Today I want to tell you about an amazing concept I just learned about, traveling consignment sales! I’ve known about consignment stores since high school and Plato’s Closet. But now as a eco-minded and budget conscious soon to be mom (phew that is a mouthful) I’ve learned about traveling consignment. This is a HUGE (at least around here I’m sure it depends on the city) sale that comes in and takes over a place for a few days (a closed down store/city center that kind of place.)
I”m sure there are many versions of this but the one I’ve learned of lateley is Just Between Friends. They run events in many states and around here they have one in different parts of the metro so if you pay attention and your willing to drive a little bit you can hit a few of them. Anyway this particular sale has special pre-sale times for 1st time moms, consignors and volunteers. The last day almost everything is 50% off too!
So I’m trying not to buy too much right now, I haven’t had a single shower yet so it would be silly to load up on things. However deals like this are hard to pass by. Check out a few of the deals I got at the 3 sale nights I’ve attended. So far I’ve done 2-50% off pre-sales for 1st time Mom’s and 1 normal pre-sale for 1st time Mom’s.
This was my first haul and my first 50% off day. I ended up with 2 Organic cotton onsies, a 3-piece holiday outfit, a ruffled cardigan, 5 books and a lights and sounds toy bar all for ……..$20.71!
Here is just a few more examples of what I’ve purchased through these sales, I’m really pretty conservative right now but I can see how as this baby grows this is going to be a HUGE part of her closet. I can’t find my 3rd receipt but my most recent 50% off night was another success. I got a cute 3-piece set of clothes for a friend, 2-3 onesie bundles (different sizes) for me, and a pair of black maternity jeans for $11.25!
These sales aren’t just for babies though, they had clothes all the way up to Juniors as well as toys, books, and pretty much any equipment you could ever think of!
Hints for consignment shopping:
- Don’t buy just because its cheap.
- If you think you like something hold on to it, you can always put it back later.
- On that note, please put back the things you don’t want in their proper areas so other Moms have a chance.
- Look for stains, rips and wear. If you won’t use something or it will wear out too quickly its not even worth the good deal price.
- BYOB-Bring your own bags.
- Bring a friend, its a lot more fun and you have someone to help you look for those specific things you want on 50% off days quickly.
- Go in with a list of things you want/need and have prices in mind that you are willing to pay, keep a budget.