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It’s the most wonderful time of the of the year…

Yard Sale Season!

Every spring my mother-in-law and I LOVE to go “yardsaleing”(which I think should be added to Webster’s Dictionary!).  We love finding a bargain, we love the treasure hunt, and we love to just hang out together.  I know, I’ve said it before, I am so blessed to adore my mother-in-law.  She is a wonderful second mom to me and “Super  Mimi” to our children!  Ok, back to our yard sale adventures…

Since we will be homeschooling starting this summer, I have been stocking up on books for our family library as well as looking for any toys, games or curriculum for our classroom.  I have had GREAT success so far this year!  If you haven’t searched at your local yard sales for Homeschool items, you might be surprised at what you’re able to find!   To encourage you even more I’m sharing 5 tips to prepare you for the hunt!

 

5 Tips For Finding Frugal Homeschool Supplies at a Yard Sale:

1. Know what you are looking for.

Carry a list with you.  I know that I’m always looking for books, we can never have too many!  I also love to find age-appropriate workbooks, educational games, and arts and craft materials.  I always keep an eye out for used homeschool curriculum, although it is a rare thing, you might just find what you are looking for (just like I did….keep reading…)

 

2. Be ready to hunt.

Be prepared to dig through boxes and boxes of books or toys. Many of the ‘treasures’ I’ve found were not out in plain sight, I had to work for them! 

 

3. Go to a development/neighborhood sale.

This is the key to my success. Going to a big neighborhood that is having a “community sale” or “neighborhood sale” is the best way to get more ‘bang for your buck’!  I have saved so much time and money by looking for local neighborhood sales in our area.  We park the car and walk up and down the roads stopping at any sale that looks promising.  This saves you tons on gas and if you find a yard sale this just isn’t great, you haven’t wasted precious (and expensive) gas getting there! 

 

4. When you find a great yard sale, make a note! 

Especially if you find a homeschool family!  If you are comfortable you can leave your name and number with the person holding the sale.  I’ve done this once in the past and the mom called 2 times before she had her yard sale.  She even invited us over the day before the sale to have first pick!  I also write down the address of great yard sales and the dates that they held their sale. This way you remember the specific neighborhood again next year.   Be bold and keep good records, you might just meet a great local homeschooling family that is happy to sell their used curriculum to you when they are done with it! 

 

5. You never know where you’ll find the treasure!

Great finds can be anywhere: an elderly retiring teacher’s house, a young homeschooling mom’s house, a grandma & grandpa’s house even at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army!  If you have the time, it never hurts to check out a sale or consignment store. 

 

** These tips are also great for when you are going to yard sales to find kids clothes. Before our daughter was born we had sizes newborn – 2t clothes stockpiled because of all the great yard sales we hit! 

6. BONUS: Library Book Sales!!!

 

Don’t forget about Library Sales!!  I’ve become a recent Library Book Sale addict… I just can’t believe the great deals!!

You can search for public book sales at BookSaleFinder.Com!   

So what can I really find at a yard sale for my homeschool?

Here are just a few of our recent yard sale treasures!

 

• This Montessori Clock was a bargain for $2.00!

• Reference books are always a great find!

• Books ($0.25 each!)
• The Children’s Illustrated Bible (Retail approx. : $15)
• The Kingfisher Illustrated Encuclopedia of Animals (Retail approx. : $8)
• Scholastic Children’s Dictionary (Retail approx. : $9)
• We have been able to add dozens of books to our family library without spending much money!

MY Awesome find this year has to be the Primer Teacher’s Guide and CD for Math-U-See, an excellent math program that we were hoping to use this year!  the DVD and Teacher’s Guide retails for $30.00 on their site (and worth every dime).  I was able to purchase it for just $10!

 

Can you say “SCORE!!!”   I was planning on ordering it the next week! Saved $20 plus shipping!!  I still ordered the student book and blocks but it was great to save $20! 

 

Pattern Blocks and Cards ($1.00 – They retail for over $30!)

• Manipulatives (ABC magnetic squares, ABC chips, Magnetic shapes, Paper shapes, etc) ($0.10 – $0.50/ set!)
• Chalkboards and mini white boards (perfect for handwriting practice!) ($0.25 – $0.50 each)

 

Have you found any great deals at local yard sales? What are your tricks for finding a real ‘treasure’?  I would love to add your tips to this article, leave a comment below!

 

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