The Homesteaders' & Gardeners' Yard Sale Check List
Yard Sales Are Coming: Get Your Homesteading/Gardening Shopping List Ready
The time of year when the winter weather stars to break up and people turn to spring cleaning is almost upon us. People clear out their unwanted items from the shed, garage, pole barns and wherever else they may have discarded and forgotten household items were hidden.
And this is the perfect time for homesteaders and gardeners to take advantage of this unwanted clutter.
GRAB your car keys, your dollar bills, put on your yard sale hats and let's get going before all the good stuff is gone!
Items To Watch For At Yard Sales/Garage Sales & Estate Sales
- Canning Supplies- jars, lids, seals, pressure canners (be alert to damage to seals and missing pieces), large stock pots and even kitchen gadgets.
Some of the best items I have found for my kitchen have been at yard sales. One time we had found an old hand-crank egg beater for .25/cents. It was great! I used that thing for years before it finally gave way and broke; so that is one item I have on my list for this year.
- Hand Tools- Manual tools (ie. hand drill). Tools that use man-power versus electrical power
- Yard Tools- yes, rakes, garden hoes, shovels, wheel barrels even. So what if the one at the garage sale has a flat tire- that's any easy fix. And considering how expensive wheel barrels are, it's always nice to find a usable one for much less.
- Containers & Buckets- gardeners can use these for EVERYTHING! From planting when they have limited garden space, to storage of small gardening tools to hauling water and other supplies to their work area. Make sure to check for holes, cracks and leaks.
- Pallets- Usually you can find businesses giving these away for free; but as the usability of these wooden gold mines become more recognized or desired, it never hurts to keep your eyes open while yard saling. So many uses and a great way to cut back on having to buy wood from a big box store or lumber yard.
- Hunting/Fishing/Outdoor/Camping Supplies- no explanation needed here. You can never have enough items in this category around the homestead and gardening area. We have found brand new in the package fishing line, SUPER cheap fishing lures, a Coleman stove in the carry case (only paid $5) and it was BRAND NEW. Keep your eyes peeled!
- Blankets/Tarps- so many uses. Covering up storage, keeping in the vehicle for other dirty garage and yard sale finds. Using for bedding for animals. Make sure to wash any material/blankets first
- Books- whether as a resource or for pleasure reading in the little down time you have on the homestead. Books tend to be so overpriced and most of the reference once for basic gardening, home repair and DIY are still full of great information today even though they may have been written ten years ago.
- Old Tables/Entertainment & TV Stands- these are great for the workshop, indoor garden and even for extra pantry space. You can sand them down (even if they are Sauder or have a veneer covering). My husband picked one up last autumn, sanded it down and I plan on painting it and sealing it and using either in the shed or in the house for more space for my gardening area.
**Older tables are just good for extra work space outside or in the garage/shed.
- Craft Items- needles and thread, material for sewing, knitting and crocheting supplies, even little boxes to store all your treasures.
So what yard sale treasures have you found in the past for your homestead?
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I myself am looking for a 2ft shovel spaded end. LOL I do have one but the garden's are too big to have just one, you know what I mean?
I used to hate it when my wife would want to stop at a yard sale. Now I am stopping before she says anything. You can find lots of treasures at those yard sales. One man's junk is another man's treasure!
100% AGREE!
And yes.. my husband was the same way as you. NOW I can't drag him away after I'm DONE browsing!
Thanks for fueling my anticipation, I think.... There was a time when I would not go to a yard sale. Now, I would not know what to do if I could not go. Some of my best finds have come from the most unexpected places. Our yard sale season takes a while to get going where I live though. Winter can be a long time leaving...
Same here... but some people start as early as the end of April here; especially if they're having a barn sale.
We were able to find an incredible amount of hand tools! We love being able to re-enliven old tools and repurpose old building material. Great note on the canning supplies and pallets! Thanks as always @goldendawne
I know, right?!?!
My husband found an old hand drill once.. the kind you crank around to start a hole for a screw... he has it in his toolbox at work- kind of like a talking centerpiece for all the guys in the shop.
We actually scored a few of those! Austin has used them for drilling on some of the handmade spatulas and coffee scoops-- nice cause you don't need any powertools.
Plus Mr.Chickadee on Youtube definitely puts them to good use! They're pretty neat tools.
I used to live in the central, southern part of Louisiana, often referred to as the Acadiana region. This is the area that has the largest population of Prairie Cajuns. A friend of mine from there is an independent contractor who is known for doing amazing remodeling work on these old, often historic homes in the area. He has a pretty extensive collection of curios that he's found at work sites that were thrown out from these old homes. He spends a lot of time at flea markets, estate sales, and yard/garage sales and has built up a pretty nice network of collectors, dealers, and the like.
I'd say that the most interesting things in his collection are the old field tools. The area has a subtropical climate and, with that, an almost jungle-like countryside. Many of the tools that he has look almost reminiscent of medieval weapons. They were used to clear the enormous weeds and fast growing trees that grow there. One in particular known as the bloodweed can grow as tall as tree in a very short time, and there are also trees that can grow taller than house just as fast as weeds! So these tools were a necessity for the people who settled the region. They were mainly small, subsistence farmers and hunters and their descendants are still living in the area and have these old things that have been passed down from generation to generation. So it's really not that hard to find some great old stuff over there.
Wow. You've found some lovely items in yard sales.
Our equivalent in the UK is boot sales and my best finds have been really cheap old books that are great to use for ephemera in my art.
Fingers crossed you find another egg beater this year!
I'm hopeful! I really miss that thing!
I would use it to make homemade mayo and salad dressings. Now I use my food processor, but I'll tell you what... it tasted better using the egg beater- lol
It's a sad thing there's no yard sale culture around here... we do have an alternative to craigslist, etc, but it's not really the same :( Great advice!
When I lived more rural than I do now some people had yard sales EVERY weekend from May until October. I would almost swear that that's how they made their money and income for the year.
And the more rural you live, it seems the better items you can find.
I've set this one to be added to the sotall directory. I am having computer troubles and keep getting knocked offline, so it may be after my new computer gets here on Monday. But I will add it asap.