Garage Sales

Springtime in Michigan is so beautiful. The apple blossoms, forsythia, and redbud trees make the landscape colorful and the budding of the trees announce the promise of warmer weather.

Spring is my favorite season, partially because by the beginning of December I am already tired of snow, ice and cold, but also because there is new life in all the kingdoms. The deer are fawning, new baby squirrels are digging into the bird feeders, and flowers are starting to push through the surface of the ground like they are stretching after a long nap.

It also means the beginning of parades, cookouts and yard sales!

For any of you who are not a fan of yard sales or bargain hunters, you will shake your heads and stop reading. That's ok. Those of us who know the excitement of finding a "real" treasure will understand. Yard sales hold the possibility of getting a real deal on something you have been wanting, or needing, and can't afford.

You may find a piece of furniture you have seen in a catalog and can't afford at a new price, but with a little elbow grease and paint can restore to its original luster.

If you ever watched the television shows "Cash in the Attic" or "Antique Road Show" you can't help but be amazed at some of the things that end up worth thousands that were purchased at a yard sale for a quarter.

I totally clothed my girls (the boys refused to wear yard sale clothes) through elementary school with yard sale clothes. Living on a military salary is never easy, but my girls always looked
as if they had brand new clothes all the time because I could find a dress or complete outfit for $1. I actually come to realize just how addicted I was to buying them clothes and toys when my (then) 5-yr-old daughter, Ashley, was getting ready for school in mid-October and started to cry. When I asked her why she was crying she said she couldn't wear what I had put out for her. When I questioned her further she said, "Because I've already worn it once!"

Yard sales can be an addiction! There was a time when I couldn't pass one up. I had to stop to see what they had I could not live without. My car automatically slowed down when it approached a sign with balloons (and I always get aggrevated when the signs are up but the lettering is too small to see while driving by).

After the kids had grown I didn't stop every time I saw children's toys in the driveway or a sign with balloons. I do sometimes look in the paper to see if anyone is advertising something interesting, like a piece of furniture or yard tool. I lost my need to buy off my children with new trinkets, so my desire to brake at every sale had dwindled. It seems my children were the models to show off my frugal side, and my ability to compete with people who had money. Once they were grown I didn't have the need to show off my exemplary skills at bargain hunting.

It is, however, spring. And, things that have appeared to have died are now springing back to life. Who knows what old desires may rejuvinate. After all, I now have grandchildren!