One of the many awesome things about living in the western
part of NJ is the town-wide garage sales hosted here. I don't remember anything
like this happening in my part of the state growing up, although it doesn't
mean they haven't since established the tradition some 30 years later.
All I know is, I make sure to clear my schedule for a
few weekends in the spring and a few more in the fall so I can hit the garage sale melee
that turns towns like Belvidere, Harmony, Lopatcong, Pohatcong, Stewartsville,
Clinton, Lebanon, Whitehouse Station, and probably other towns that I'm as yet unaware of, into an antiquer/bargain-hunter's dream come true.
Over the years, I've scored all kinds of sweet deals on everything from a wet/dry
shop vac to antique silver serving platters to an entire set of wrought iron
patio furniture to antique wooden dressers and bookshelves. Garage sale finds
have clothed my kid, enhanced my home decor, dressed up our holiday table, adorned my party feet, and
without a doubt saved us thousands and thousands of dollars.
And if you end up not liking/not using what you buy at the Warren and Hunterdon
County garage sales? No
worries... you can always put it out at your own yard sale next year, or heck
you can even curb it because hey, you only spent a dollar or five anyway!
Just recently, Belvidere
hosted their town-wide sale on October 4 and 5. They were somewhat thwarted
with a morning of heavy rain on Saturday, but that didn't stop them from coming
back stronger and ever, with wall to wall crap, err, precious commodities,
lining the sidewalks and driveways of nearly every street in town.
In fact – the sale was so all-encompassing that it proved
too much for me to handle in a day. Next time, I may devise some sort of
strategic approach for hitting the best spots earliest and whatever else might
yield the greatest garage-sale takes.
More garage sales are sure to pop up – keep an eye out in
the Treasure Hunt, on local NJ websites, on Facebook, and wherever else you get
your "local updates."
Happy Garage Sale Season!