Yard Sales- sales happening this weekend - Plus this weekends events and deals

Yard sales, a bargain hunters weekly obsession, they begin in spring and last well into fall. Everyone loves scoring a great deal but for yard sale enthusiast like myself, yard sales can sometimes be overwhelming.  First you have to take the time to find all these sales, then map the most economical route from one sale to the next (gas is way to expensive to be driving in circles) and then you have to set a spending limit.  The last thing you want to do is hit yard sales with no budget!  Before you know it, your pocket book will be empty and your list of sales will be many.  So how do you know which yard sales are really worth your time?  The process of elimination can be tedious and exhausting.  The truth is, you never really know which sales will hold those sought after items until you get there.  Nowadays, people use everything from craigslist to facebook to advertise their sales.  So here are my best tips for planning your yard sale days!

1. Pick an area you feel comfortable with, consider the distance and time it will take to get there and how many other sales are in the area.  Often, I start with the sale farthest from my house and work my way back.

2. Finding the sales in your selected area is easier now than ever.  I use Craigslist.org and scan the newspaper on Saturday mornings and Wednesday mornings.  Also, some of the larger neighborhood sales and church sales are advertised in monthly neighborhood fliers.  Keep your eye out for these, they can let you know of other upcoming events closer to home as well.

3. Hard to decide which sales are worth the time? Start by looking for Estate, Church, and Neighborhood/Subdivision sales.  These sales give you a wider variety of items to choose from and usually have the best bargains.  Beware of Estate sales though, make sure you read the ad to find out what they are offering, and be prepared for larger crowds.  Most Estate sales are well worth your time, especially if yo are searching for bigger ticket items like furniture and electronics.


4. If you are unsure of directions, use Mapquest.  The great thing about mapping sales out on Mapquest - you can visibly have a reference in front of you from sale to sale without back tracking.  I Mapquest from my house to the first sale of the day, then from that sale to the next and so on.  It saves lots of time and I never get lost!

5. Have your budget set.  If you pick only a handful of sales to attend, make sure you go to the ones that offered items you want the most first.  That way you get what you are looking for before spending money on items you "just had to have" in the heat of the yard sale moment!  And always try to offer less than the asking price!  Most people hold sales to clear out their junk (our treasures) and enjoy a good game of haggle.  Just remember to be polite, smile, and pick your battles wisely, if you know its a good deal, take it before someone else sees it too!

6. Lastly - HAVE FUN! Even if you have to take the kiddos with you (easier said than done i know) just simply give them a budget too!  Mine get to spend their weekly allowance, if they choose to, and they are responsible for keeping their money safe, paying for their items, and minding their manners.  I also have "NO KIDS ALLOWED" yard sale dates with my hubby.  These are great because we rarely are both off work at the same time to attend sales together and we get to spend more time actually looking for things we need or want!


Hope these tips help your plan of attack on our city's yard sale circuit! Please share any ideas or tips you have! Here's a list of my top five picks for sales tomorrow, June 18th:

All Church Rummage Sale - Christian Life Center of Webster Hills United Methodist Church - located at the corner of Lockwood Ave & Berry Rd in Webster Groves 8am - 2pm
*antiques, children's clothing, furniture, misc

Rummage Sale @ House Springs Elementary School in the gym, 2nd annual charity sale to raise money for St. Baldrick's Foundation, simply offer a donation for items you want!  Sale begins @ 7am

Southwest Church - 4543 Magnolia 63110 - 8:30 - 5pm

50 family Subdivision Sale - Tesson Creek Estate Sales - 7am
*tools, household, clothing

4043 Delor 63111 - Quarter Sale (almost everything is .25) - 8am - 12pm


Today's Deals:

Freebies: Check out freecycle.org - a great site not to just find items you want, but also to pass along any of your unwanted items.

Also remember Craigslist.org has a free section and a barter section, both great ways to make awesome deals!

Redbox - sign up for their text alerts (one text a week) to recieve a free weekly monday rental code! Now they have video games you can rent too!

Walgreens - 30 4x6 photo prints for $3 enter code SOAKUP at checkout - valid until June 18th

$10 off $20 photo product orders enter code CELEBRATE at checkout - valid until June 18th

Old Navy- $3 men's basic tees - this weekend only June 18th & 19th

Events:

Mount Vernon Movie in the Park- June 17th
location - Veterans Park, Mount Vernon, Il
www.mtvernon.com/newtourism/index2.htm

St. Louis Uncorked - A Wine & Music Festival - June 18th
location: Soldier's Memorial in downtown St. Louis
time: 3pm - 11pm
cost: FREE but if you want to sample items you will have to purchase sample tokens, live music
www.stluncorked.com