Yard Sale and Garage Sale Buys - Reselling them on eBay

Just a quick note - the yardsale queen message board is smokin' hot! Just in the past two weeks we had board members with some great ebay sales. For stuff that was bought at yardsales and garage sales! One auction was for a pair of coffee tables - they went for over $1000. A clock went for over $700, and a pair of used old sneakers went for over $900!! (ok the sneakers weren't found at a yardsale, but at 20 years old, they could have been!)

And I recently sold a cereal premium freebie - you know a free toy that comes in boxes of kid's cereal? I had lot of 6 of a particular freebie toy go for $41! And something I bought at an indoor yardsale this past Saturday for $3 is up to $50 already! It's pretty exciting! That's why I am using so many exclamation points!

To read the rules of the message board and to join, click here a small portion of the message board can be pre-viewed here. Members who are signed in can see the whole thing.

Bingo, Tag Toppers, Oatmeal, Yardsales & Etc.

Ok, time to finally catch up on what's been happening in the past few weeks. Nothing too exciting but haven't really had time to sit down and write up a bloggy post.

I ate oatmeal yesterday. For the first time in my life. Don't get me wrong, I can eat oatmeal cookies all day long, but cooked oatmeal for breakfast? Nope. You know what changed my mind? Getting a coupon for a free oatmeal at McDonald's (it was in last Sunday's coupon packs.) I can't turn down free food, even if it's oatmeal. It was ok I guess, since I don't really have anything to compare it to. But the price was right.

And in my previous post, I said I was recovering from playing bingo. That is a whole nother way to waste a day. But that also included free food and I won $50 so I can't complain. The only reason why I played is because of pretty much why I do anything in life - because I had a coupon for it. The coupon was good for $25 worth of bingo cards plus a free dabber. So why not? And it came with free soda, danish, lunch and more free soda. I left my house at 8:30am and got home around 3pm. And that $25 pack of bingo cards didn't even include all the games. There were bingo employees circulating around the tables saying things like "Quickie, $50 Cherry, Day at the Races, U-pick-Um" which were special bingo games that they sold cards for. I resisted since I had a hard enough time keeping up with the regular games, which of course, most times were not regular bingo games. Games like double bingo, triple bingo, crazy 7 bingo, crazy kite bingo etc. I came home stressed and exhausted. But full of free soda. And that's what's important - getting my fill of diet pepsi.

At lunchtime, there was a quick break for lunch - which they provided for free. Pulled pork sandwich and a glob of chocolate pudding.



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Then the other weekend, the clubhouse in our 'hood had a mini version of Antiques Roadshow so I went to it. For $2 admission you could bring as much stuff as you wanted and a local antiques dealer would tell you what he thought about your junk. Here's what I brought:



I am currently selling the cake dish for a local elderly woman who is downsizing. I mainly wanted a second opinion on it (to confirm that what I thought it is - an emerald Fenton cake plate). I've had the KISS lunchbox for a good 15 years - I have it displayed with my other lunchboxes in my kitchen. The dealer estimated it to be worth around $100 - and I just recently sold it on ebay for $150. I would rather collect money than have it collect dust. The chopsticks with mother of pearl and the silver thing (it's an Occupied Japan smokers set - ashtray, place to store cigarettes, matchbook holder) are things my dad bought as souvenirs during his service in the Korean War. Never knew why he bought the smokers thing since he wasn't a smoker. The pocketwatch belonged to my husband's grandfather, the dealer estimated it at about $150. And the thing that says "Solomons Island Maryland" is called a tag topper. People would put them on their license plates as decorations. I plan on keeping it (I paid .50 for it at a flea market), but the dealer said if I was to sell it, not to sell it for less than $150.

At the antique roadshow event, it was very low key, just people talking about their junk and eavesdropping and hearing what the dealer thought stuff was worth. It was the next best thing to do besides going yardsaling, of course.

Here's a pic of something I thought was interesting that someone else brought in - Presidential and Camp David cigarettes:


Speaking of tag toppers, I went to an indoor yardsale last Saturday and bought one and have it listed on ebay. Lots of people have looked at it but no bids currently. There is a link to my ebay auctions over there to the left.

And finally, Jacob and I spent our last free night at the hotel for a while. Finally scored a free room on the top floor with a better view. Normally the free rooms are on lower level with limited view.

