Garage Sale Blues
by Cheryl Gochnauer

The year's winding down. Chilly morning air nips as I scour neighborhoods in search of that elusive primo garage sale. A faded poster hangs haphazardly from a telephone pole, forgotten by the entrepreneur who tacked it up. 

The signature handmade signs are harder to spot now; it's been a good
month since treasure-hunting season was in high gear.

As a stay-at-home mom, I manage a tight budget. I can't tell you how many
times a garage sale translated into a godsend.

What happened to the banner on every corner, promising the "HUGE SALE!" or
"BEST BARGAINS!"? Where are the caravans of mothers roaming yard to yard,
greeting fellow shoppers they'd already seen at three other sales today?

My second grader needs a nice winter coat. Groaning, I remember the
pristine parka I passed up this summer. Its $8 price tag seemed
ridiculously high when the thermometer was spiking at 95. Now I realize I
will probably pay many times that amount to keep her warm this winter.

I spot an arrow up ahead. Encouraged, I signal and turn the indicated
direction. Three more pointers wind me through a subdivision, then
disappear. Stranded, I drive up and down several streets, hoping to pick up
the scent. Nothing.

Looks like I blinked and missed my last chance this season to cut costs by
sifting through my neighbors' stuff. The good-buy waterholes have dried up.

I've got the Garage Sale Blues.

Chiding myself for being such a miser, I head for the local discount store.
Their prices really are quite reasonable, although it's hard to beat four
shirts for a dollar.

I remember Spring, its warm breezes ushering in another era of raised doors
and card tables on the driveway. Balloons, streamers and posters promised
the "lowest prices, best deals." Sometimes, the bold boasts were genuine,
and I splashed through piles of nearly-new clothes that fit my children to a
tee. We cheerfully haggled - I know it's a great deal at 50 cents, but will
she take a quarter? Cast-offs became keepsakes.

It's all just a memory now.

Until the birds fly north, I'll have to console myself with Sunday fliers
and holiday sales. Coupons in hand, I'll forge through clearance aisles.
Occasionally, I may even pay - ouch - full price.

Hold me back before I cross the line from conscientious shopper to
penny-pinching cheapskate! I know I'm spoiled. Besides, although I missed the parka, I was smart enough to stock up on boots and sweaters last July. Like a chipmunk, I hoarded away clothes calculated to fit when my daughters hit those mid-winter growth spurts.

We're pretty much prepared. Still, I'll miss digging for those elusive gems buried in all the junk.

Until spring hatches another bargain-hunting season, I'll be singing the Garage Sale Blues.

Related Articles:

Let the Holidays Loom Large, But Not Heavy
That time is getting nearer everyday. It's the time when we sit down and plan out a shopping budget for ourselves so that we stay in total control of how much we spend over the holidays. Right? 

Money Under the Bedliner
My husband and I saved $15,000 this month. Here's how...

A Decision to Stay Home
I worked at an office job up until my son was two, struggling with the guilt and yearning of wanting to be home to raise him full time... I felt my son and I were both missing out on things that would never happen again such as his first step or mommy kissing boo-boos. 

Getting Started With Homeschool: You Don't Have to Spend That Much!
Here are a few ways many homeschooling families create a quality curriculum for their children and stay within a budget.

Five Ways to Beat Penny-Pinching Fatigue
Well, you've had enough. You're tired of just scraping by month after month, or of carrying a balance on one or more credit cards. It's frustrating to never see the light at the end of the financial tunnel.

Queen of the Freebies
Since I became a stay-at-home mom 15 years ago, I've learned how to stretch a dollar as far as it can go and how to take advantage of special offers, coupons, rebates, and "freebies."

School Supplies for Less
Sometimes it seems like getting the kids off on that first day of school can feel the same as when the final package goes under the Christmas tree. What a lot of work!