This is a guest post from Jacob, enjoy!

After three years of marriage, I have come to understand that my wife is an exceptionally bright woman. I knew that before I married her, but time has only extended my belief in that statement.

While I have always been good at budgeting, conversely I have always struggled with coming up with creative ways to save money. The reality is that anyone can stop eating out or cut the cord to the cable and save some money each month.

However, it seems like those who are saving geniuses, and saving a ton of money each month, are always finding creative ways to save money. Unfortunately, my savings capacity stops at the eating out or cable cutting.

Well, my wife is really good at finding creative ways to save money. I learned recently that my wife saved us money every single month last year and I didn’t even know it!

My Wife’s Brilliance

How could I not know it, you might ask? Well, my wife and I are in charge of different parts of our budget. We call these different parts “budget accounts”. In this instance, two of my wife’s budget accounts are clothing and household items.

The way it works is that she gets an allowance each month, for each account. She is then in charge of making sure that she either uses the money within the purpose of that budget account, or she saves it for a future month.

 

So, much to my surprise, my wife came into my office at the beginning of this year and expressed that we should lower the allowance that she is receiving each month for clothing and household items.

I asked her why, and she presented me with almost $1,500 cash and said something to the effect of, “I’ve just gotten really good at buying our clothes and household items at yard sales. This is all the money I saved last year by shopping at yard sales.”

I was shocked. I had no idea. I don’t buy clothes anymore because she is in charge of that budget account, so I had no way of knowing!

Yard Sales Rock

You have probably heard the phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” In many ways, this saying is very true. While those who consider some of their stuff as trash or “junk”, it seems that others may actually find that same item useful, helpful, and very valuable. Or at least my wife does!

Yard sales are awesome for both parties… sellers and buyers; here’s why:

Buyers

Yard sales are a great chance to find hidden treasures! Not only can you find some very rare items, but you can find gently used items for a fraction of what the cost would be if you were to buy them new. In that respect, this is the perfect opportunity to save on items that you need for everyday life.

The PRO here is that you can find bargain deals and save money. The CON is that you will need to find the sales and possibly drive around town.

This is an example of why I feel like my wife is an exceptionally bright woman. She has been going to yard sales all year, buying gently used items (almost brand new), for a fraction of the cost!

Sellers

On the flip-side of being a buyer, a yard sale is the perfect opportunity to sell your trash and items that you have deemed as worthless. So not only can you buy items, but then you can have your own yard sale and sell some things and make a little cash as well.

The PRO here is that you get to declutter and get some money back at the same time. The CON is that you have to organize it, label items, and get buyers to you somehow.

My wife and I have done this too. We got rid of some of the “junk” items around the house and we made a few hundred bucks!

Conclusion

So for both sellers and buyers, the value of a yard sale is a win-win. You can save money by shopping the deals, and yet you can also host your own yard sale and make some money.

The next time you need to save some money, go check out a yard sale. Never count out the value of a yard sale!

Bio:

After spending six years in the accounting, retirement, and financial realm, Jacob turned his attention to teaching others about important life skills. He works with clients one on one, in addition to teaching others through his website PowerOverLife. Jacob currently lives in Gilbert, AZ with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. You can also follow up at Twitter.