With all the beautiful summer weather that happens in Atlanta, it gets me out and about just like the rest of the city!
So what do I do? I go driving around looking for the quintessential bargain hunter's paradise - the garage sale. Say what you want about buying used things, but my thinking is that there are a whole lot more pros than cons to garage-saling.
For one thing, garage sales promote sustainable fashion. You're buying someone else's old treasures that might otherwise have just gotten thrown away. Most times at garage sales it can be a hodgepodge of odds-and-ends that you may not be interested in rifling through. Follow my fool-proof tips for garage-saling and you'll get out of your next sale feeling triumphant!
One, skip over the things that don't interest you. Not in the market for accessories--skip right to the clothes. If the clothes aren't in your size range, move on. A good range to be in would be plus or minus your actual size. Things minus, can be let out to better fit you. Things plus can obviously be taken in, but there's only so large it can be before the garment looks a little funny post-alteration.
Two, it seems biased but I like to pick neighborhoods that are a little more affluent than my own. These types of neighborhoods are often those also infested with young (and fashionable!) professionals. In these neighborhoods, I've often found huge name brand labels like Diane von Furstenberg and Nanette Lepore. The only downside is that there are also big crowds associated with these sales. My tip for big crowds? Don't put anything down unless you're absolutely sure you don't want it, because another hungry lady will snatch it up in a heartbeat.
Three, not every price tag is set in cement. Garage sales are the perfect site for price haggling! You know the seller wants it gone, and you obviously know you want what they have. The key to haggling is not to insult the other person. If the price is say $25 for a big brand dress, don't offer anything less than $15, they'll be insulted because the dress is worth hundreds (still!) and they're basically giving it away. If you set the floor at $15 for the dress, you and the seller will end up at a happy medium around $18 - $20. The most important thing to remember about haggling is to be respectful, and you'll get to a number that you and your wallet can be happy about.
So what do I do? I go driving around looking for the quintessential bargain hunter's paradise - the garage sale. Say what you want about buying used things, but my thinking is that there are a whole lot more pros than cons to garage-saling.
For one thing, garage sales promote sustainable fashion. You're buying someone else's old treasures that might otherwise have just gotten thrown away. Most times at garage sales it can be a hodgepodge of odds-and-ends that you may not be interested in rifling through. Follow my fool-proof tips for garage-saling and you'll get out of your next sale feeling triumphant!
One, skip over the things that don't interest you. Not in the market for accessories--skip right to the clothes. If the clothes aren't in your size range, move on. A good range to be in would be plus or minus your actual size. Things minus, can be let out to better fit you. Things plus can obviously be taken in, but there's only so large it can be before the garment looks a little funny post-alteration.
Two, it seems biased but I like to pick neighborhoods that are a little more affluent than my own. These types of neighborhoods are often those also infested with young (and fashionable!) professionals. In these neighborhoods, I've often found huge name brand labels like Diane von Furstenberg and Nanette Lepore. The only downside is that there are also big crowds associated with these sales. My tip for big crowds? Don't put anything down unless you're absolutely sure you don't want it, because another hungry lady will snatch it up in a heartbeat.
Three, not every price tag is set in cement. Garage sales are the perfect site for price haggling! You know the seller wants it gone, and you obviously know you want what they have. The key to haggling is not to insult the other person. If the price is say $25 for a big brand dress, don't offer anything less than $15, they'll be insulted because the dress is worth hundreds (still!) and they're basically giving it away. If you set the floor at $15 for the dress, you and the seller will end up at a happy medium around $18 - $20. The most important thing to remember about haggling is to be respectful, and you'll get to a number that you and your wallet can be happy about.
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