Just Grace Goes Green by Charise Mericle Harper Read Free Book Online

story with them.

    When I was all finished organizing, I had two whole boxes filled with stuff and my room was much neater and more organized. Mom could not be unhappy about that.
    Secretly I was hoping to make twenty dollars—that way I could buy something fun and new to wear to Gwen's birthday party. Mom gives me money to buy presents for parties, but unless it's a special occasion I don't usually get to have presents for myself too. If I try to ask she just says, "You've got enough stuff already."
    I was lucky about my conservation jour
nal tonight. Mom forgot to turn the light out in the bathroom when she was finished.
    Turned out light that was not needed since no one was in the bathroom.
    SAVING THE EARTH ON A SATURDAY

    I set my alarm for extra early—that way there would be enough time to get ready before everyone came to the sale. Most people like to go to sales early. That way they can find all the extra-good stuff before anyone else gets
there. I was glad that Mimi and Gwen were waiting outside for me, because the big folding tables were way too big for me to set up all by myself. I guess Mom must have heard the garage door open because both she and Dad were suddenly standing in the driveway in their pajamas. Now Mom was curious and full of questions.
    "Do you know what time it is?"
    "What are you doing out here?"
    "What's going on?"
    "Mimi, does your mother know you are here?"
    "What are all these boxes?"
    Just then Sammy and Max showed up. Sammy said, "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart. Are you helping with the sale? I've got some great stuff here. Maybe even something you'd like to buy?"
    I think Sammy was kind of showing off
because Gwen was there. He's not usually that talky around parents.
    "Grace, I need to see you in the kitchen," said Mom. While we were walking away, I heard Dad say, "I'll give you a hand setting up the tables," so that was good news.
    Mom had lots to say. Mostly she was just saying the same thing over and over again but in different ways, and that was pretty much, "You can't have a yard sale without asking first. You can't have a yard sale without asking first." When I said, "But I thought you'd be happy about me cleaning my room and getting rid of stuff," she just held up her hand. That's Mom's way of saying I don't want to hear any more about it.
    She started to make her coffee, so I just stood there watching her until finally she said, "Oh, go and help your friends. I'm up now."
    VICTORY!

    WHAT IS NOT SO EASY ABOUT A YARD SALE
    Knowing how much to charge for your stuff is not easy. If the price is too high, then no one will buy it. If the price is too low, then you will lose money because you could have maybe charged a higher price and made even more money. It's all very tricky.

    When I got back outside, Mimi and Gwen were already finished setting up Mimi's stuff. She was only selling five things. I couldn't believe that was it. I know for certain that Mimi has loads of stuff she doesn't
use anymore. Mimi said it was hard to give things up. Every time she put something in the "to sell" box she thought,
What if I need that one day?
And then she'd take it out and keep it. She said it took all night just to find the five things on the table. Gwen was shaking her head while Mimi was talking. She said, "It was unbelievable."
    SAMMY'S STUFF
    As soon as I saw Sammy's things I said, "Sammy, you weren't supposed to sell junk. No one is going to buy all this."
    "It's not junk!" said Sammy. "It's all good stuff. See this glass jar?" Sammy was holding up an old mayonnaise jar. It didn't have the label on it anymore, but I could tell it was a mayonnaise jar because Mom buys the same kind and I recognized the shape
and the green lid. "It's an excellent jar for catching fireflies. Once I had twenty-five fireflies in this jar all at the same time. It's a lucky firefly jar."
    I couldn't believe Sammy, so I said, "Well, no one is going to buy your lucky jar, because they don't even know