Getting To The Point Where I Can...Just Let It Go

 Years ago I picked up the iMac G4 from a friend. I remember him working on it and he told me he was getting rid of it. I told him I wanted it. He obliged. I remember firing it up a few times...I thought I could use it as a writing desktop computer. 

Plus, I wanted it because it's such a cool piece of art.

I never owned a G4 iMac. They were too expensive. And, truth be told, they were not (in my not so professional opinion...) not up to snuff at that time to other desktops. I worked on Macs back in the late 1980s and I loved them. Then I didn't get another Mac for many years. When my friend offered us his Mac, I thought it would look cool in my office.

The problem was, it sat in the basement, never used.

So, I thought I'd sell it at our yard sale. There had to be people out there who appreciated a classic computer as much as I did. Turns out...not so much. One guy thought it was great and checked it out, but no one else even gave it a second thought. When it became apparent it wasn't going to sell, we thought about donating it to a thrift store.

One problem...

We needed to reset it to factory settings.

Turns out, if you don't have the original CDs that came with the computer, it's impossible. I had to make a choice...return it to the basement and most likely never have it out again, or throw it away. I know it's an old Mac, not worth much money. I know for relatively little money, you can buy a Macintosh computer that does so much more than the G4. Still, we were sad we'd have to dump it.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older. I've collected too much stuff over the years. Maybe it's because I have fewer years ahead of me than I have behind me. Whatever the reason I was able to do something I would never have done years ago. I snapped a couple of photos of the iMac G4--once the pride and joy of the Apple line--and placed it in the garbage can. 

It's still out there, along with other things we didn't sell and didn't think the thrift store would want or need. On Friday, the big garbage truck will drive by, stop briefly, and dump the trash. The iMac will tumble in, never to be used again. God's speed little computer. Looks like I'm ready to just let go of something after all.

One Loft Bed W/Desk...To A Good Home

For the past two days, we've held a yard sale at our house. Yesterday was a bust, but this morning...well, it more than made up for it. We've held yard sales in the past--this one was our most successful.

There's a couple of things I've learned from this latest adventure:

1. No matter how much "quality" items one has, some people will look, then drive away.

2. No one needs bookshelves.

3. Things we think no one would want were taken.

4. Things we think would fly off the driveway sometimes don't get sold.

5. A Free Pile is extremely interesting to almost all yard sale patrons...especially to those of the male persuasion.

Let's focus on #4. Because we're moving to a home without tall ceilings, we need to off-load a loft bed. It's from IKEA. It's a full and it comes with a desk. And I thought someone would cart if off to make some kid's day. We started off with a price we felt was reasonable. No takers, no nibbles. For Day 2, we reduced the price of the bed (and everything else...) by half. Still nothing.

Currently, the bed is in our garage waiting to be disassembled and taken to our local thrift store.

Unless, of course, anyone out there wants, or think they can use, it. Let us know, and it's yours. You'll have to come get it--we can't deliver. But hurry, our appointment with the local thrift store is next Friday.

We learned a lot from our little sale. Perhaps the biggest thing we learned is this: don't let the crap accumulate in the first place, then a sale will not be necessary. 

Since We're Moving...We're Having A Yard Sale!

You know how you do an internet search for something, like "Hot Tubs" and the next thing you know, you get ad after ad on every social media site you visit for hot tubs?

Well, turns out the same thing happens when you put your house on the market. The "Moving?" mail just never ends.

We are moving. Our house is under contract and we've found a house up north, Tremonton, to be more specific. My family and I moved on our street in 1970, fifty years ago. One by one, everyone's left, and now, we're the last Taylors to live on a street that was just a dirt road when we first arrived.

Fifty years, half a century.

First, my father left. Well, he didn't leave, so much as he died, and only four years after we moved there. He never saw the dream house he designed and built be finished. My sister and brother moved next, left for college, then got married. Then, my family moved into the basement where I grew up and we stayed there for six years. Once our house was finished, we moved across the street. 

That was seventeen years ago.

Next, my mother joined my father and passed away in 2007. We alone remained.

Until now.

This Friday and Saturday, we're having a yard sale. It'll start around 8am and go until around 2pm both days. It's going to be sort of a strange yard sale. We've got a lot of bookshelves, and I mean a lot. We don't have many clothes (yard sale killers...), but we have furniture, books, household items, and even a chest full of antique model trains and train tracks. And, we've got a huge entertainment center. You know you want/need that.

If you're in the area, check out the sale. You can get location information from our house listing site by clicking: HERE. Even if you don't need bookshelves, furniture, some clothes, books, household items, and antique trains (I'm not mentioning the entertainment center, because you need that...), and just want to say "hi" and "good-bye," stop on by. We'd love to see you.

Thanks in advance, and have a wonderful evening.

