Thrift Tip: Yard Sale Yields

Fave fashion blogger Sammy Davis is now lending a hand at Lemondrop, where she recently contributed a post about how to successfully shop a yard sale.  Not only does she offer tips, but she offers some valuable "don'ts"—for example, skip the bedding.

Her best tip of the piece (if you ask us):

Gold Find Tip #4: Shop the Wealthiest Neighborhood One Town Over
I admit, it's a bit embarrassing to hit up a local yard sale only to awkwardly discover that you're looking through stuff from your elementary school teacher's attic. The solution? Drive 20 minutes to the nearest town (not to mention school district) over to avoid run-ins with the townies. The even-better solution? Choose a wealthy neighborhood. Yard sales are like trick-or-treating: Go to the big houses, and you'll get the big sweets.

Incidentally, while reading the July issue of Real Simple magazine, I came across a brief list of tips for shopping yard sales.  I guess it is that time of year!  Real Simple advises befriending sellers that you see often, or at least chatting up those you don't.  Friendliness can go a long way, and repeat visits can earn you a soft spot in a seller's heart.  In addition, they gently remind us not to scoff at imperfect pieces that may be priced too high for our tastes.  Insulting the seller never works, so instead simply tell them what price you're willing to pay and ask if that would be suitable to them.  Don't start too low, but don't be afraid to haggle—nicely.

Trust me, most sellers want to actually SELL and would rather let something go for a lower price than have it not go at all.

I've been avoiding yard sales since I hosted my own on Memorial Day weekend.  What about you?  Any good finds lately?

♥