I have had a discussion about yard sales with my father on numerous occasions. My point is they are a giant waste of time, equivalent to moving things from garage/basement to yard and then back in the hopes of making $12.50 over an 8-10 hour period. If I really want to make $1.25 an hour for manual labor, I will go make shoes for Nike. I know the thought of haggling pennies over my old toy xylophone from 1982 does sound like a load of fun, but I will take the option of preserving my Saturday and just paying to have someone lug away my useless junk any day. Yard sales to me are a losing proposition every time.

That brings me to the mother of all yard sales, the flea market. I happen to live across the street from one so I get to check it out every now and again. Not necessarily to buy, but more to marvel at the garbage that is spread all over these 8 foot tables, and the people trying to sell it. Some actual items I noticed on my most recent trip were:

• A package of mens underwear
• A box of Rice-a-Roni
• A “set” of 7 billiard balls
• 3 8-bit Nintendo games
• A stack of random, non-collectible magazines

The best part? They were all on the same table. I mean, what possesses someone to load these things into the car at 7am, drive to Grafton, pay $25 for the table, and set up shop to sell this stuff? Even if they have the best possible sales day and sell ALL of it, the quick math tells you it is a loss. The items on the table don’t even add up to the $25 it costs to rent the space! And who is buying back issues of family circle magazine??? If I want old, irrelevant magazines, I will steal them from my dentist. I just don’t understand the mentality of these people…I don’t think I ever will.