My First (And Last) Car Boot Sale

Is one man's trash really another man's treasure?  After today's little adventure I think it's safe to say that my trash is sadly just my trash.  I am guilty of being an absolute hoarder.  I frequently go through my packed wardrobe, pull things out, stuff them into bags and earmark them for the charity shop, only to shove said bag into the back of the press and pull it out a couple of months later and refill the wardrobe with things that I haven't seen in a while and "might" just "get a wear out of".  

As my family has expanded so has the amount of "stuff" that we have amassed.  The laundry piles have gotten higher and harder to keep on top of.  The play room resembles the wake of a tornado. Organised chaos reigns.  So, in a desperate bid to reclaim some semblance of control I finally decided to get ruthless and have a massive declutter and as I had never been to a car boot sale before I decided it might be a fun thing to try.

Fun turned out to be some seriously hard slog for not a whole lot of financial gain.  Toys, books, shoes, coats, clothes, DVDs, hats, scarves, paintings, photo frames, cushion covers, old baby equipment, candles - you name it I had it, sitting in a pile on my hall floor.  I spent the best part of Saturday sorting things into piles and packing the car so that I'd be ready for Sunday's early start.   

Collecting items to sell 

Packing the car

I had heard great things about the Kilkenny Car Boot Sale, on the Callan Road just outside the city.  I was advised to be there at 7am to claim my pitch and set up for the day.  Selling starts at 8am.  It was an early, coffee fueled start.  I had read bits and pieces about pricing and trying not to appear like the new kid on the block but I failed pretty miserably by blurting out "Eh I've never been here before, where should I go?" as soon as I crossed the gate.  Thankfully a kindly neighbour took me under his wing and before long I had unpacked the car and had my first customers arrive.  

6am Start 

My little market stall

The sun was shining and there was a great buzz as people came and went, some ready to barter, some lingering for a chat, while others just had a quick browse before moving on.  It was very surreal at times to see elements of my life spread out for strangers to remark upon.  To know that items which were important to me - little shoes that once housed my daughters precious piggies, cuddly toys that once slept enfolded in my sons arms - held no value to others.  I felt nostalgic at times.  It was an exercise in letting go and I tried to embrace it.  I sold books for as little as 10 cent.  My biggest sale was two pairs of my husbands old football boots which went for €16.  Dresses, some never worn and with tags went for €3 each.  I was clearly not going to make my fortune on this particular Sunday.

I had hoped to sell the majority of items and drop anything that didn't sell off at our local charity shop tomorrow but as the day wore on and things got quieter it became clear that I had sold all I was going to sell and so the car was packed up once more and I arrived home absolutely exhausted.  After paying my €20 sellers fee I was left with a profit of €79.  Not a whole lot for a 6am start, an hour long return journey and 8 hours work!  There are definitely easier ways to make a few bob.  I had some pretty decent items.  I wasn't looking for a whole lot for them and anything anyone showed an interest in I let it go so I'm not really sure how I could have done better.

What I did earn was a new found respect for people who do this type of thing on a weekly basis.  I'm not a naturally confident person.  Making small talk with strangers isn't something that comes easily to me so to have spent the day doing it was an enjoyable challenge.  Ultimately I don't think I missed my calling as a sales woman and I'm pretty sure my first experience of car boot sale selling will also be my last!

Our Summer Fun Jar

It's week two of the summer holidays and the "What are we doing today Mom?" "Where are we going today Mom?" questions are pretty relentless.  At times it seems like an interrogation.  Good cop/bad cop. A tag team of little people hell bent on slowly driving me crazy.  This week I put the thinking cap on and "Our Summer Fun Jar" was born.  A whole summer of fun, in just one jar, you say? How is this possible?

Our summer fun jar 

Take two energetic children, several A4 pages, a scissors, some colouring pencils and a Kilner jar and let the magic happen.  (My little people need help with the big people scissors).  We sat down and each shouted out our favourite things to do - picnics at the beach, a visit to the zoo, exploring in the National History Museum, putting on sock puppet plays, water fights, taking train journeys, movie days with popcorn & jellies, reading Roald Dahl in the garden - the possibilities are truly endless.  

My son did the writing, while (after trying to decipher her hieroglyphics) my daughter was encouraged to decorate the slips of paper before folding them up and popping them into the jar.  This in itself proved to be a fun way to spend an hour and some of the more optimistic suggestions - such as a trip to the moon and asking Santa for our very own minion - raised lots of giggles.

The idea is that each day one of the children gets to choose the next days activity from the jar and that's how we spend the day.  It means that everyday there is something special planned, ranging from expensive days eating in fancy restaurants wearing a smart tie (courtesy of my eldest son) to toasting marshmallows by the fire pit in the garden before bed (thanks to a sugar addicted me) to painting rainbows on the paths around our house (from the fairy princess that is my 3 year old daughter).  

Obviously there will be days when we need to be flexible due to our "changeable" (ahem) Irish weather or pre existing arrangements but the kids understand that and again it teaches them new skills around planning and negotiating.  

So far this week we've had a rainy day cinema trip and a lot of splashing around in the local swimming pool.  Today it's feeding the ducks in the park.  It's taken the pressure off me to try and entertain and answer questions constantly and it's given the kids a real sense of involvement in how we choose to spend our precious free time together.