My Friend Would LOVE To Have This In His House...

A few weekends ago, my wife and I climbed into the van and went looking for bargains in other people's yards. And even though we didn't buy it, we found something that I know my friend Ken would have absolutely loved.

It was an orange sofa system from the 1960s (or another era--I haven't studied furniture styles...).

It was beautiful.

Of course, it's nothing we could have bought for ourselves. We have no room in our house for such a trophy item. But even though we couldn't us it, I'm sure someone else could. That's the beauty (others might think differently...) of yard sales. There's stuff there that someone somewhere can use and most likely needs. You could argue no one needs the large orange sofa system from circa 1965 (or another era--I haven't studied furniture styles...), but we all know it just takes the right person to come along, see the piece of furniture, want it, pay for it, load it up in a truck, and put it in their house.

I knew my Ken would like it because he collects classic furniture and home furnishings. He's posted a few pictures on social media, especially when he finds a classic addition to his home decor. Personally, I love the style--maybe because I was born in the middle of the 1960s. Seriously, I think I like the retro style because it's different. Everything oozes personality and I don't see a lot of that today. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but I don't see it.

We got back in the van after checking out the other items and left the large orange sofa system behind. I wonder what became of it. Did it find a new owner, someone who will take care of it and appreciate it and show it the respect it deserves? 

Or will it end up at the local thrift store? 

I do know there's at least one other person out there who thought it was awesome. I'm sure there are more than just us two.

Cha...And...Ching!

I stopped by a yard sale today. It's been a while since I've indulged, but I was coming home from running an errand this morning and I thought it looked like fun. Plus, the sign by the side of the road clearly advertised a "Multi-Family" event.

So I stopped.

And I picked up a few things.

And those things were Beanie Babies.

Truth be told, the multi-family sale wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be, but what they had was nice--and clean.

I came across the box of bears and other animals. When I saw what they were selling for, I did something I never do, I pulled out my phone and searched "Rare Beanie Babies" on Ebay. I checked out some of the rare ones then looked in the box.

I ended up buying ten. When I got home I did a little more checking to see why some of the prices for rare Beanie Babies were so high (some in the tens of thousands of dollars...) on Ebay. We did a little investigating and found that some of the ones I bought are worth some money--not anywhere near the super high rates, but worth a surprising amount.

I've never sold anything on Ebay so setting up an account figuring it all out so neither we or the buying gets burned should be interesting. 

Of course, the Beanie Baby market could be down the tubes by tomorrow morning. If that happens, then I'll have purchased almost a dozen cute, once-valuable little animals full of plastic beads.

...Your Cluttered Houses Yearning To Be (Clutter) Free!

We held a yard sale today. Lots of things to learn.

One thing we learned--there are a lot of yard sales in the spring because apparently, people like to shop at yard sales in the spring. We did get some curious citizens, but most cars just kept on driving.

 

Another thing we learned. Moving baked goods closer to the people's cars greatly improve the buy opportunities for shoppers, hungry or otherwise.

 

If you could ask for the perfect weather for your yard sale, you would pick today. It was completely beautiful outside.

The value you place on items can change, and change drastically during the course of an average yard sale. Things costing tens of dollars at the beginning of the day can become basically free as time ticks on. If you're a buyer, patience is your key. It can be worth a lot of money.

I also watched two guys load a rather large weight bench on top of their work truck. Considering their strength, they probably didn't need it.

And lastly, taking the time during the week to clean out and remove things from your home that probably should never have been placed there in the first place can be a lot of work and a lot of fun. We ended up taking in more than we thought based on the level of interest we received. That's a bonus.

Yard Sale, Or In French...Vide-Grenier

I was driving home, I really was, when I saw the sign. Yard Sale. You know when you get the impulse to act and so you do? I turned...I just had to. I drove a block and then saw the cars and minivans on the street, far more vehicles than would normally be in the area. I knew I had the right place. What is it about yard sales that makes other people's stuff spread out on their lawn look so inviting when the same stuff crammed on a shelf in my basement just looks like clutter?

I slowed, as we all do...you know, to check things out. I always feel bad when I drive by a yard sale and if it's lame, I keep on going. Today, the spread of "stuff" was bigger than normal. Time to stop! It was a good yard sale. They had a lot of old furniture--always a sign of a good sale. Another sign of a good sale? No clothes. I know, I know. Many of you have probably found some real clothing treasures at yard sales. I never have.

The sale was good enough for me to call my wife to come down. I spotted a cool front door that I thought she might like. She measured our door before leaving and the door at the sale was too small. Oh well. My wife was so impressed with the sale, she called her mom (who loves to refinish furniture...) and she showed up. We ended up with a really nice scooter for the kids, a sleeping bad, a couple of books, and a WWII Navy flashlight. All in all, a successful impulse.