Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Works for Me Wednesday -- Consignment Sales!


I have taken a couple weeks off from WFMW because I thought I was out of tips, but then a couple came to mind, so here is one of those:

I love to shop(don't we all?). Since I had Hoss I have been able to use him as an excuse to shop (it makes me feel less guilty); however, I still have to stay on a budget. So I have learned to shop for "deals." If I see the big yellow clearance sign I am running to it trying to find a deal! This is a bit easier to do with kids' clothes, since I'm a little less picky for Hoss than I am for myself!

I like to shop 2nd hand for Hoss' clothes, especially his every day play clothes (however, I have also found some really nice Gymboree and Children's Place clothes for dirt cheap!). I just can't get myself out of the house in a presentable manner on Saturday mornings to tackle yard sales so I needed an alternative. I shop at a couple of local kids' consignment stores, but I have also discovered that there are several Christian preschools and other groups that have biannual consignment sales. I discovered a couple by seeing the signs while driving by and then signed myself up for the reminder mail so I never miss out on a sale. Here in central KY these sales typically occur in the spring and fall months typically with clothes specific for the upcoming season. I have already attended 4 sales this spring and stocked Jacob's wardrobe.

The sales consist of clothing for children and the seller gets the majority of the sale and the organization running the sale gets a smaller portion. When I am ready to sell our baby/kid clothes I think I will try this route. The sales also have more than just clothes, but toys, shoes, strollers, baby equipment, etc. I purchased Jacob's stroller and car seat at a consignment sale before he was born.

This is also great if you are looking to stock up a nursery or day care with toys. Our church has gone to a few sales in the past and got a lot of good toys for the nursery. A lot of these sales have 1/2 price sales on the last day. I went to one this past weekend and I was able to pick up Blues Clue, Sponge Bob and Sesame Street toys for Hoss (and he really does not need them...our house is already overcome with toys), 3 shirts for Hoss in the summer, a pair of New Balance tennis shoes (that looked brand new!) and shorts and a Children's Place shirt (for 75 cents!) for my nephew. All this for $16. I felt successful!

Consignment sales work for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Shannon!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

When our son was a baby I did shop the resales shops. Great bargains.
I also found that many of the consignments shops, located near the affluent areas offer brand name clothes and accessories for adults. It's great to spend $10 for 5 shirts and share the news with my hubby!
Thanks for the tip!

Amy said...

Great tip. I'll have to look around to see what organizations are doing that in our area.

Also, I wanted to respond to your comment about being less picky about your son's clothes than your own. I find it much easier to shop for my daughter's clothes than my own, but I've realized it's not that I'm any less picky about what I buy for her, it's that she looks good in most of the clothes in her size. I have a few more curves to deal with (read: HIDE!), so, my clothes need to be cut a certain way in order for them to be flattering.