We had our garage sale this weekend. The weather was - well - shitty. Friday morning, we opened the sale. My dad brought his enormous high-school-open-house-y tents to cover the driveway. We set those up and then began to set up the sale.
That's when the panic attack started. Heart racing, eyes blurring - I think to myself "why in the hell am I unable to cope with this?" I still don't know the answer. The combination of chaosy toddlers, my crying baby, the fact that I hadn't priced over half of my shit, SO MUCH stuff to unload, and not trying to intrude on the sales of my stepmom and stepsister who so graciously invited me to come. Luckily, my sister-in-law was there to take the crying baby out of earshot and my brother helped run interference as I lost my shit literally spinning in circles with one tiny box in my hands.
I am a put-together kind of person - and proud of it. I am normally the one that can jump up and take charge of a chaotic situation. Instead I melted down like an M&M in a hot car - still holding its shape, but attempt to make contact and it turns into goo.
I'm sure it's the combination of lack of sleep, too much driving, and the fact that I had been thirsty just minutes before and CHUGGED my cooled nonfat latte before getting out of the car. Whatever the case - I was just inches away from tears...AT A GARAGE SALE!
Anyway, tents up - boxes unloaded - pink stickers on everything ... then it started raining, nay, pouring. Wind was blowing, tents were effective for only 4 square feet in the dead center. YUCK. We actually had the most customers of the weekend during the deluge. Saturday morning, we experienced dense, cut-it-with-a-knife fog, then drizzle, then scorching sun (tents had been removed Friday night because of high wind threats) and heat.
To top it off, the baby would not go to ANYONE but me for more than 4 1/2 seconds. She was only happy being held - all day. Oh, and napping was out of the question. Dammit.
I understand that garage sales are for the cheap (both buyers and sellers) but the aggressive car buyer haggling was completely uncalled for. I actually had a guy who leaned into my face to try to beat me down on my price for items from my failed attempt at MaryKay sales. Holding 5 lotions in his hands (valued at original price to be $100+, and pink sticker priced at $30) he walks up to me and says "I'll give you $5 for all this."
Me: "No"
Cheap-ass with a wife cowering in embarrassment behind him: "$6"
Me: "No, that stuff is worth much more than that, $25"
Man with anger issues and stick up his ass with a now elevated voice: "I'll only pay $7"
Me: "I'll take no less than $20"
A now much quieter, less fiery-eyed human: "Wow, you drive a hard bargain - but ok $20"
Me - pointing at my father at the other end of the driveway - happily taking his money: "That man took me used car shopping at a very young age."
In all, I managed to sell some stuff. Granted, most of it was what others had me bring to the sale and not my own stuff.
With my forehead sunburned and left shoulder screaming in pain - I netted $95 ($60 of which went into the gas tank for the round trip). I also went to Kohl's after we were rained out on Friday and spent the day's earnings. I drove home - sans shit - and went to bed.
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