From Cindy's Porch...

Garage Sale Fodder…

Dictionary definition of "fodder": Coarse feed for horses, cattle,
etc, as in the stalks and leaves left over from the field corn.

My definition of "garage sale fodder": Coarse feed for garage sales,
yard sales, etc. as in the clutter and stuff left over from the baby
days, kid days, exercise resolutions, shopping mistakes, Christmas
gifts gone bad, and yesterday's fashion styles.

Last year, we asked, "What are the three most common things you see
people trying to sell at garage sales?" WOW! We heard from Brisbane
(Australia), Ottawa (Canada), Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and
Massachusetts. Replies came in from Manchester and North Yorkshire,
UK (where they have "car boot sales") all the way to "Wild, Wonderful
West Virginia". From Illinois to North Carolina, from Nebraska to
Rhode Island, from Pennsylvania to Southern California, Alabama to
Alberta, South Florida to a porch in Ohio (hee hee), Texas to
Ontario, and British Columbia, Canada back to New York City (and a
whole bunch of places in between).

So what were the most common things? (This list was compiled very
scientifically – I took a guess based on all the answers and my
experiences – big smile)

1) Baby Clothes, toys, and Accessories
2) Kid Clothes and toys
3) Stuffed Animals
4) Paperback Books
5) Old Videos (especially kid and exercise)
6) Adult Clothing
7) Kitchen Clutter (mismatched dishes, mugs, cutlery, cookbooks,
gadgets, plastic containers)
8) Exercise equipment
9) Household Clutter (vases, glass bowls, china, home décor
stuff, knick knacks, promotional/commercial stuff – t-shirts, cups,
mousepads, etc)
10) Small Appliances (coffee makers, foot spas, deep fryers,
electric hair things)
11) Furniture and Appliances (either outdated or broken)
12) And I loved this one LOL – Junk, junk, and more junk!

Now, let's look at the weekend flyers that our retailers dropped on
my front porch with the Friday newspaper…. Hmmmmmm, what do I see?
What a coincidence…. They are hawking the same stuff as we find in
garage sales around the world… "Garage sale fodder."

1) "Give Your Baby the Best! We Have the Brands You Trust" LOL!
Just what every new parent wants to hear – "the best for baby." Let's
see that THIS retailer thinks we need today. Jarred baby food,
cardboard baby books, baby short sets, strollers, booster seat, more
clothes, licensed clothes, baby yarns, learning toys, bedding, cribs,
high chair, exercisers for babies, a musical rubber duck(!), various
chairs and bouncers, wow, I just turned the page – look at the car
seats and strollers – wow! Are they expensive! And on the back page,
diapers and more diapers, plus various crèmes, shampoos, detergents,
and other wipes to keep baby smelling "sweet and fresh."

2) Hot Hot Hot Summer Sale – Stock up on Camp Basics – kid's
shorts, tees, swimwear, sleepwear, socks, and underwear (excludes the
brand name stuff). I don't think so, my kids have enough clothes. How
about an electric go-cart for kids, only $250! Every kid needs one of
those! YIKES now our kids need batteries for their go carts? Oh –
look at this - the latest movie toys! They just came out, and already
they are 10% off. Hmmm, there are the old DVDs, a batcycle, a batman
computer game, action figures, and drum roll please….. pajamas and a
stuffed bat!

3) Oooooo look, if you BUY the fabric softener or the dryer
sheets, you get a FREE plush bear (but first you have to access their
website where they will want your name, address, phone number and any
other personal "marketing" info they can get about you and your
family!). In this paper, you can BUY a giant pink octopus, green
turtle, or grey dolphin for only $19.99 (selection varies by store)

4) I didn't see any ads for books.

5) Videos – WOW! This store has all the latest in new movie
releases! None of them are actually on sale.

6) Power Buy! More Gifts for Dad at "Special Prices" – how many
more ties or "Dad is #1" t-shirts does dad really need? How
about "Save an extra 30% off already reduced Woman's Spring and
Summer Fashion"? I guess they need to clear out for new fall arrivals.

