Smart Yard Sale Shopping

When the weather warms up people bring out their wares to sell in the neighborhood yard sales or garage sales.

If you're like I am, you look forward to the weekly bargains and treasures found during yard sale season, but it takes some planning and some strategy to make sure you get the best deals.

Set a spending and time limit - and stick to it

Plan the number of sales you are going to stop at and stick to it. In addition, plan a limit of spending at each sale. For example, if you plan to stop at 10 yard sales and put a limit of spending no more than $20 at each sale, then your limit would be $200. If you spend $200 at the first sale, then you're done for the day. I give my kids a limit of spending no more than $3 each all day. This makes them think and choose carefully what they want to spend their money on. They know that when they've spent their $3, they don't get to buy anything else the rest of the day.

Plan your route

In my area, most yard sales are held on Fridays and Saturdays with a few held on Thursdays. Most yard sales are advertised in the local newspapers starting on Wednesdays. I get Thursday's newspapers, skim through the ads looking for sales that are nearby and those that are advertising items of interest. I usually stay in the nearest town just to save gas. I circle all ads that I'd like to check out, then using http://www.mapquest.com I will map out a route that will keep me from backtracking or overlapping my driving routes.

Carry a fanny pack

A fanny pack for your cash is a handy little thing. A shoulder bag or purse is bulky and gets in the way, but a small fanny pack is front and center and easily accessed when you need your cash. This is also a good idea to deter theft. Leave your purse, wallet, checkbook and credit cards locked in your car and only carry your budgeted yard sale cash in the fanny pack. Be sure to lock your car! It's sad but true - there are unsavory characters who prey on yard sale shoppers and yard sale sellers.

Carry small bills and quarters and pay with cash

Get your cash changed into ones and fives ahead of time. It's frustrating for a seller to have someone pay for a one-dollar item with a twenty or a 25-cent item with a five or a ten. Having correct change or small bills will also speed up your time at the sale, so you can get to the next one! Most sellers prefer cash only, so don't show up and expect to write a check - it's a hassle for the seller. If you don't have the cash for the purchase, you probably shouldn't buy it.

If you see something you like, pick it up

I've done it before - looked at an item, liked it, wavered in indecision, walked off, came back and it was gone. In the yard sale world it's true that "you snooze, you lose." If you think you might be interested and you can carry it around, pick it up and do so. You can always put it back down if you decide against buying, but someone else can - and probably will - snatch it away while you're trying to make up your mind. Err on the side of caution.

Don't be afraid to ask

This is important. ASK to plug in an item and see that it works. ASK to try something on. ASK if all of the pieces are included. ASK if you can get a better price. The worst that can happen is they say no and you walk away from the item.

Don't overlook damaged items

Clothing can be mended, chairs can be repaired, most items can be recycled for other uses. Think outside the box: If the price is great but it's broken or damaged - can you fix it or use it in another way? A kitchen chair with a broken seat being offered for one dollar is a great bargain - recycle it into a flower planter. I once goofed with an item I sold in a yard sale: It was an expensive flashlight that I thought was broken and unrepairable. I sold it very cheap and later discovered that it worked perfectly, it just needed a new light bulb. It was quite a bargain for the guy who bought it and a lesson for me.

Pass our cards with your name and number

I once went to a yard sale for a specific item that had been advertised. When I got there, the price was much more than I was willing to pay. I told the woman who owned it that if she didn't sell it during the sale, that I would pay X dollars for it and she could call me. I left my name and phone number and two days later I got a call from her. I bought it for the price I was willing to pay. It's a gamble - but sometimes it does pay off. I printed business cards on my printer with my name, phone number and email address. I can simply hand the seller my card and write on it the item I'm interested in and the price I'm willing to pay. If it's left at the end of the sale, most sellers will make that call.

Pay attention to advertised times

There is nothing more frustrating than holding a yard sale, advertising that it starts at 8 a.m. and be awakened at 6 a.m. to find people milling around in your yard. Be courteous: If the advertised time says 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., don't show up at 6 a.m. or 7 p.m. Most people will include in their ad "early birds welcome" - if so, then have at it. If not, wait until the advertised time.

Make a list

It can be overwhelming looking at the array of items displayed at a yard sale. If there are specific things you are looking for, write it down. Make a list and be sure to look it up before you get out of your car. Be sure to take the list with you so you can look at it again. It's aggravating to get home and realize that something you needed was at a sale and it just didn't click that you had been looking for it. Family members will often tell me of items they are looking for, so I include those on my lists.

Have fun!

This is the most important thing: Make it fun. My kids love to go to the yard sales with me. It's fun looking at the many treasures. Even if I buy nothing, I consider it's been a fun day just because I enjoy getting out and seeing what's for sale.Using these tips can help you have a successful and productive day at the yard sales in your area.