My name is Amy...

... and I am a garage sale addict. I've always been someone who likes to find the best deal on everything I buy... from groceries to entertainment. This is a progressive disease. It started innocent enough: with shopping sales racks at the mall. Then it progressed to scouring the Internet, then shopping consignment sales, checking Craig's List multiple times a day, and now I'm a full blown garage sale junkie. On most Friday mornings, JG and I dash out of the door after a quick breakfast and start driving around our neighborhood in search of a sale. Over time, I have learned the inner workings of the industry, and I now have a proven plan of attack ... a strategic route that has yet to let me down.

I have a few people to thank for this enlightened perspective (known around here as "good stewardship"):

1. My grandfather, Dado: He contributed the genetic trait. He use to go to garage sales all the time. I, however, think of myself as more evolved...I buy things I "need." He bought things that he thought someone that he knew might someday possibly need. Needless to say his garage has always been quite a museum. Thanks Dado!! Long live the genetic trait.

2. Jesse: aah, my sweet husband. Some have been known to call him cheap, but I lovingly use the term "frugally inclined." His approach to shopping involves careful evaluation and analysis of every item in the cart to determine whether it is absolutely essential for survival. Now, I do the same thing. I end up in the checkout line at Target with a full cart and some nice sales clerk has to put everything back...except for the diapers.

3. Cathy & Janet: the garage saleing "masters" and my personal shopping mentors. My inspirations. I met these two gals at my MOMs group at church and we've been known to call each other when locating a great garage sale. They really got me started going to sales.

So how does one regress into such an addiction, you might ask? Well, just like all other addictions, there is usually some euphoria, or high associated with the motivation to go deeper. For me, it is the high of knowing how much money I saved and how proud of me Jesse would be. Just so you know what I'm talking about here, some of my best bargains include:

• Take Along Thomas Roundhouse- $22.99 at Toys'r'us $0.50 at garage sale (plus 6 additional trains, costing almost $20 each at Toys'r'us)

• Little Tykes wagon- $70 online (+tax and shipping) $15 at a garage sale

• Pacific Play Tent and Tunnel- $80 online (+ tax and shipping) $8 at garage sale
  
  

My friend recently told me that I have a "skewed" sense of what things should cost. After finding deals like this, it is hard to buy anything at regular price. For example, I'm appalled when Walmart has the gall to charge $3.50 for 1 toddler sized shirt, when the previous day I purchased a whole bag of name brand shirts for less than that.

Now, some may consider this type of shopping extra work. But when you consider how excited JG gets when I say those magic words "get your shoes, we're garage saleing today," it's worth all the effort. He immediately stops in his tracks, dashes to get his shoes and grab his sippy, and runs to the door, all the while chanting "Go to GA-RAWSH SA-LE" over and over! I laugh every time. It'll be interesting to see what kind of shopper he turns out to be.

So next time, when you pass this sign, maybe you will think price and pull over. Happy hunting.