A little after New Year’s Day, I hatched our first project for the year: do a weekend garage sale at my mom’s doorsteps. I figured since I’m on this eternal quest to clean up our mess of a house, it’s best to dispose things while making some cash on the side. It also adds that oomph to the visit at my mother’s, a rare occasion, so better make it extra special.
I whipped up a list fast enough, which I categorized as Personal, Entertainment, and Household. A few steps around our 30sqm space gives me an inventory of 100 or so items which when I calculated could earn us a thousand pesos at the very least. I then floated the idea to Rich who was a bit skeptical—what are we selling, he asked me, and I said, I already have a few things in mind. But then, you see, he was on his way out to do the groceries which, if you ask me, is a great time to do some introspective thinking so I wasn’t surprised when he was all wild about the idea the minute he got home, rattling off this and that as stuff he can sell.
A quick talk with my mom—who agreed, thank goodness—and it was all set. A weekend + stuff we can afford to live without = our first garage sale!
I was quick to let go of bags, shoes, accessories, magazines, books. We took a look at functioning gadgets: old game consoles, cordless phones, and everything else that came along with new technology: CDs, VCDs, DVDs. I ransacked my kids’ bedroom and came up with numerous stuffed toys, dolls, board games.
I looked further, got to our kitchen, discovered I can let go of a few appliances, glasses and mugs, lunch boxes, and other pieces of cookware. Outside the house, we thought we can sell some car-related stuff, and the kids’ bikes which were used, what, twice? Yup, we came up with a pretty good number of items that looked like we’d be a smashing success come Saturday.
But letting go came not without a hitch. A few days into polishing up the items for sale, our daughter arrived from school to find Rich cleaning up her bike, and not 30 minutes later, managed to convince him to hold on to the thing. Ahh—this will not be as easy as pie.
I suppose it is hard to ask a 9 year old to let go of her things, for all she’s got to show for at the moment are her precious books and toys. Then it became tough for me too—when she had been willing to let go of a toy, for instance, I couldn’t, because it was one that I bought off of my first paycheck. It’s hard not to stumble and choke when it’s not merely a stuffed toy that we’re letting go, it’s what it represents. Flashback to the late ‘90s with a vision of a cute blazer vs. Winnie the Pooh. Can’t remember how that top looked, but Pooh, oh we spent so many happy hours with that bear. It is sad. I can’t.
That led me to double-take: when I first thought of this, I reasoned we are making room for more but now, it seems to me that we are giving up what had made us, well, us. So as with my typical fashion, I went through the things again and thought, hey, I ought to keep these, and then the pile that stays became higher than the ones I’m letting go of. True enough, I found reason after reason to not let another item go.
I think it will be even tougher come sale day when I’d be forced to sell an item cheaper than how much I want it for, and then curse myself for arriving at that particular moment. So I guess I’ll have to make sure that I won’t get to that point. If I’m having second thoughts now, then don’t. If I can’t, can’t give up just yet, I won’t. If I can’t replace what it represents, it stays.
So Pooh, the yellow Bear, stays. Along with these and those which, if enumerate here, will not mean anything to you, but means something to us. And I will look forward to the day when my daughter breaks into a little smile, because her cow doll Pinkie Winkie is tucked somewhere inside her adult closet. Yes, I think that day, when it comes, would be a very good day. Never mind if I’ve only 50 things to sell this weekend and I only make a few hundred from it. I will be richer, whichever way it goes.
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Pictured: Postcard collection
Finally Dee 