My name is Wendi, and I am a garage sale enthusiast. I should back up a little bit. Yes, seeing a sign for a garage sale on the road does get me interested to see what items someone no longer needs and maybe I need.
Having kids, clothes and toys will get me to stop. And, maybe the the possibility for finding a good deal on books in a box or two will get me to stop as well.
I do have favorite subdivision sales I look forward to because there are houses who always have something and selling for a good price. Highlights from a subdivision sale close to my house included a brand new pair of headphones, clothes for my best friend’s daughter, brand new set of markers of my favorite brand and a lot of Disney stuff.
From there, it just spirals into: I have found a lot of books for good prices.
But, also this is the year we have our own garage sale. It has slowed me if not stopped me from those enticing bold letters announcing a garage sale because I know there is stuff I need to go through for the Great Purge of 2024.
Our first garage sale at our home was in 2018. We had been in our house for two years and there were enough things we just didn’t need anymore. Oh, and there was the selling of Barbieland. We found out our second child would be a boy. It was time to let go of all the Barbie stuff I had held onto since my childhood.
It was hard, but it was time. What made it easier was my best friend, who has a daughter getting into Barbies. She got a lot but not all of it. So, yes the bulk of the 2018 sale was Barbie.
The next garage sale was a few years ago. Oliver was out of the baby stuff. We were swimming in totes with clothes 3-month to 24-month, baby toys, baby blankets. Lots of baby.
Oh, and I did have some Barbie stuff leftover which included ornaments and an angel tree topper. In fact, there were a few boxes of miscellaneous things I gave to somebody and said have fun.
Now, we are at the Great Purge of 2024. I am just going to peel the Band-Aid off quickly and close my eyes. Yes, I still have more Barbie. For this round it’s special edition and collector Barbies.
I went through the first round and maybe kept 10. Maybe more counting the Scooby Doo collection and when Skipper was released as my namesake, Wendy from “Peter Pan.” I kept ones that were always my favorite and they still are. I still get the same feeling opening them as I did when I got them as a child.
Most of the special collection went right into the sell pile. It was quick and easy. Some were a bit harder, like POG Barbie. Why should that one be so hard to let go – that fad came and went quite quickly.
Some went into a pile for my best friend’s daughter, luckily she is still into Barbie. I was told she wanted more of the smaller dolls like Kelly. I had it – a Easter set with Barbie and Kelly and a sister set with Barbie, Skipper, Stacie and Kelly. I gave her a few other dolls, too.
Now, I have been keeping onto these for the one day I might be able to sell it, and might be able to sell it for more than it was worth when I got it.
But sometimes, you just have to let go. Maybe there is a collector out there who can display them or has the time to sell them. Maybe there is a child out there who just wants a Barbie doll in a puffy, pink birthday dress.
The Great Purge of 2024 includes the boys’ stuff as well. Some clothes as Oliver is done with 4T and some 5T. Also, toys and books the boys have grown out of.
Some toys Oliver was ready to sell. I asked if he wanted to sell some of his Paw Patrol. He said sell it all. Then, he found a 3-foot lookout tower at a garage sale. He looked at me when he saw it and said he changed his mind. He wants all his Paw Patrol and wanted to use his money for the tower.
A bulk of the Great Purge of 2024 is the basement. I went through the boys area first. It was the easiest going with what they haven’t played with. Now onto many shelves of… well, stuff. It’s just starting on one side and working to the other side. It’s starting with taking 20 minutes and making quick decisions.
Thinking about specific areas in the basement not part of the wall of shelves… There is the holiday stuff…. I don’t quite know. My office…yes, probably won’t have time for that…Books are hard. Maybe need to start with the boxes I haven’t opened in awhile. Movie posters…I feel when my office had a water leak in the corner and some of my posters soaked up the water, that was an unexpected purge. I had to say goodbye to a lot of movie posters.
Email “sell it all” encouragement to wprice@mihomepaper.com.