Yard Sale Finds

I think I'm turning into an old lady,* but it's totally worth it.

Saturday the hubby and I got up really early to join his dad and grandmother for a morning of yard sale hopping. It was so early we had to use flashlights at the first few yard sales before the sun came up.

Going to yard sales is similar to treasure hunting. You may or may not find anything of value, but either way it's quite entertaining. I found a lot of good stuff at the first yard sale and they rest of the day was kind of a bust. It just goes to show that you never know what you'll find.

My first goody was this stainless steel watering can, for which I paid a whopping $0.75.

There were no markings to show when or where it was made, but I don't care. I think it's pretty bad-ass for a watering can. So bad-ass, in fact, that I chose to display it in my living room rather than hide it under the kitchen sink.

My second find was a set of 6 acrylic canisters. Nothing particularly special, but it was a steal at just $2.


Once I got them home, I could hardly wait to get them cleaned, filled and tagged. Again I pulled out my stash of manilla tags and made labels for my baking goods, this time by hand - I'm all stamped out after making Morgan's favors a few weeks ago. I used more of the black bakers twine to hang the tags.

I just love seeing them lined up next to my shiny red stand mixer!

I found a few other goodies worth mentioning but not worth photographing. I picked up a stainless steel flour sifter for $0.75, 12 glasses that match our everyday set for $3 and a box of 40 metal 'L' brackets for $3. Those deals are great but they're nothing compared to the mother load I found later.

I spotted a large rubbermaid box with a sign that read "Cake Stuff - $10." I peeked under the lid and saw a tackle box for cake decorating supplies and 2 plastic cake carriers. Those things alone were worth way more than $10, so I paid the man and loaded the box in the car.

I don't claim to be a talented cake decorator, but I plan on making homemade birthday cakes for my kids, so it's nice to have the tools to do so. Just wait, it gets better.

I got the box home and emptied everything out to clean it and the loot** just kept coming out. The box contained:

1 tackle box

2 plastic cake carriers (1 for round cakes and 1 for cupcakes)

1 lazy susan

5 piping couplers

12 assorted cake boards

75 piping tips

Yes, you read that right - 75 piping tips. I don't know why an individual would have that many tips, or why they would sell them for such a steal but you don't ask questions when you're the one doing the stealing. The contents were easily worth over $250 if you were to pay retail prices!

The family goes yard saleing every weekend in the Spring, so I hope this is just the first round of great finds. I challenge you to try your hand at yard saling next weekend!

*I already had a head start with the cardigan collection and fondness for Jeopardy.
** I apologize if all this cake talk is way over your head. All you need to know is this stuff is valuable if you know how to use it.