I ain't cryin'.

Once upon a time, a girl participated in a neighbourhood yard sale. It nearly ended in tears - that is to say it didn't go well. You've probably guessed that that girl was me. The concept of a yard sale was pretty foreign to me, so when complete strangers sifted through, sniffed and stretched my belongings and offered me pennies for them, I took it personally. I suppose the key to hosting a yard sale is to have a thick skin. Mine's paper thin. While my things weren't "nice" or expensive by anyone's standard, I had attachments to them - probably because we were newly married and I had memories attached to them, which made for a miserable time. Honestly, people couldn't win with me. If they looked at something and passed it up, I was a little hurt that they didn't think it was good enough to take. If they made me an offer, I was insulted when it was too low - there were some pretty cutthroat, hardcore yard salers in attendance to break me in. Recipe for disaster.

Since then, if I've ever been in a position to make an offer on anything, I agonize that I'm going to come in too low. So I tend to pay whatever people ask on Craig's List or wherever, as long as it seems fair. Haggling ain't my thang - anyone want to come with me to buy a car in the coming weeks? 

So my experience has lead me to be a little gun shy when it comes to yard sales. But I bit the bullet and ventured out this weekend and I think I had a whole lotta luck between the two I came across.

 

Kids' picnic table (prior to cleaning it up): $5 - the best part about this for me is that it's already sunbleached and seen some action, so it won't break my heart when Teagan messes it up.

Leap Frog activity table (with batteries): $4

Spinning spice rack: $1

Flat Stanley book: 50c

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: 50c

Cars puzzle: 50c

Roxy shoes (never worn): $1

Bunco: $1

The courage to yard sale again: Priceless

Let's just say I wasn't crying this time around.