Shop one of Columbia’s most eclectic yard sales Saturday

Kids may say the darnedest things, but college students leave the strangest.

And some of that will be for sale at the University of South Carolina’s Give It Up for Good yard sale, which benefits Habitat for Humanity.

The yard sale will be from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 21 in the USC Field House, 1400 Whaley St. (between Marion and Bulll streets). Parking will be across the street in the Bates parking lot.

Each year, as students pack up and move out of their residence halls, they have the opportunity to donate clothing, appliances or other items. Students drop off items at locations around campus for the Give it Up for Good program.

Last year, 19 tons of items were available at the yard sale, and USC is on track to match or surpass that this year, according to Margaret Bounds, the sustainability coordinator in USC Housing who runs the Give it Up for Good program.

Items include the expected: futons, microwaves, clothing, lamps, dorm refrigerators and mini-vacuums.

Some of the items are not so expected.

“There are two categories of interesting items,” Bounds said.

The first category: stuff either students or their parents thought they would or should need that never got used. Bounds can tell because these items still have tags on them, or are still in the packaging.

“You wonder what goes through their minds,” Bounds said with a chuckle. “Do they think they’re going to suddenly start ironing?”

Or vacuuming? Or cleaning toilets?

The second category of interesting items are the … different … items that get donated.

Here are 10 interesting items that fall into that category – and what you, the savvy shopper, can purchase them for.

1) A four-foot plastic Santa lawn ornament. Available for $5.

2) A ceramic cat. “Maybe it was a joke?” Bounds says. For whatever reason someone may want it, it will cost $1.

3) A cat purse. The cat is wearing a rainbow sequin shirt. All for $3.

4) A basket in the shape of Virginia. This and all storage bins and baskets are $1 each.

5) A very small sewing machine. You can hold it in your hand. Cost: $5.

6) A Napoleon Dynamite action figure. This and other small toys are 25 cents. Large toys cost $1.

7) A stuffed camel. A very furry camel. All stuffed animals are $1.

8) An alligator onesie. With an alligator snout that goes over your head. This and all Halloween costumes are $3 each.

9) An emoji pillow, themed sheets, a stuffed Minion and other items that prove college kids are still like kindergarteners in some ways. All small pillows are $1, large bed rest pillows are $3.

10) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer one-piece footie pajamas complete with stuffed reindeer on the feet. This is $3.

There also is a “stuff a bag” special for $20 if it is just clothing and $25 if it is a mix of clothing and household goods.

So, there will be many useful items available at the yard sale on Saturday. And a few that may not be too useful but may make you smile.

Regardless, the money from everything sold goes to Habitat for Humanity. And while sorting through tons of items is a lot of work, “I love the good things we are able to do with the money we raise,” Bounds said.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 6:23 PM.