Yard Sales

Yard sales are fun since they provide a totally different shopping experience.  Many of the items are unique, they have no set price, and people are willing to sell them cheap.

Part of the mind games involved in bartering include not showing a particular interest in an item.  If the seller sees that you want an item badly, they are much more likely to sell it at a higher price.

I was at a yard sale recently with some friends, and one of them wanted to purchase a table for their room.  Upon seeing the size and shape they foolishly said that it was "perfect."  Unfortunately for them, they ended up paying more for it as a result.

I told him afterwards how he could have saved money, but he was indifferent, citing the very low price for the table.  Well, it wasn't that big of a deal, I only would have saved like ten dollars.

Even though it may not seem like that big of a deal when buying tables at yard sales, optimization, maximizing efficiency, and minimizing waste are extremely important.  It just seems foolish to make basic mistakes, when you could have saved money.