn't fit in someone else's home may be just what you were 
looking for! - And at a fraction of the piece of a new piece! 

If you have never been to a garage sale, it is easy to come home 
with a carload of bargains you have neither use nor room for. A 
chair for a dollar is no bargain if you already have ten more 
chairs than you need. As a veteran yard-saler myself, let me 
offer these tips for the yard-saleing newbie:

1. Make a list of what you need and stick to it. And that means 
   even if you discover a cheap treasure you "might be able to 
   use sometime." Believe me, in six months you will be selling 
   it at your own yard sale - for half the price!

2. Measure your room, windows and available space for certain 
   furniture needs. And speaking from experience, remember to 
   take the list with you! 

3. Make a list of addresses and short instructions about how to 
   get there. Check the classifieds and free shopper ads for 
   times and rules. Some people get very grumpy if you interrupt 
   their sleep by showing up at their home two hours before the 
   sale starts. 

4. Keep small bills in your hand and leave large bills in your 
   purse. If you take out a big roll of large bills, there is 
   not a vendor alive who will give you a lower bargain price 
   for the item you want. They want their share of that roll! 

5. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Getting to 
   a yard sale before its "picked over" assures you can find 
   more that you might be able to use. When you visit a yard 
   sale later in the afternoon, vendors are more likely to take 
   much less for the items they still have because they don't 
   want to pack them back in the garage! You might be able to 
   find some good bargains for furniture that was overpriced 
   earlier.

6. Take a partner with you. Share with your partner what each 
   of you is looking for and spread out. You can cover twice 
   as much distance in half the time!

7. Pick up everything you think you might want. You can always 
   put it back. And if you don't pick it up when you see it, 
   chances are someone else will spy it and buy it!

8. Choose furniture with good bones such as solid wood 
   construction and dovetailing. Its much easier to refinish 
   a good piece. Shoddily made furniture will still be shoddy 
   after you redo it.

9. If you find drapes, scarves, sheets or bedspreads in a fabric 
   that blends with your décor, buy it to use for reupholstering 
   a used chair, to make pillows for your room or dozens of 
   other uses.

10. Picture frames, even empty ones, can be painted or stained 
   to create new looks. You can always find unframed art you 
   like and with the help of creative matting, you can make it 
   all work together.

And one more thing - I have no scientific proof for this opinion, 
but I have found it true time after time - the bigger the sign, 
the lousier the yard sale. Its as if they are using a large sign 
to make up for the lack of merchandise to attract buyers. 

So next Saturday, make your list, take your measurements, grab a 
good friend and start your new decorating project. You will have 
fun, get plenty of exercise and save money. What better way to 
spend a day? 

Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and designer for 35 years
(Yikes, has it been that long?) Enjoy her tongue-in-cheek
approach to inexpensive interior design at:
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com and
http://www.diy-homedecor.com