The yard sale season is about to move into full swing here in upstate New York - finally! That means it’s prime time to get bargains on all sorts of things. In the hope of helping you find the best deals, I’m about to share my favorite tips. But first, this important proviso:

If you didn’t need it yesterday, why do you need it now? Buying something you don&39;t need and didn&39;t even know existed five minutes ago is no bargain, no matter how low the price.

If you’ve never gone “yard-saling,” you’re going to be amazed at how cheap everything is. Folks often just want to be rid of their stuff, and if they make a few hundred off their collection of junk, they’ll be happy. Unfortunately for them, that often means they’re almost giving things away.

As Dr. Lori, a certified antiques appraiser, recently wrote:

“I regularly attend yard sales, discover valuable objects for sale for mere pennies and tell the yard sale host to bring that valuable work of art or antique back in the house.

I told Marlene to bring a $175 antique planer back into the house when she had a $10 price tag on it. I surprised Gayle and her family with the news that she was only asking $2 for a valuable oil lamp at her yard sale which was actually worth $95. I informed Dan that the antique lighting fixtures that he removed from his early 1900s fixer upper house priced at $25 at his yard sale were actually worth $1,000 to $2,500.”

Twelve Tips to Money-Saving Yard-Saling

1. Look items over carefully before you buy them. Even though the price may be right, if it’s broken, stained, and/or won’t fit, keep looking. Sooner or later, you’ll find your equivalent of the brand-new black silk jacket I got for just a few bucks.
2.  Keep a hobby-collector-gift idea list and bring it with you. The shopping you do this spring and summer will save you money and time during the holiday season. If Uncle Bob likes to fly-fish, you might want to buy someone’s beautiful collection of homemade lures. If Grandma collects pink Depression glass, keep your eyes out for nice pieces. (Be sure there are no chips!)
3.  Make a deal with the kids. Figure out what their bare bones back-to-school clothing needs are and what your budget will be for each child. Agree that the money they save by choosing perfectly fine clothes at yard sales can be spent on things they don’t absolutely need, even if they’re purchased at the mall. If further bribery might prove useful, you can offer to use the extra money on family excursions, say, to their favorite amusement park.
4.  Make a deal with yourself. The same logic applies when it comes to yours truly. I’m a sweater hound, and although I certainly don’t need another one and wouldn&39;t buy one retail, if it costs less than $3.00, if I love it, if it will fit, and if it’s cashmere, I gladly let myself go for it. You can reward yourself for wearing and using great garage sale finds, too. But I’m sure you’d rather use the money you save to pay down your credit card balances, right?
5.  Bring a family list along, too. Jot down whatever you’ve gotten the kids to agree to, and also add anything you need for the house. This year, I’m looking for a stainless steel or Pyrex fat separator. If I don’t find one by the fall, when it’s time to make chicken soup again, I’ll spring for a new one, but I’ve got months ‘til then. (Feel free not to be quite so practical!)
6.  Cast a wide net. Given the price of gas, it doesn’t pay to drive around aimlessly looking for sales on a Saturday morning. Check the classifieds in the local newspapers. (I can view the ads online for free, even in the paper with the smallest circulation around here.) Also keep your eyes out for signs as you go about your chores and chauffeuring during the week. Look for yard sale ads on supermarket bulletin boards as well as on any online bulletin boards and the Craigslist near you. Plot a route that takes in some sales as you do your errands on Saturday mornings. You’re also bound to see some signs, which brings me to the next tip:
7.  Remember to drive carefully. When you see what seems like a nifty sale, there’s no need to slam on the brakes or leave the car halfway on the road. If you get hurt, injure someone else, or wreck the car, yard-saling will lose its charm. Signal, pull off safely, walk a little, and you’ll live longer.
8.  All other things being equal, go to moving sales, first, as opposed to plain ordinary yard, garage, tag, or rummage sales. They often have the best stuff – things that are in perfect shape but unnecessary in the new house or too bulky to take along. If you&39;re in the market for bigger ticket items, like furniture, televisions, rugs, and refrigerators, these are definitely the sales to focus on. Just be sure you have a plan for how you&39;ll get your loot home.
9.  Be prepared! We usually have rope, a blanket or two, cardboard, and some tools in the trunk. You’d be amazed by the number of things we’ve brought home on the roof of our car from yard sales. One time, someone was giving away a metal shed – for free! It was already disassembled, so all we had to do was pile the pieces onto the car. I think it took two trips, but it was well worth it. We used the shed for awhile, and when it began to fall apart, we used the pieces to kill weeds outside our vegetable patch.
10.  Decide if you want to be an early bird. I am not a morning person, and accept that I won’t get the best selection. But if you’re up and at ‘em on the early side, go yard saling first thing. There is an advantage to shopping later in the day, though – the prices are usually lower and sellers are often much more inclined to hondle (negotiate).
11.  If you have the kids with you, make yard saling into a fun treasure hunt. If they don’t enjoy themselves, they’ll have negative associations with bargain-hunting, which is very bad news for your pocketbook! In the car, talk about what they’d like to find. While you might say NO! to a new toy or trinket at a store, at yard sale prices, you can afford to surprise them by saying YES! without a fight – either to an inexpensive pre-owned find or to a set budget of a few dollars that they can spend as they see fit.
12. Have your own yard sale. You’d be amazed at how much money you can make, how many people you’ll get to see, and how much fun you’ll have. Plus, there’ll be a lot more room in the house and a lot less clutter.

Let us know your yard-saling secrets and successes. How much money do you save (or blow) at them?

Nancy Castleman – Co-author of "Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life" and founder of Good Advice Press. Nancy has spent the last 23 years teaching people how to get out of debt, save money, and live better on less. She writes on all these subjects for CreditBloggers.com.