Tales from the Sales

Winter has a firm hold! I say that with a huge sigh because I love summer. This was my first summer in Edmonton and boy, was it a treat! The long days of sunshine, beautiful hikes, smell of fresh-cut grass, barbecues and of course, the GARAGE SALES! I had no idea how cool a garage sale was until I moved to Edmonton. My mind was blown!

I think that sustainability is a journey that starts from within our own homes and spreads to the community. As the saying goes, “droplets of water become an ocean.” Garage sales are a phenomenal sustainability practice. 

Let me get a bit technical here and take you through the manifestation of the three pillars of sustainability in a typical garage sale.

1.      Economical: Garage sales are one of the most economical ways of buying items you want!

2.      Environmental: You are literally diverting waste from landfills, so kudos!

3.      Social: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so both of you are happy! 

I know garage sales have been a part of the culture in this part of the world for quite some time. But as a newbie to Canada, I know that some people have genuine apprehensions about getting stuff from a garage sale. It might be that you don’t want to buy stuff from somebody else’s home. It might be that you don’t expect to find anything worthwhile and think that you might be wasting time. Or, it might be that you don’t know how awesome these sales actually are. 

Initially, I was not a fan of garage sales. But I am married to my polar opposite. He loves vintage collectibles and the like, so we went on a garage sale-hopping adventure this summer. I lost count after 10 sales. (I know, it’s crazy). What we purchased from these sales blew our minds.

All the precious wooden sculptures

Check out these  immaculately intricate wooden sculptures of people, animals and much more! To be frank, beyond the artistic appeal, what caught my attention was the story behind each collectible. For instance, I purchased a small storage box that the nice garage sale host had used when she was a little girl. She wanted me to take special care of it as it had a lot of childhood memories.

Ceramic dog figurines

Apart from all the economic gains, these garage sales are an opportunity to meet new people and hear their stories while living more sustainably. 

If you are looking for tips to land your own amazing finds, try checking out some of your local buy-and-sell forums and websites. Most of the sale notifications come with pictures of things for sale and approximate prices, so you can go prepared. Also, keep your eyes open while walking around your neighborhood as there are definitely sales around every nook and corner. Winter sales are mostly indoor, and notifications are normally through online platforms.


For those who missed out this year, please do try your luck during our next summer garage sale season, and keep an eye out for indoor winter sales too!

Submission by Roshni Mary Sebastian (Volunteer)