Shop Consignment - Great Bargins for your kids!

Hi.  My name is Sarah and I'm addicted to Consignment sales.

Ok, this may be a little extreme but the truth is, I love shopping consignment!  If you know me at all or have read my blog, you know that I am cheap.  My dad says I'm so tight I squeak.  But I also like nice things and when I had Maddie I found out how ridiculous kids clothes, toys, etc are.  I am a sucker for Baby Gap clothes, it's a weakness really, but I just can't afford their prices.  Even at Wal-mart a pair of kids sandals are $12!!!  I don't even pay that for my sandals!  So I quickly tried to find a way to get nice stuff at a cheap price.  I'm always on the look out for sales but then I found out about consignment sales.

The first consignment sale I heard about was called "Just Between Friends" (JBF).  It is a national sale that happens twice a year (Spring and Fall).  There is also a local (Stillwater, OK) sale called Adorable Affordables (unfortunately the spring sale is over).

Why I like Consignment - 

• They have EVERYTHING!  This may be a we bit extreme but the Tulsa sale (The only JBF sale I have been to so far) is HUGE!  It's at the fairgrounds and you can find - Clothes, Clothes, more Clothes, Toys, Toys, more Toys, Maternity clothes, Furniture, Books, Shoes, Strollers, Car Seats, High Chairs, Decorations, Home Schooling material, DVD's, Diaper bags, Blankets, Sports Equipment, Hair Accesories and pretty much any other kid stuff you can think of!
• It's ORGANIZED!  [Insert sigh of relief]  I love a sale but I cannot handle piles of clothing in all sizes, it just drives me crazy and it's not worth it for me.  However, I am constantly shocked about how organized it is.  The clothes are sectioned off so you can focus on the sizes you need.  Also, the toys are super organized, I know it's a shocker but they are!  They also have them all laid out beautifully and you can just walk by, no digging!  
• It's CLEAN & NICE!  So sometimes you go to a garage sale or a store (like Walls) and you just come out feeling dirty.  Stuff was dusty and gross and most of the time you were scared to touch the stuff.  This is NOT the case.  Clothes and toys have all been washed and clean and these are nice clothes that have been lightly worn.  Also, workers go through all of the items to make sure they are clean and with out major defects.  You still want to inspect the clothes and test the toys but they do a good job.  And if there is a toy not working they have a station you can go to and they will check the batteries before you buy it :)
• Great Prices!  You are shopping lightly used clothes and toys that are name brand!  I often get Baby Gap, Gymboree, Ralph Lauren, Leap Frog, Little Tikes, Fisher Price and more for a couple bucks.  Plus, they have sale days (25% and 50%) that make shopping even better!  Plus, all of the toys are together (and there are tons of identical items) so it's easy to look through them and find the lowest priced item.

Tips:  I have heard that the sale can be REALLY busy on the first day and the 50% off day.  I've never been to the Tulsa sale on these days but be warned.  I went to the last sale on the 2nd 25% off day (it was a Friday) and it was so nice!  It wasn't busy at all so I could shop without any trouble and I didn't have to wait to check out.

When Can I go?
Unfortunately, most of the spring sales are over (in Oklahoma at least) so you may have to wait for Fall.  But, the Oklahoma City sale is coming up!  It's April 30-May 5 at the Fairgrounds :)