Facebook Online Garage Sale Groups

Y’all know I love to get my hunt on……garage sales, Craig’s List, thrift stores, consignments stores, flea markets, ebay, no matter the store front virtual or not I love to search for a good deal! Even if I was Mrs. $Money Banks$ I would still hunt!

-Many of our decorations are from Goodwill
-Some of my favorite props are ones that I spent $5 on at flea market
-Ninja’s home (our bunny) is a 2 story apartment was found for dirt cheap off Craig’s List. Bunny condos are freaking expensive but not his abode!
-And the list goes on and on!

With a little one on the way the hunt has been even more necessary than before as we try to prepare without breaking the bank. As many know babies outgrow things at the speed of light and they need a lot of contraptions! Enter The Hunter…..Moi! I’ve been dead set on finding items for Weston (our little bean on the way) at great to reasonable prices! Kiddos outgrow things so quickly that most of the items we’ve bought are in brand new condition even some with the tags still on them!

 

Online Facebook Garage Sale Groups Are Your BFF

What are they? Basically they are exactly what they are called, online garage sale groups hosted through Facebook’s group feature.

How does it work? Members of the group post items they would like to sale usually with price and details on the item. Other members then leave a comment under the post saying they’re interested, making a lower offer if you think the listed price is too high, or asking further questions about the item. The seller will then offer the item to commenters in the order the comments are left…..pretty much a virtual line.

Most items are listed as PPU (Porch Pick Up) meaning you agree on a price swing by their house on a agreed upon time and the item will be waiting for you on their porch. Most items are paid for through paypal or by leaving cash at a top secret spot. ;o) I actually prefer PPUs. I feel it’s safer and I don’t really want to go into anyone’s home or garage. With that being said I always take Kent with me just to be safe.

How can I find groups near me? Log into Facebook and search Online Garage Sale city name (enter surrounding cities that you wouldn't mind driving to pick up your items. You should find several groups you can request to join! Once you’re in the group make friends and ask other members for recommendations on a few of their favorite groups. You can find general garage groups but you can also narrow down your search for groups that sale specific items (kids clothing, infant gear, antiques, and so on). I’m currently a member of 11 groups. The more you join the more goodies you see! 

Tips!
-Be sure to read the guidelines. Each group is a little different. Some are stricter than others so be sure you understand how things work.

-Learn the lingo!  
        PPU-Porch Pick Up
        PPUO-Porch Pick Up Only
        ISO- In Search Of
        OBO- Or Best Offer
        NWOT- New Without Tags
        NWT- New With Tags

-If you see something you’re interested in and it’s at a great price JUMP ON IT! When items are in great condition and priced well they fly.

-Get in line! If you see something you want but see several others already in line go ahead and leave a comment saying you’re interested. Many times people change their minds and you may get lucky and be the next one up.

-Don’t be shy to ask for a lower price if you feel the item is overpriced. Most times they will say sure!

-Respond quickly! This is the same for buyer and sellers. If you’re posting items you want to sale post at a time that you are available to answer questions quickly so folks don’t lose interest. On the flip side if you’ve left a comment that you’re interested in an item be courteous to the seller and let them know quickly so they can offer it to someone else if you decide to pass.    

-Inspect your items before you drive away with them! It’s up to the seller to be responsible and honest but it’s also your responsibility to make sure you’re happy with what you’re buying. If it’s a PPU and you’re not happy with what you see leave it on the porch and contact the seller immediately to let them know you decided to pass and why.

-When you’re posting an item be sure to include as much detail in your discretion as you can and be honest with things that have scuffs or need a little TLC. The more detail you leave the less time you’ll spend answering questions.

-When selling items if you really want to see it go bye-bye list it at a fair price. No one cares that you’ve had it for a year, spent $100 on it, and have a huge attachment to it. We’re all there looking for a great deal so if you want your items gone fast list them for fair prices!

What have you recently snatch from your garage sale groups?

