One woman's trash is another's treasure... Think you have to shop retail to decorate your home in style? Think again. Mormonchic shows you some garage sale, antique store, and auction finds that are anything but second-rate. Learn how to approach a garage sale effectively so you can get the best buys!

This end table (along with the coffee table right) were in terrible condition when they were picked up from a family that was moving. With a little sanding, a little stain and a huge mess later, and they look great. Total cost: FREE! Here, the matching coffee table had nicks, scratches, and wax drippings. Now you would never know they were a freebie! This relic was found at an auction. Unfortunately, it was made of metal, but had a really good faux wood painted on. It was cleaned it up and the fixtures were painted gold. This trunk cost $50, but looking at  antique shops, similar ones goes for $300+. Here, another garage sale freebie...only when it was found, it was pink, broken springs, and terribly stained. While this is still a work in progress, it is being recovered with tasteful upholstery fabric from an outlet store. It's still not completely done, but once again the chair was FREE! Sometimes you go to a garage sale and get a great find. This beautiful night stand for only $25. Sure, this is expensive for a garage sale, but it was worth it! This baby didn't have a scratch. It was in perfect condition...and matched the buyer's headboard perfectly. A '50s diner stool was a steal for $25 at an antique shop. It was cheaper because of some rust spots around the base. With a little steel wool, the rust scrubbed right off and it looks a nice as the $100 one. Garage Sale Tips The Five-minute Rule You can usually tell if a garage sale will be good in the first five minutes. Since there are usually tons of garage sales on a Saturday morning, don't spend more than five minutes at a bad garage sale. Good Materials It may not be in the best shape, but look for real wood, solid wood pieces. Don't spend money on cheap plywood pieces. They aren't worth it. If there are scrapes, gashes, scratches, etc., It's not a problem with real, solid, wood, you can easily sand it down to perfection. Why Not Barter? Embarrassed to ask them for a few dollars off? Why? It's not like you're going to see them again. What can they say? NO? Oh well. Realize Your Capabilities If you're not a carpenter, then don't buy a bookcase that you have to rebuild! Realize what you can do and what you can fix. That's not to say that you can't fix things up. You'd be surprised about how much you can sand, stain, paint, hammer, cover, etc. Buy What You Like If you like it, buy it. If you have the money and it's a good price. Don't be worried about what's in style, in fashion, or what Martha Stewart would like. Looking for a garage sale in your area? Check out GarageSaleSource.com to find garage sales nationwide.