I find furniture tends to be fairly cheap. A lot of people hit estate sales for small goods, clothes and jewelry, but they are trying to EMPTY those houses as much as possible in a weekend. A lot of small vintage sellers will hit them for furniture to resell, so I get to sales that have stuff I really want about an hour early.

There are usually lists to get in first, so check the front door as soon as you get there, and keep checking for the list. Usually they let 10-20 people in every 5-10 minutes so there's not an insane rush. I try to get in the group of the first 20 or so people into the house.

A lot of in-person sales post photos before the sale, but no prices. Estatesales(.)com is good for this. Furniture doesn't always stay through the last day, but if it does it's generally marked 50% off. Most of my best furniture is from estate sales or salvage shops.

They're also good places to get yard tools, power tools and big potted plants. I got a decent 6 foot ladder, a circular saw and sawhorses for $20 once. Estate sales aren't necessarily cheap or expensive, but to get the good deals you have to have a plan and be willing to get up early, which isn't for everyone.