I have a running list of items I need/want and try my best to only buy something if it’s an item I’m going to use now or need for the baby.  Here are a few of our recent finds!

 

Weston’s bedding. The set is from Land of Nod and in great condition! For $30.00 the seller included:  2 crib sheets, 1 new mattress protector, bumper, crib skirt, and padded changing pad cover. I’m in love with the colors and flexibility! We’re doing his room in a vintage theme so I think this will look great!

 

$25 Electric smoker for Kent! He’s wanted one for the longest and was thrilled! We’ve had some yummy smoked chicken and salmon so far!

$4 Diaper wipe warmer for my studio! I don’t plan to use one for Weston but for my sleeping itty-bitty clients I think it will be great!

New in box magnification cosmetic mirror with light and wall mount $25.  
This has been on my list for the longest but they are freaking expensive!!!!  This one was priced a little higher than I would like to pay but she had tons of people in line so I couldn’t offer her a lower price. Paying $25 is way better than $100 though!

 

Boppy pillow with pillow case and My Breast Friend pillow case $5

 

Everything you see below was purchased for $50 from a church garage sale. The guy that we bought the smoker from told us about a huge garage sale that was happening. So glad he shared his scoop with us! Don’t be shy to ask people you interact with in the group if they know of any consignment events or great garage sales going one.

 

 

Good stuff huh?
Now get out there find some garage sale groups and start hunting!

VLOG: Thrifting Tips

 

Thank you for the very kind words of encouragement after last week’s vlog! I’m trying to do things this year that make me shake in my boots and vloging is one of those things! It’s hard to put yourself out there like that!

 

This weeks vlog is chalk full of thrifitng tips!

If you would like to share some tips of your own feel free to share them in your comment. I would love to know what your tricks of the trade are!

 

 

The backdrop used in this picture is actually a skirt I picked up at Goodwill (the one I was talking about in the clip.) No it does not fit me, not even close to fitting me, BUT I loved the print so I bought it! I talk more about this in the clip above just in case you’re a little confused.

 

 

Check back on Sunday evening 
if you’re not tired of me!
I’ll be starting a new VLOG series I like to call “Love is in the Air”
I’ll be chatting about my time in China (I used to live there for those of you don’t know) and how Kent and I fell in LOVE. It’s kind of a long story and as you know I ramble soooooo I’m going to break it down into several different
vlogs that I’ll post each Sunday as we lead up to our wedding!

 

I’m linking up with:
Tales From Bloggeritaville
Tatertots and Jello

Thrifty Treasures

Well I tried my hardest to stay out of Goodwill last week but for some reason my car just couldn't help its self from making a stop when we passed by. I’m glad my car decided that we needed a little shopping break because I would have missed out on some great finds!


I almost miss this. It was tucked away in corner but on my second walk through I spotted it. I almost didn’t get it but thought of a project and decided it would be perfect! I’m not sure of the exact length but I’m guessing it’s about 6 yards. I paid $9.00. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Closer look

Another GW find. This guy was 4.99. I need to make a trip to Joann’s to finish it off but I have just the right place for it!

This guy is for my Mom. He was only $4.00 and a lot taller than he looks in the picture. My Mom’s Christmas colors are pink, white, pale blue, and silver. I think he will fit in lovely.

Do you remember my green book from last week….well he found a couple friends. Meet Miss Orange and Lady Yellow! I think they will get along nicely.

All Christmas decor at GW (in my area at least) is 25% off. As you can tell I’ve been taking advantage of the extra discount. My plan this year for Christmas is to make all presents we gift (except for nieces and nephews. I won’t make them suffer with my homemade gifts). I’m hoping this will cut back on our Christmas spending so I’ve been gathering baskets to use as gift baskets. These were $1.00 each, the red and green shredded gift paper was $.50 each, and the little gift box was $.50 as well. They will never know the baskets came from GW.

