Someone has been spring cleaning and has set up a garage sale in your neighborhood. Expectedly, items are hugely discounted at venues like this, but not everything you see is always a good deal. It's better to save your money and avoid buying certain yard sale items.
From old clothes, shoes, books and toys, to unused kitchen items, toiletries and a handful of empty bottles, you'll find a pile of junk before you can score a vintage piece. Spend your money carefully and follow these tips:
1) Swimsuits and underwear
For hygienic reasons, it's not a good idea to buy used swimsuits and underwear at garage sales. Besides, these have materials that wear out easily, such as the garter. You're not actually saving money if you buy one that's almost wearing out. You can buy cleaner and tighter swimsuits and underwear during store sales instead.
2) Mattress, sheets and pillowcases
Bed bugs are hard to get rid of and can latch on to mattresses, sheets and pillowcases. You might believe that you walked away with a good deal by purchasing these items on the cheap, but you could end up going home with bug-carrying diseases.
Female bed bugs can hatch up to 400 eggs in a year and the eggs can contaminate the bed's cracked frames and head board, rugs, baseboards and wallpaper covering. You'll spend more money and effort with cleaning and disinfection.
3) Car seats and helmets
Ideally, once a helmet has been used in a crash, it should be replaced as it could no longer protect its user when another crash happens. There's a good chance the old helmet you find at the garage sale has been dropped, damaged and crashed many times over, so don't risk it. You're better off buying this brand new and it's the same thing for car seats. One accident is all it takes to render it useless.
4) Cosmetics
Even if the cosmetics are still in their boxes, skip buying them when you know that the item has expired. You'll risk getting sick from the bacteria. Buy your makeup brand new and fresh. There are many good and affordable drugstore brands anyway.
