Now, let me give a disclaimer. I am not a consignment sale master shopper. I do not take a grocery cart (yes, I mean a full size grocery cart). Nor do I bring a huge trash can on wheels, lined with a clean garbage bag of course, to collect my loot as I shop.
If you've never been to a consignment sale where people were doing these things, you haven't really been to a consignment sale. I mean, these women are serious. They line up outside. They bring all types of crates and baskets and such to put their goodies in. They shop with a purpose, and it's written all over their faces.
I am not one of them. I will admit to having taken a laundry basket with a belt attached (because I'm lazy, and the belt makes it much easier to slide the basket along the floor) in the past. Yesterday, however, I just used whatever I had in my car. It happened to be an umbrella stroller. Definitely not the best option, because it kept wanting to tip over backwards as I hung more and more clothes on the handles. But it worked. I wish I'd taken a picture of that thing when it was loaded down. It was awesome!
I volunteered at the Sweet Repeats sale yesterday for 4.5 hours, just so I could get a ticket to shop the preview sale. In my opinion, it's worth the volunteer hours to get into the sale before it opens to the public. The good stuff gets gone fast, people. Plus, most of these sales operate off of volunteer power, and a lot of them donate their profits to charity, so it's a bonus to be a part of something and give back.
Yesterday, my main mission was to find clothes for The Boy. That's his name for now. We're getting closer to finding his actual name. We're throwing a few around. We have a backup. But we haven't made any decisions as of yet. So he's The Boy.
Look at (some of) the clothes I got for him!
Yes, The Boy will be the preppiest little thing you've ever seen. Well, probably not the preppiest, because he will hopefully not be wearing a lot of smocking or jon jons, but I can't say he won't wear any. His daddy kind of likes them. So don't be shocked if a jon jon pops up in an Easter pic or something like that. Can you believe that by Easter next year, he will be almost 1? No way! I digress.
This little onesie is quirky and fun (and not preppy), but I like it. Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?
I bought lots and lots more for The Boy, even clothes that are 12-18 months. I figure if I can buy a Polo shirt for $4, it doesn't really matter what size it is. He'll grow into it. I found several Polo items, from rompers to shorts to shirts. I didn't pay more than $5 for a single item of clothing. I feel like I saved us a fortune!
I will admit that it's getting harder and harder to find cute stuff for the girls. I can always find good deals on toys and accessories, but the cute clothes are few and far between after about 24 months.
I did find this dress for Elizabeth.
And this romper for Layla. It's Kelly's Kids, which a lot of people around here don't know about, but if you're from Mississippi, you know how expensive these are. I got it for $5. Oh, snap.
Consignment sales are also great for books and movies. You can find great board books for 50 cents or $1. Those things cost $8 or more at the store. I've always made it a practice to buy books at consignment sales. The selection of DVDs is getting better and better too. It used to be that you could only find VHS tapes, but this time, there were tons of DVDs.
I don't think I'll ever be a consignment guru who goes to every sale, but I do enjoy one or two sales each season. The truth is that you don't always find a ton of great stuff, so you have to be prepared for that, especially if you're shopping for something in particular. But if you go in with an open mind, there are plenty of deals to be had.
This is consignment sale season, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sale this weekend in your area. There are two that I know of near me. If you decide to go, I hope you find some great deals! And if you happen to have a full size shopping cart at your house, don't be afraid to take it with you!
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