View from the room:


Ok, two minutes before I took this picture, I had just left the indoor heated pool and ran outside soaking wet to take this picture. So you better enjoy it:


Jacob, of course, playing computer in a new location. The other rooms we've been in, haven't had an ottoman so he had to try it out instead of the computer chair:



p.s. Coming soon, to a grocery store checkout near you, me in a magazine. Nope, not the National Enquirer. Stay tuned for details.

Been Busy

I know I know, a day without a blog post from me is like a day without sunshine. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I will rectify the situation shortly. I hope.

I am still recovering from playing Bingo on Tuesday.

Talk to you soon.

some random pics for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines's Day - to those who celebrate.


This is why I am glad I just have a basic, regular ole top loading washing machine. I'm sure this thing cost a crapton and a half when it was new. Here it is, needing some sort of belt, for $20 at the thrift store. I opened it up and it smelled mildewy.



Had lunch with DH at a Chinese buffet place last week. I have no idea what this is (I did not try it), but whatever it is, I think it could called pitted eyeballs and served at a Halloween party.



Jacob at ten years of age, is already tired of the paparazzi.


That's all folks, nothing much new to report. Oh but I did do something fun on Sunday, which I will have to blog about. If you can't be out buying junk, the next best thing is being out and looking at other people's junk.

Snickers and Moes

Originally I had planning on staying home all day today and being good and working on ebay. Oh well, I can always try again next week. I did write up some new ebay listings but then remembered that I better go out to lunch at Moes and use a $5 gift card that was going to expire next week. (Every December Moes has a gift card deal that if you buy a $25 GC, you get a free $5 GC but that $5 GC will expire in the middle of February). And I wanted to use it today, to get the most bang for my free $5 buck. On Mondays, my Moes has a lunch special for $5.99 (includes a burrito, chips and drink). Otherwise on any other day you are paying $7.18 for the same huge burrito and $1.89 for the drink). So using my $5 gift card today, I only paid $1.05.

Then went to Food Lion, for some necessities. 6 Snicker bars. They were Buy 1 Get 1 Free (but at Food Lion, they essentially just ring up at half price: .49) So then I used some Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons which scanned at .99 off. So total paid for 6 candybars: .15

Kapoosh and ShamWow!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it again or not, but again this winter, the local hotel gave us free rooms to use again. So this morning after checking out of the hotel, we did some shopping in another city about 45 miles from the castle).

First on my To-Do list was to go to a home improvement show being held in a local arena. I wanted to go for a few reasons: it was free to go. It was pretty close to the hotel location. And I had never been inside the arena before and wanted to see it. Only downside is now I am going to be bombarded for the next 12 months with timeshare opportunities and people wanting to update my kitchen cabinets. But that is my own fault for giving my real name and # on their entry blanks.



Then onto a Honda dealer to look at the CR-7 cars. DH felt cramped in it, so it's not going to make the cut. If you remember, we started looking for a new car last July. DH doesn't like to rush into things, plus, I still wasn't sold yet on replacing my Mazda MPV.

So cutting the CR-7 off the list, there is just one car left. Chances are my new vehicle will be a Toyota Venza. The Mazda CX-7 is being axed since in comparison to the Venza, the Venza is nicer inside. I've never had a Toyota before. Of course, in a perfect world, I would go into a time machine and bring back one of the best cars ever - a "new" a 1988 Plymouth Sundance, with 0 miles, in baby blue.

Then, onto Bed Bath & Beyond. I wish there was one closer to me, I love that store. When I visited my sister in December, she showed me her Kapoosh Knife Holder and I loved it. She had the one in the wooden block and I immediately went and bought one while in NY (since of course I carry my 20% off Bed Bath & Beyond coupons everywhere I go, just in case). But when I got it home to Maryland, I realized the stainless steel one would be better for me. So I returned it last month to the Annapolis Bed Bath & Beyond store. But they were out of the one I wanted. It's $39.99 at BB&B (less 20% coupon, I didn't pay $57)

So I was happy to find it at their other location today. Plus I bought other things, like how could I pass up ShamWow! towels for just $5.99 (less 20% coupon, of course). They also had Christmas food gift sets, like Knotts Berry Farm Boysenberry syrup/waffle mix sets for $3.99 (less 20%). Originally $19.99. I bought 2.

You probably already know this if you are a regular Bed Bath & Beyond shopper, but save all your 20% off coupons that you get in the mail. Even though they have an expiration date, you can used expired coupons. And you can use one coupon per item. I bought 6 things today and I handed the cashier 6 coupons.

Picture from this morning - a gray day on the bay.