Fishing for Furniture at Yard Sales
Finding furniture at yard sales is a lot like going fishing. You get up much earlier than most humans thought possible, stumble around for your tools (newspaper clippings with the addresses or a phone with internet) and move slowly around the known hot spots to see where things are jumping. Getting there first is the goal. Moving the furniture is something you are not really worried about at this point, you’ll figure it out.
Sometimes it is your lucky day, and your eye will catch a dining room set that is just the color you wanted. It has no chips in the finish and nothing is broken. All six chairs are there. Wait, is one of those chairs moving? Your heart sinks as you realize someone has already found it before you and is moving it into the back of their truck. After briefly considering offering the new owner three times the amount you originally wanted to pay, you sigh and remember that you came to a yard sale to save money and just keep moving on.
If you linger around at a yard sale long enough looking through items, then sooner or later someone from the family hosting the sale might ask you if you’d like to come inside. They have something special to show you and they want to offer you a real deal. No, you don’t have to be frightened–well, always be aware of your surroundings, you never know–you are probably just about to be shown a piano or a pool table.
If you are in an especially cheerful mood, have just recently been thinking you need a new hobby, or have kids who are interested in taking piano lessons someday, you might decide you really want that piano after all. Surprising the family on a Saturday morning with a new gift, there’s nothing like the looks on their faces when they see this, just take it. Moving services are available if you really want it, so why not?
If you have the guys over for poker night and someone is always saying they wish there was a pool table, or if you just love pool but don’t like the kind of people you meet in pool halls because they beat you every time and this is bad for your self-esteem, you could end up saying yes to a pool table.
Have you ever wondered if the same 100 pianos and pool tables have been traveling around the world since the first ones were made? It seems like no one ever gets a new one of these. They are most often shared for free with one tiny footnote at the bottom of the verbal contract; if you can pick it up, you can have it. If you are Popeye, you can just go grab your spinach. If not, you might want to think about getting a moving quote. Moving services are much easier to manage when you know what’s out there. You should be ready now for your yard sale adventure. Now go catch a big one!