The Summer of the Garage Sale

I have a confession to make.  I'm becoming a little bit obsessed with garage sales.  I mean, they are so exciting.  And here, in Grand Rapids, we are so spoiled.  On a given Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, I can easily find at least a dozen good sales within 10 miles of our house.  The things are so cheap and the best part is that at every stop, you have the chance to find something perfect that you didn't even know you were looking for.  And for so much less than you know it's worth. That gives me a little bit of an adrenaline rush right there.

So this is what I've decided: I'm going to chronicle my journey to garage sales this summer.  And I've set a goal.  I'm going to re-sell enough of what I buy to pay for the rest.  In other words, I'll either break even or be in the green by the end of summer.  And when I finish, I'll still have a bunch of new, cool things.  This is going to be quite the challenge, but eBay will be my friend.  Off we go!  First, I have to start by reminding everyone of the bread machine I bought last month.  It was $5, but has already paid for itself in my mind (to the tune of several whole wheat loafs, three different pizza doughs, and a tasty cinnamon raison loaf).

Then, just yesterday I saw an ad in craigslist for a sale in EGR for "TONS of girls clothing 0-3T - all name brand".  Clearly more investigation was needed, as I'm admittedly pretty picky about Emily's clothes.  I ended up spending a total of $45 but purchasing the following: three swimsuits, two pairs of shoes (size 6 and 6.5), eight tops, two dresses (one that will be perfect for Easter next year), three pairs of pants, one skirt, and three pairs of pajamas (all either sized 18 - 24 months or 2T, most for fall and winter wear).  I plan to sell at least two of the swimsuits on eBay starting tomorrow, as well as one skirt I already had similar to one I just bought but like better.  That's acceptable, right?  But wait: my blog, my rules!  We'll see how far out of the whole I climb, but for now, clock me in at negative $50 total.