7 Tips For Getting the Best Garage and Rummage Sale Bargains by:Ronald E Wilbanks

Once spring and summer rolls around it's time to hit the garage sales and find the best deals

. Here are 7 tips to get you started:

1. Map it out. The night before you go garage sale shopping, check Craigslist and the classified ads of your local newspaper and penny shoppers. Make a list of the addresses of the sales you want to go to and note the items available at each sale. Go to Google Maps or your favorite map site and print out the directions to the sale in the order you want to attend them. This will cut down on fuel costs and save time. If you have a GPS device in your car, program the addresses in the night before. Smartphones such as iPhones or Blackberry usually have access to GPS or Google Maps as well if you find yourself getting lost.

2. Pair up. It's much more fun to go to garage sales with someone and it's also more efficient. If you go to a neighborhood that has several garage sales you can split up and each of you check out half of the sales and report back to each other. If the weather isn't good, you can each take turns waiting in the car while the other quick checks the garage sale to see if there are any interesting items left.

3. Keep the kids at home. Unless you truly enjoy going to garage sales with your kids, keep them at home. They will want to buy all the toys and you'll end up bringing too many unnecessary items into your house afterwards.

4. Just ask! If someone is selling certain types of items at the garage sale, such as antique furniture, children's clothing, or a lot of used books, it's possible they might have similar items they'd be willing to sell, even if you don't see them out in the garage sale. For example, it doesn't hurt to ask, "Do you have any WW2 items," if you're at a sale where there are many vintage items. It's possible they have items they could sell you.

5. Focus on group sales. Community or neighborhood garage sales can be gold mines because many people will make the extra effort to hold a sale if they know that many of their neighbors will be doing the same. Church/charity rummage sales are also great opportunities to find good deals. Again, people will go the extra mile to sell their items when they know it's benefiting their church or other worthy cause.

6. Negotiate. If an item is priced a bit more than you're willing to pay, make them an offer. Most people are more interested in getting rid of their items than they are in making maximum profit. But be fair and don't be a cheapskate.

7. Have fun! Garage sales are a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and socialize with people. If you go to at least a half dozen sales you're almost guaranteed to find items you truly need at fantastic prices.

Garage sales aren't the only place to get great deals. The internet is a place where you can find brand new items for deep discounts, if you know how to search.

For free software that will help you find the best deals online, go to http://www.1FreeShoppingGenie.com

About the author

My name is Ron E Wilbanks and I have been residing in Florida for the past 9 years and loving it. I have searched many years for a way to work from home so that I could spend more time with my family, and now I have it.

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