The great garage sale of 2006 is over. Here's what I learned.

Nobody wants a 20-year-old solid oak table at any price...until the neighbor said he'd pay $50 for it. I am waiting for him to pick it up.

White people don't buy shit. Mexicans are good customers.

I don't think my old junk is good enough for anyone, which is why it didn't sell. It seriously has me rethinking how I spend my money from now on. Whenever I look at something in a store now, I'll be thinking to myself, "would someone of lower economic status even pay 25 cents for this a year from now?" It makes me want to buy better, long-lasting stuff off the bat, which is what most style Bibles (like Vogue) tell you to do anyway.

Never charge over 50 cents for old clothes unless it is something really good like a coat or a pair of shoes, especially men’s work boots.

Try not to give your cheapskate boyfriend too much control over pricing or you won't sell anything. And don't let him hover over your customers either! They are quite capable of shopping without his watchful eye.

Big items are where you make the money: guitars, newer furniture, tools, etc.

Things that no one wants: old computer monitors because everyone wants flat screens -- even the most white-trash looking plumber guy. Books. Nobody wants books. I'm taking a boatload to Bookman's and I'm getting store credit so I can buy the biggest dictionary they've got. KNICK KNACKS. Lord, how people don't want knick knacks. Candlesticks, vases...I thought they'd go. Yeah...right.

I did manage to sell an unimaginable amount of stuff. Old camera stuff, a commemorative hockey puck, a Dark Angel DVD set, a headboard, a Henredon side table on eBay for $150…

But man, was it a wake up call on the stuff I thought I could get rid of but didn’t! From now on, we’ll definitely be just bagging things up and making seasonal trips to the Goodwill. Lesson learned.