Rules of Engagement: Navigating Your Way Through Yard Sales for Maximum Profit (and Fun!)

Spring, and a woman's fancy turns to romance, to daffodils, to the thrill of the hunt at the yard sales blossoming all over your community! As a veteran yard sale "addict" whose habit may never truly be fulfilled, I'd like to share some thoughts with gentle readers out there in cyberspace that I've learned from personal experience. These thoughts and suggestions are born not just by scouting down yard sales, but by also having hosted several of them myself in the recent past. Get your popcorn ready!

1. Be prepared. It works for the Scouts, it will work for you. The more effective you are in planning your yard sale ventures, the more successful you'll be. Read your local newspapers' classified sections starting on Wednesday of the upcoming weekend, in their "Garage and Yard Sales" sections. You can check this information not only by purchasing the paper, if you wish, but also by checking the online classifieds. Also check out Craigs List for yard sales being held in that area as well. Your town may also have an online web site that offers free space for residents wishing to publicize their yard sales, too. Another obvious source will be those ubiquitous big signs that folks like to plaster in the immediate vicinity of their sale. While the sign screams "YARD SALE", the pertinent details are all too often too small to read. Pull your car over safely on the side of the road and get out and read the sign, up close and personal. There's nothing worse than driving around like a crazed person trying to follow a set of blurry signs early on a Saturday morning. Take the time to actually read the darned thing in advance.