It’s consignment time – time to save money! I rarely shop at the store for my kids and instead do most of my shopping at consignment sales (Spring/March and Fall/August) and am able to get a ton of cute, used items that are still in great condition for a fraction of shopping at the store.
I was first introduced to consignment sales when I just had my older two kids. The sales here in Colorado are huge. I got to my first sale and there was a long line before the doors even opened and the items for sale were housed in a very large building on the fair grounds. When I walked in, I was blown away. I don’t know if they have the same type of thing in other areas of the country, but I would do a search for consignment sales in your area. I found the local MOMS (Mothers of Multiples Society) sale before I was a twin mom, but now I get to be part of that group, too. With the MOMS group, we advertise prices of 50-90% off retail and let me tell you, that’s the pricing you get. I spend a fraction of the normal cost to outfit my kids or fill in the gaps from hand me downs we’ve received. Just Between Friends is another very large sale that I like.
The week before the sale, I start my list for each kid:
- Current clothing size
- Current shoe size
- Clothes/shoes they need
- Clothes/shoes they will need for the next size up (if I expect them to grow out of their current size during the season)
- Seasonal clothing needed (Spring sales: swimsuits, Easter outfits, shorts Fall sales: coats, snow boots, snow pants, hats & gloves)
- Toys: favorite items we’d like more of, things that could be given as gifts during the year, things we don’t have but have been wanting to get that are too pricey at the store
- Books we’ve been wanting
- Any baby/kid gear needed (high chairs, swings, strollers, etc)
Bring to the Sale:
- Your list of what you need
- Admission cost or free admission coupon (see below for MOMS sale coupon)
- Something to cart your stuff around in if its a BIG event – reusable shopping bags, wagons (wagons should be labeled with a sign to let people know they’re not for sale – you don’t want anyone trying to buy your wagon!), etc. We hook up a laundry basket to a wheeled cart using bungee cords!
- Check to see what form of payment is accepted
- Leave the kids at home (if at all possible). It will make shopping so much easier and more enjoyable!
I will easily spend $120+ at a sale to gear my 5 kids up for the season. But remember, that’s virtually the only clothes shopping I do all year and I don’t do much additional toy/gear shopping either.
If you ARE in Colorado – check out the MOMS sale next week (March 7, 2015 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock)! Use this free admission coupon to get in and bring some friends who like great deals too!
Caution: I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to find incredible consignment sales outside of Colorado, but its worth searching for! I went to a MOMS sale when I was visiting in Arizona and was very disappointed compared to what I had been used to. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other great ones out there.
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