Last Saturday saw us busy at the Rowen Car Boot sale, held once a month throughout the Spring and Summer it is a lovely venue on the village green. The hall is open for teas, coffees, hot dogs and cakes, and I think it is a brilliant way to raise money for local amenities.
The sun was shining and folk were happy and chatty and we did a roaring trade .....
... so much so that one of us needed a lie down and fell asleep in the sunshine.
As well as sorted out clutter and excess from the house, yes there is still some of that, I decided to sell some of the plants from the polytunnel. There was no way I would need 18 Courgette plants for just the two of us, so 12 of them were taken to the boot sale along with 8 Pumpkin plants. I sold them for just 50p each as I wanted to come back with empty trays not make the most possible money and this price more than covered the cost of plant pots and compost, with some profit on top for us. It worked and we returned with just two of the Pumpkins. So there's now a starter of £9 in our vegetable fund.
I was the only person selling anything other than tomato plants, so it got me thinking what else could I sell that was just a little bit different and that would be snapped up by buyers to the car boot sale.
As I have LOTS of Rosemary plants about the place I decided to take some cuttings from them.
So now my little jugs are dotted about the house making the place smell gorgeous and hopefully they will all root in time for the next car boot sale and raise us a little bit more money in our bid for gradual self sufficiency.
Taking baby steps this year and then hopefully building on them will help us to see what is popular, what sells well and how much I could potentially make as a little sideline for when Lovely Hubby gives up the day job.
Sue xx
Hey Sue I also took some rosemary and lavender cuttings this week. As I cant afford the £5 price tag for a pot of lavender and I cook with huge amounts of rosemary, I there fore need an endless supply.
ReplyDelete?.... Should I have them (rosemary) in a jug or something dark as I have them in a glass on the window sill? Dont want to kill them off.
I am also hoping to do a car boot. Can I ask did you put prices on anything? I am a complete novice and a little scared, my friend said some car boot buyers are quite aggressive....
No, they should be fine in your glass, you'll be able to watch the roots develop. I've done it this way before now with good results :-)
DeleteYes, we put prices on everything. Most folk don't bother at this particular car boot sale, but last year when we went with a table full of priced items a few people commented on what a good idea it was, at least they can see the sort of prices we want for things. A lot of people are shy at asking prices.
If someone is aggressive with you be as rude as you want back to them, and smile at everyone else. You will find most people will be on your side if you deal with it this way.
See Bovey Belle's answer below, this is a really good technique to stop you getting mobbed when you arrive. You'll find a lot of seasoned car booters do this, some of them are shopping around for bargains to add to their stalls!!
thanks for this. I need to sell quite a few bits as they are surplus and I have no where to keep it.
Deletegreat ideas and as they say "Mighty Oaks from little Acorns Grow." Good luck with your next car boot sale.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gill. xx
DeleteBrilliant! After many years doing a regular job I am now 'thinking outside the box' about various ways to keep the wolf from the door. Necessity is the mother of invention isn't it? Hope he enjoyed snoozing in the sunshine (always a bonus).
ReplyDeleteWe've actually started a note book of money making ideas for the future. Sometimes you get a good idea and then forget all about it ..... so we've started making notes :-)
DeleteGreat idea Sue. As I have always been salaried until the past few years it is a completely new departure for me. As I am looking for a job I hope to be salaried again but I am hoping it will be part time to allow time for the volunteer work I do with young people. If that's the case I will have to look at ways to supplement our income. Whilst looking for a job I will also have to look for ways to make money too.
DeleteGreat Idea with the Rosemary, I am going to do the same x
ReplyDeleteIt roots so quickly and easily I love taking Rosemary cuttings :-)
DeleteI think I'll try some Lavender the same way too.
I always found that herbs sold well, especially different sorts of Basil. Anything really which isn't run of the mill so you have cornered the market in it!
ReplyDeleteSol - price things up, and if you can, leave the car shut and locked and go for a wander round first thing, that way you will avoid the dealers around your car like flies around a carcase. Give them 15 mins or so and they will be away down the line and you can unpack without too much trouble. This from someone who has been both sides of the table for over 25 years now, one way and another! I like my car boot bargains : )
Yes, my cash crop a couple of years ago was a huge tray with pots of ordinary green basil and some gorgeous red basil they sold out straight away. Most folk know the price of supermarket herbs so as long as you are a bit cheaper and the plants look nice and healthy it is a good crop to make money on isn't it.
DeleteI did not know one could root rosemary in water? I am so going to try this!
ReplyDeleteI found out how easy it roots quite by accident a couple of years ago, I picked too much one night and stood the left over sprig in a jug of water to keep fresh, literally two days later when I came to use it it had lots of little roots on so I potted it up and picked some more instead. Basil root as easily this way too, as I guess do lots of herbs ... I think it's time for some experimentation. :-)
DeleteI do so love the rosemary...my favorite herb. The aroma from just touching the leaves with my hand makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteSnap!!
DeleteThe reason I have so many Rosemary plants in the first place is that everytime I visit a garden centre I get tempted to buy one, just so I can fondle it as I go round.
Great idea for selling herb plants, I bet they will go quickly x
ReplyDeleteI hope so .... I've just been snipping away at more of my plants :-)
DeleteI might give this a try & pot the Rosemary up to give as presents ( my mum is called Rosemary & it's her 85th birthday today - we both have Rosemary in our gardens ! )
ReplyDeleteOh I hate that rush at car boot sales though haven't done one since we left living in Spain
- good tip Bovey Belle !
We have tried car booting the excess brick a brack from the shop. Electrical sells well though we can now sell in the shop as all PAT tested. We also gave a huge amount to the Guide's jumble sale for their new roof fund.
I hope your Mum has a lovely birthday, she already has a lovely name :-)
DeleteIt's good to get rid of the bric a brac from charity shops at car boot sales, but sometimes I used to have a table outside the shop and sell off lots really cheaply, or even just ask for donations into a tub at the end of the table, if you have someone that will sit out and guard it of course. This works for books too. :-)
Well done! Every little helps!
ReplyDeleteI rooted some rosemary too from some cut rosemary on sale, reduced to 40p, 12 stalks, trimmed and in a glass vase, rooted within the week and I tried something I'd seen on Pinterest, Cinnamon powder instead of hormone rooting powder, which I didn't have anyway. I've got 8 out of the 12 rooted little plants, growing well.
I've grown some 'Cinnamon Basil' from some seedlings bought at a local garden centre/nursery for 60p a pot, 32 seedlings and now have 24 plantlets. The aroma and taste is so different, you get the best of both the Cinnamon and the Basil. I might let a couple of plants set seed and see if they come true next year.