If you are anything like me, you can't resist a bargain. Who can? For the last twenty or so years, I have been getting my fix on a regular basis from the Saturday morning yard sale route but until recently, it was more of a hobby than an obsession. Two years ago, we decided to trade in our beach home for a property with a little more acreage just off the coast. And along with the bigger lot, came a whole slew of "home improvement" projects waiting in the wings. Now I actually had a reason for my madness.

I have never been what a rationale person would describe as "handy". In fact, I have always considered my best attribute to be the ability to know the limitations of home maintenance abilities. That has not always been the case. In my youth, I thought there would be no harm in attempting any home repair project. Wrong! It didn't take long to discover that I could actually make the problem even worse and cost more to rectify after my attempts to emulate Bob Villa. It took some time and a vast array of newly purchased tools (at the local home improvement super center) to learn that some things are just better left to the professionals. But what I have learned over the years is that having the right tools can make the difference between a successful endeavor and a horrific failure. Yard sales can be the difference maker. I have found that you can pick up tools, even those you may or may not need, at as little as a tenth of the price. If you don't ever need them, you are out only a couple of dollars and no harm done. And here is a bonus, if you find that you don't need them, you can always resell them at your own yard sale. Case in point, we recently remodeled our kitchen. The cabinet frames, being solid oak but somewhat dated, were left in place and new doors, drawers and some additional cabinets were constructed from scratch. New counter tops were installed to compliment the cabinets, but during the removal of the old tops, the tile backsplash, which we loved was damages in several places and additional tiling was necessary. Repair was what most tiling contractors would consider a small job and I was having difficulty getting someone in to finish the job. Fortunately, I had picked up several items on my yard sailing which encouraged me to give this project a try. I say fortunately because had I not purchased a manual tile cutter and some other tools for a total of 7 dollars, I probably would have subbed the job out- at a cost of roughly 700 dollars. My total outlay for this job was well under two hundred dollars thereby producing a net savings of around 500 dollars. And the self satisfaction of completing a project of a type which I never really tried before, was as they say, Priceless.

Planning

As you can see by the above example, there is money to be made in yard sailing. But in order to make it a profitable experience as opposed to a junk collecting expedition, you will need to incorporate one key element. Planning. Over the years, I have observed many bargain hunters and as often as not, the majority fall into the junk collector category. I have even seen one woman at a community yard sale, running from home to home grabbing up items with no apparent thought before she made a purchase. My hunch is that she has a garage full of useless items. And if she is not single now, there will come a time we she will no longer have room for anything else in her life. Have I mentioned that the "art of the deal" can be addictive?

I often come home with little or no treasure in my trunk. Do I consider that a failed expedition? Not necessarily. By knowing the generalities of what I am hunting for, I have a basic idea of what I am in search of at any given point in time. I learned a long time ago, it is better to walk away empty handed then to make an impulse purchase. I keep a list of the basic items that I am looking for posted on the garage refrigerator that I pass each time I am heading on the treasure safari. Not always specific items, sometimes just a room or project I need some material to complete. Knowing where you are going (especially in these days of four dollar fuel) and the neighborhoods are also a big plus. While I don't go through the whole process of drawing up an itinerary, I do have a basic understanding of where I am headed and which neighborhoods have the most affluent demographics. This last part is the biggest tip, as you will find the best purchases in the more upscale areas.

Is it really worth all the hassle?

While for some, the overall effort needed to be a successful yard sailor may be more pain than reward, for me it's been well worth the sweat. I keep a running total and over the past several years, I estimate that my savings have been in excess of twenty thousand dollars! And that is a conservative estimate. Now, let me preface that by saying we had some extraordinary circumstances that led me to make the purchases in the first place. We recently moved (from a townhouse to a custom home on an acre by the bay) and there were many items that I knew we would be using to reshape the home into our standards. Yard care items and tools were high priority on most of my lists. I probably saved in excess of 3k alone on these items in the first year alone. Lawn mowers, edgers and other garden implements could either be purchased at the local home hardware superstore at full price or on the yard sale trail at approximately 10% of the cost. But going this route is not one I would recommend for the novice. Buying power tools at garage sales can be a risky proposition. You need to know your price points and also accept the fact that some of you purchases may turn out to be duds. Ask to see them run whenever you can. If possible, make sure all components are included and if possible, the owners manual are always a good idea. Most are readily available on line, but some may not be, so take that though into your pricing consideration. My best buy was a $500.00 lawnmower that I picked up for fifty dollars. With the exception of one trip to the service center (for a problem that was totally my fault) I have used it for three summers now. I certainly got my money's worth on that one. Soon I will start looking for a replacement, the end of summer is great time to pick up yard tools as storage or pending home sales make for good bargains.

Over the years, some of my best buys have been impulse items, but I have developed an educated pallet that gives me the confidence to grab these items. A limited edition signed Audubon print that I purchased for thirty dollars, recently appraised for several thousand dollars. Fishing rods and reels have been some major finds, especially some of the antiques I have hanging on my walls. And I recently saw some teak steering wheels that I picked up for several dollars, in an antique shop for several hundred dollars each. Have there been times where I made some bad buys? Yes, that goes without saying. Most of the time, it's because the item had some defect that I didn't recognize when I negotiated its price. But generally speaking, once I refined my techniques, I am usually satisfied with my treasures. One final bit of advice, learn to walk away from a deal you are not comfortable with in regard to price or quality. If you are like me, you will have some remorse later in the day, but more often than not, you can find another one at another sale. It may take weeks or even months but eventually you will find a replacement. Patience is the answer.

So it would seem to me that not only Donald Trump can master the " Art of the Deal". With the proper planning and knowledge, you can too.