These gilded pears were $.50 for the larger ones and $.25 for the smaller ones. I think I might need to go back and get a few more. They are bran new with original tags attached. The price on the original tag was $6.00 for the larger ones and $4.50 for the smaller guys.

I’ve seen a lot of great things done with these guys….I don’t even know what they are called. I snatched them up for $.50 a piece. I’m about to decorate our guest room so I’m thinking I can use them in there. I’ll post pictures when I get finished it.

Ohhh the Things that Happen at Goodwill

I thought I would take a few seconds to talk about Goodwill experiences. As some us may know we encounter all different types of people at Goodwill. For the most part people keep to the selves but every now and then you many run into a character. The other day an older women started talking to me. I could tell that she was very lonely and just wanted someone to listen so I did just that. She told me her whole life story. I learned about her marriage, her son, her grandchildren, her health, her finances, all the people that wronged her, and the list just goes on and on. She had a very hard life and really just needed someone to talk to so I listened to what she had to say. She was from Germany and moved to the states with her husband. They were married for 40 years until he cheated on her. Around this part of the conversation things started getting a little…..uncomfortable. She went on to tell me about their sex life (I’ll save you the gory details) and how she told him if he ever cheated on her she would kill him. I started nervously laughing as if she was joking but she went on to assure me that he would be dead today if she had found out. She told me several times that she “really” would have killed him. That’s when I started thinking it was time to close shop and find a way out of the conversation. Luckily my friend Andrea happened to call (thanks Andrea) which I thought would give me an out without offending her. She continued to talk to me as I was talking to Andrea on the phone. I just had to tell her politely to have a good day and started walking away even though she was mid sentence. While I continued my shopping and conversation with Andrea another gentleman started talking to me. He was very kind and only wanted to tell me that I was being very patient with the older lady. He said she talked more than most people should talk in a month!

This whole encounter just got me thinking about all the funny and strange things that have happened while I’ve been shopping at a GW/Thrift Stores. So I was wondering, do you have any stories like mine or am I the only one that has "Goodwill Stories"? They can be funny, heartwarming, strange, whatever. I thought it would be fun to do a post with a few of these stories. I have a few more to share as well. If you have one that’s short share it in your comment on this post. If it’s a longer story shoot me an e-mail at domesticprincessintraining@gmail.com and I will pick a few to post. If your story/situation gets posted you can link back so you share it with your readers as well.

Today I'm linking up with:
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/

Thrifty Treasures Time!

Hello!
I’m linking up with Rhoda over at Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality again this week! I loved looking at all the great finds last week and will be stopping by to take a peek at all the wonderful finds.

Found this at thrift store (I believe I paid $5). It was still in the box and had Christmas wrapping paper left on it. Too bad for the person that gifted it. I guess we know where our unwanted gifts turn up. It was meant to be placed inside a fire place sans logs but I put it behind the tub in my master bathroom. The candles are from IKEA.

Another thrift store find. I’ve had these two lovelies in my had for quite some time. I forgot how much I paid but I’m sure they were a steal!

HAPPY THRIFTING!

One Man’s Trash is Another Gal's Treasure!

I was itching to go shopping today but since finances are a little tight and I LOVE a good deal I hit up the local thrift stores and consignment stores (another one of my favorite past times). As some of you may know this is usually a hit or miss type of thing but I ended my thrifty extravaganza with some new treasures that I wanted to share. I only spent $8.00. For a day of shopping that’s not too shabby in my book!





This was my favorite purchase of the day. It doesn’t match the theme or décor in my home…..it just made me smile. I’m going to put it on counter in my bathroom next to my perfumes. It’s a little ring box so I was thinking this would be a great place to store my wedding band until the BIG day!

Not sure where I’m going to put this but I thought it was a great steal, only $1.35. I’m sure I will find just the right place for it. It just needs a little cleaning and a candle.

I love these tea lights. I usually scatter tea lights down the dining room table when we are hosting a dinner party and thought these will look great lit up. Another steal at .30 each!