Mary-Isms and Mrs Jolly Made My Yard Sale Blessed

Before my yard sale this year, I called my insurance agent about my home insurance bill. We got to visiting, and I told her about the yard sale I was having to help pay part of the around $5000 in car and home insurance that was due. 

I told her that I hated having sales where negative people will come and ruin the mood bickering over prices or beating you down, and you take the ridiculously low price because you are desperate.

 My Insurance agents name is Mary. She is wonderful, and I have never met her in person, but we are friends as we visit when I call, and we enjoy those visits. 

She has given me some good suggestions over the years, and at other times, I have been able to give her advice just as if we had been actual friends for years. When I was saying that I was hoping that I could make enough during the yard sale to pay some off my bill off, Mary gave me such sweet advice.  

She said that when she is having a sale, she gives gratitude for the item and then sends out "happy rainbows and sparkles" from that item that will pull in someone who needs that item, like creating a trail to that item for someone who needs that item, calling in someone who will appreciate that specific thing!

I thought that was such a cute idea. I said it is kinda like Marie Kondo's method. She said "kinda, but more, like "calling" someone in for that item." I told her I would try that and that I was going to start calling her advice, "Mary-isms." I do believe that her method worked!

I posted some pictures online on the local yard sale sites toward the end of the sale. I had a few negative people come earlier, and was working on "forgiving" that type of person and putting out that I could bring in positive people as I do believe negative brings negative, and positive attracts positive. I had just been talking to my daughter about that after the negative people came, and shared that I wanted to attract positive people. 

The last person to come for the day was just after that talk. I posted a picture online, and in the photo was an ostrich feather duster. A woman I knew from my PTA days pulled up and ran to the duster and was so excited about it. She told me she saw it online and rushed over to see if I still had it. She found a few other things I had that she was interested in and I told her I hadn't had time to look the antiques up online for pricing yet. She said, "Take your time, I can continue shopping." She then found a few more things she was interested in buying. 

I usually look up selling prices on ebay and then half to 3/4 the price for the yard sale as I won't have to post it or pay selling fees. She had another item and she clearly knew the brand and how expensive they were. I quickly looked online and couldn't find the exact item but could see that the brand was expensive. I told her $10 for the little jug and she told me, "I am going to pay you $15 for it because it is worth more than you are asking and it is in MINT condition!" 

She had her grand daughter with her. The grand-daughter LOVED a leather jacket that was turquoise blue that Princess Five used to wear. She also asked about some leather friendship bracelets that Princess Three brought back from Africa when she did a service mission there. She proceeded to tell me she wanted to buy the bracelets to give to some children whose father died unexpectedly the week before. I told her she could have the bracelets and complimented her on thinking of others.

I am going to call the lady "Mrs Jolly" as she brought such a positive spirit to the sale! She ended up spending $150 and was so happy with the items she found! I asked to take a photo of her grand daughter in the leather coat so I could share it with my girls.

I ran into her at a store about two weeks after the sale and I told her that she made my entire sale. I asked if it was "OK" for me to share about her on my blog because she was so sweet to pay what she knew the value of the item should be rather than trying to beat me down on the price or make me feel guilty for asking a fair price for an item. I told her I was going to call her "Mrs. Jolly" on my blog post because she brought joy when she came! 

The other thought I wanted to share, was that what one person thinks is trash, is another persons joy or treasure. My daughters would say things like, "No one would buy that." or look at me like I was hoarding trash to sell about some items. I had a really beat up looking waffle iron that even I thought probably should have gone into the recycling as the plastic front piece was missing. I sold it for $1.50. I had a bunch of the cheap plastic ketchup and mustard bottles, and it was so funny when I sold them for $1, I looked at my daughter and she was just shaking her head becasue they were one of the things she thought I should have thrown out. I asked the man what he was going to use them for, and told him that my daughter didn't think anyone would buy them. He told me that he is a wood worker and his wood glue bottles always get clogged with glue, so he pours the glue into those bottles and they don't get clogged! 

I appreciated him sharing that as I thought it was a good idea. My daughter thought it was funny and admitted that I was right about putting everything out for sale. Even the feather duster that brought Mrs. Jolly to the sale, I had thought about putting in the trash as the feathers were falling out, but that one sale brought in $150, so I am glad I didn't throw it out! 

One last suggestion for yard sales, I forgot to share on yesterdays post. Make sure you have change. I use a fanny pack and start with about $115 and $5 in quarters. Even a few years back, people would write checks. I got one check this year. All the young moms paid with Venmo. The older people paid with cash. I also take larger bills out of the fanny pack and leave it in the house so that I don't have large amounts of money on me at any point. 

It is amazing to me how trusting in God, having a positive attitude, and being willing to put the work in, can have such great rewards! I am so grateful for people like Mary my insurance agent, and Mrs. Jolly for coming into my world and leaving their "Sparkling rainbows" in my life! 

I feel so blessed that I was able to make enough to pay off the house insurance for the year with some of the yard sale funds. I am still working on the car insurance and the house tax bill I got today. It seems like there are always new bills to take the place of paid off bills, but God is so good and sends me angels to guide and brighten my life as I go forward! 

 Have a blessed day!