7) More Gifts for Dad at "Special Prices" – this is good – how
about a toaster? Or a 3-piece skillet or chicken fryer (with lid)?
And to make sure we have room for all these "gifts," they have a
deluxe 2-door wardrobe, hangers, a shoe rack, and for all the
old "gifts," they have a trashcan with wheels! All on the same page.

8) One of these flyers has to have some sort of exercise
equipment advertised…Yes - jackpot! "Get in the Swim for More Fun in
the Water" – an underwater SeaDoo with a rechargeable battery for
only $200. How about ball hockey equipment (save 25%), soccer and
baseball gear, or a new basketball net with a backboard? Or, for the
armchair athlete, a foldable armchair (with foot rest)? All this
stuff was on the same page. Wait! Turn the page – we have bikes,
scooters, a trampolene, inflatable pool, golf balls, clubs, and
a "nature study kit" for kids to teach kids about plants and insects.

9) I didn't see any ads for new household knick knacks, etc.
Perhaps it is not close enough to Christmas yet – we have to wait
until August to see those LOL.

10) Enjoy Your Home – Add Style and Practicality – save $30 on a
microwave, BUY a water dispenser with a built in fridge, make a
healthy drink with a 600W juice fountain, save 40% on a dinnerware
set. Half price for a one-cup coffee maker (that will be in the
garage sale box within a couple months!)

11) Save $50 on an Entertainment Center, or a Barrister Style
Bookcase (for all those books we own). How about a computer desk with
matching hutch. You can BUY these wonderful items at our local
hardware store (assembly is extra).

12) And here's my personal favorite from the weekend! For only
$300, you can BUY a ONE-STOP car detailing thing. You mount this
monstrosity in the garage, connect it to a water supply and before
you know it, you can wash, dry, and vacuum your car. I think I will
SHOP at home FIRST and use a pail, an old towel, and the vacuum
cleaner we already own. Hmmmm, for $300, I could pay one of my kids
$5.00 once a month for five years to clean the van.

OK, so what is the point I am trying to make? There is a huge
correlation between the stuff that retailers, marketers, and
advertisers hawk on a regular basis and the stuff you find in garage
sales. When I walk through a store and look at the things they are
selling, or watch an ad for new product on TV, one of four things
will come to mind:

1) Oh – what a neat idea, but I am not sure I would want one
(PROCRASTINATE), or

2) I already have something that does that or something similar
(SHOP at home FIRST), or

3) I could DO that myself (DO instead of BUY), or

4) "Garage Sale Fodder" – this is something that will eventually
end up in someone's garage sale – or worse yet, that great mound in
the ground – the landfill.

And it is pretty sad to see all the "garage sale fodder" that is
marketed as "new and improved," or "just what you need," or "the
perfect gift," or "a time-saving device," or "you deserve it." Blech!

The next time you go shopping, look around the store. How much of the
stuff is actually of value, and how much is garage sale fodder? The
next time you see an ad for a time-saving gadget on TV, figure out
how many times it will actually get used before it too becomes garage
sale fodder. When selecting gifts for people, are you actually
spending money on something the person will love and use, or are you
purchasing garage sale fodder? The next time your child comes home
from school with catalog filled with promotional stuff to "support
the school," ask yourself, is this of value or garage sale fodder
(perhaps a simple cash donation would work better LOL).

We all BUY things. We BUY things we love. We BUY things we use. And
we BUY things that just happened to catch our eye that day. And there
is nothing wrong with BUYing things – unless we are BUYing things
just for the sake of BUYing. Retailers, marketers, and advertisers
are doing their best to convince us that BUYing is the normal
solution for nearly everything and when you BUY "their" stuff life is
better (LOL). When they run out of good things to sell to us, they
begin creating garage sale fodder – junk, junk, and more junk.

Learn to recognize the difference between something that adds value
to your home, family, and life and something that is garage sale
fodder. Don't waste your money on garage sale fodder (it adds up, $20
here and $20 there). Double check your cart to ensure you are not
bringing any fodder home. Let someone else buy it. Who knows,
perhaps you can find the exact same thing at someone's garage sale
LOL. We bought all our baby furniture and clothes second hand. We
saved a fortune - enough for a great start on college funds.

There are treasures and savings opportunities waiting to be
discovered in your spending habits. Bring home value and leave the
fodder in the store.