Jawjaw,
Any time you don't want Dolly, I'd gladly take her off your hands. I'll even give ya full market value! LOL...I know your
kiddin' but she has such a beautiful face, I couldn't resist!
Xena would love Dolly, too.

JJ, I set up several 8 foot tables in my driveway and have sales in the late summer usually. I always have one or two people there with me to watch the shoppers and spell each other for potty breaks etc. Mine have alwayds been successful even to the last item which is marked way down rather than take it back inside. But I still make a buck even after treating my helpers to a nice buffet... The last thing I do is put up a sigh over some plastic grocery store bags that reads: Fill a BAG for a Buck. That way all the small junk goes.

Yesterday, I went to a gem and jewelry trade show. I made a few bucks selling old thin gold chains and a few pieces of broken gold jewelry. (Of course I bought more jewelry), but my point is that if you go to the right place you can make some money by selling old gold. my girlfriend had a lot more stuff to sell and made $700.) You do not get a good price at those home parties or at the mall. But if the International Gem and Jewelry Trade show is coming to near where you live, it's a good place to go. If you really want the money and are disciplined enough not to buy more jewelry, it's a good idea.

When my friend, who is now in the nursing home, and I lived
side-by-side, she and I had several garage sales. That was a
long time ago, but we always made hundreds of dollars each.
And it was fun. They had a huge sale yesterday at the county
fair grounds, not far from here. They bill it as the largest
yard sale in the state. Everybody raves about it. So it must
be good!

jabber, there are big flea markets like that in Baltimore and I stay away from them. I don't need to buy another thing and I know if I go, I'll find something inexpensive that's a good deal, and end up bringing it home.

Louisa, I've heard lots of ads about people buying gold and old jewelry. I'm always skeptical about them. I'm glad to hear you and your friend had luck.

That's a really good point, Dotsie -- not to take away from anyone who has done well at yard sales. It's so tempting to pick up that little item because it's such a bargain, but what I really need to do is get stuff out of my house. For me, that's the biggest goal. Sometimes I have left stuff on my lawn with a Free to Good Home sign and thank goodness it has been gone when I return. Yay!

Which reminds me: I need to hit the library with book donations this week and drop off some stuff at the resale shop (these are donations). Out, out, out! I would probably do a bit better at this if it would ever stop raining. After more than 2 weeks of rain, we're pretty much saturated now. And, of course, it's getting ready to rain all this week....yay

Ellemm, I so agree with you. Get the stuff OUT! I feel so smothered some days with all the "stuff" here. I've had to stop myself from going to the yard sales because 9 times out of 10, I'll find a sleeper there (an antique) and it will be a bargain...I have no Will power when it comes to those babies.

So I stay away. Tomorrow our local library is having their annual book sale and I must stay away! stay away! stay away!

I think I'll put this old recliner on the driveway with a sign that says "FREE TO GOOD HOME." First I'll have to get Dolly out of it though. Or not.

Just gave stuff away last week. THere's a bin at the local high school and I frequent it.

I learned by helping Mom and my sibs clean out the home I was raised in. Ever since then, I love getting rid of stuff. Mom and Dad had way too much stuff in our childhhod home. However, I do have to confess that lots of it belonged to us kids.

Mom was always reminding us to take different things when we visited. With my kids, I'm telling them, "If it's not gone the next time you come home, I'm getting rid of it." Let's see if I can really be that tough...

This may sound odd but go to sales yourself and buy the cheapest stuff and even take the left over stuff, then collect it awhile and have a sale yourself, with everything cleaned and touched up if necessary you can double and triple your money on it. Also my friend who makes a good living this way, runs an ad saying she will pick up and dispose of your small junk. You wouldn't believe the stuff she comes away with that she later sells at a good peice. She quit her job seven years ago and never looked back. She even picks up stuff off the side of the road on garbage day. Its a blast!!!

Chatty,
Your friend sounds like a smart lady! Bet she has a ball doing
that, too!