When I was in college, I wrote a feature story for the Columbia Missourian about yard sales, tracing how the used or discarded can find new purpose in the eyes of someone else. One man’s junk is another’s treasure. So quaint.
But when I wrote that article I was young and naive. I had no idea just how much STUFF a person can actually accumulate over the decades of their lives (and don’t even mention that TV show about hoarders).
The truth is, used stuff is big business, especially in today’s economy. There are treasures to be found, deals to be had, tight budgets to be stretched, important projects to be funded, eBay businesses to be run. Growing up, our Girl Scout troop held “rummage sales” to raise money for our troop trip to the Bahamas, and the P.E.O. chapters I’ve belonged to have funded many a scholarship from the proceeds of yard sales.
Today I choose to pay homage to an annual event in our town, the 100-Mile Yard Sale, opening today and continuing through the long Memorial Day weekend for its 15th year. It exists as a beacon of inspiration when I navigate the dark corners of my basement storage room. I need to have a yard sale. Many yard sales.
One of the reasons I love the house we moved into two years ago after eight years of searching is the fact that our basement is huge. One of its larger rooms is filled with the boxes of stuff I’ve been saving for my kids and things we had stored for eight years while we lived in our charming but very small bungalow, a temporary home that eventually saw both teenagers complete their high school years.
John and Annie moved out years ago, but I still have plastic tubs of Star Wars toys and Beanie Babies safely tucked away for… what? And there are all the cute things they made me, precious artwork and notes I will never part with.
But really most of what’s down there needs to go. When I have some time I’m going to deal with it. I’ve told myself to try removing at least one small box of stuff every week. It’s a task I’ve prioritized at about the same level as writing a blog post every week. Not gonna happen except in spurts or rare moments when time stands still.
Today I offer up three things I really don’t need and could probably get at least $1 for. And they’re not even from the basement. What do you think? I’ll make you a deal.
