By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World
You know the old adage; what’s one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. I agree with this, especially when it comes to kids toys, books & clothes. If you’re looking for something to do, check out your local newspaper to see if they have garage sale listings.
I like to take my boys to a neighborhood sale where we can go for a walk, that way we only need to get in and out of the car once. This makes it much easier. Then I give each boy some money. $3 is huge to them. We walk around and check everything out. They like to search for all sorts of things, like toys for the yard, videos, books… whatever strikes their fancy at the time.
It really helps my boys learn about money; making change, managing wants and living within their means. When the items they want is more than they have, they can learn negotiation skills, price shopping, how to save and patience. We have stumbled upon some INCREDIBLE finds. Here are a few that come to mind:
• Books. We’ve found some great new and gently used books, for as low as a quarter per book.
• A bicycle that was a higher-end (maybe worth $250) for a child, we bought it for $5.
• A Peg Perego stroller for $10 in great condition.
• Brand new ski helmets $2 each. I bought 3 of them.
• One time we found a boy who had outgrown his Fisher Price Rescue Heroes. When I tell you that he must have owned every single Rescue Heroes item every made, I am not exaggerating. Well, one look at the collection and I practically had to pull their jaws up from the ground. They were mesmerized. I took every last item…for $50. It’s real value, gosh more than $1000.
Tomorrow my friend’s neighborhood is having a garage sale and I am looking forward to selling my wares. I don’t expect to make much money. People who go to these sales are always looking for a deal, or else why would they bother?
This year, my boys will set up their own table and price their own stuff. Whatever money they make they keep. This is a great way to get rid of old toys. If they get bored and want to go play, no problem – but if they want me to sell their stuff for them, I keep the earnings. I’ll probably spend it all at the ice cream truck anyway!
About the Author: Renee Martinez is the mother of 4 boys, the founder of RaisingBoysWorld.com, www.socialmediabizsummit.com, and the president of RubyMarCom (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company. Her business blog (www.lisac95.sg-host.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media related for her active audience.
Renee is an adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she teaches social media marketing in the business school. Find Renee on Twitter at @reneemmartinez.
Photo of Garage Sale sign by Eastlake Times, found on Flickr
