On Saturday, I bought a never-been-used, beautiful stainless steel Kitchen Aid Food Processor with multiple attachments for only $15; the retail price is $249. Where and how did I manage it? At a garage sale -- and I am going to smile about that experience every time I use it!

My husband likes to browse garage sales periodically to look for CDs, sports cards - interesting things he can trade and sell on-line. It's his hobby, and occasionally, I go along for the ride. His find was a box of 25 or 30 CDs for $2.50; some he will sell, some he will donate, and some he will keep for himself.

The first place we stopped was holding a fundraiser to help pay off grandma's extensive dental work; our greeter was friendly, but this was all business -- a "make an offer, let's get this going" type of conversation. Meanwhile, 92 year old Grandma was shaded by an overhang as she relaxed in her recliner, legs bared to the knees "so she could get a little color on this pasty white!"

Another stop was at a sale hosted by a large family. They had a LOT of stuff but neither my husband nor I wanted to spend any time looking -- the silent stares and absence of a friendly hello or smile made us both uncomfortable.

The last place was one of those where you can just tell the people are fun. There was a group of people sitting at a table under a canopy, and all called out hello; as several more came out of the house, each of them greeted us as well. It felt like we were being welcomed to a party more than a garage sale! We chatted as we browsed, and then spotted the food processor; did it work? Oh, sure, it's never been used - here, let's plug it in to this extension cord. And... nothing.

For the next ten minutes, there were never less than three sets of hands on the thing, twisting, turning, switching - and at least four more people provided a running commentary about what needed to be done to make it go.  We were reassured multiple times that it worked, and finally, amongst lots of laughter, one woman realized the handles weren't lined up properly, and it was the built-in safety feature that was preventing it from starting. Once we had the handles adjusted it was perfect, and just a few dollars later, the deal was done. The entertainment factor alone was worth the $15!

In all, it was a fun way to spend a few hours on a sunny Saturday afternoon.