The Library....So Much More Than Books!

We are fortunate to live less than 5 minutes from our public library. We visit often, checking out stacks of books and sometimes a movie. I have taken Jonathan to the children's story hour since was an infant. When we visit, Jonathan is greeted by name.
The library is so much more than a source of great reading material! Our library has so many wonderful---and free---programs. One of his favorite things was the Hot Wheel races this past spring. We have also been to holiday parties, full of crafts and stories, Lego building time, and lots of other really fun activites. They have great programs for adults, too, but usually I am unable to take advantage of them, no sitter!

Enjoying ice cream outside the library

Playing frisbee

Friday night was Ice Cream & Fireworks night. We arrived around 8:30 and marked our spot with our lawn chairs before heading inside. There were ice cream cups for everyone and each child was also given a frisbee. We played until it was dark enough for the fireworks to begin. We enjoyed a very nice fireworks display, which was better and lasted longer than I had anticipated.

Little boy delight

A beautiful fireworks display

Most of the programs require pre-registration, but that is all. There is never a fee. We are registered for a folk music concert in two weeks. I think it is something we will both enjoy, and if it gets too long for Jonathan, we can discreetly and quietly leave.

Be sure to check out what your local library has to offer. I think you will find that along with being your go-to source for books, it also offers lots of opportunites for free family fun!

My next post will be my 100th post!!! Be sure to check back tomorrow for my very first give-away!!

Selling Children's Clothing

Being on a tight budget (and knowing FOR SURE I will not have a need to pass Jonathan's clothing down to a younger brother!), I try to sell his outgrown clothing to help cover the cost of replacements. There are three primary ways I do this:

• eBay
• Consignment Shops
• Garage Sales

I have been a seller on eBay for a dozen years now, and this is how I first try to sell the really good stuff. I also buy things to resell on eBay and this often includes children's clothing. I only sell things that are in excellent condition, with no stains, etc. I make sure everything is clean and usually launder anything I purchase for resell. I will also iron everything and package each item in clear plastic bags before packing to ship. It helps if you have top name brands, but good "everyday" brands (Carter's, OshKosh, etc) will also sell. If I have several items of these brands in one size, I will often sell them in lots. I always seem to do well selling his outgrown pj's, probably due in part to his abundance of  cute pajamas :). I try to start items at a reasonable starting bid and keep postage as low as possible, but there is a fine line between low postage costs and charging enough postage, since costs vary widely by postal zone. I have a postage scale and that really helps! You also have to begin listing seasonal items rather early, which means that now, when it is 95* outside, I am trying to see what fall clothing items I have to list. Wait until the weather turns cold, and you've lost the window of opportunity for getting the best price for an item.I depend on eBay as a source of household income, and any money made on eBay goes directly to pay for our health insurance. I have to carry individual policies for us and it is quite expensive, even for the inferior coverage we have.

I also sell items at our local children's consignment shop. Here is where I take items that did not sell on eBay, items with local ties (UK jackets, Cincinnati Bengals shirts, etc), toys in good repair but outgrown and furniture items. I sold Jonathan's crib, changing table and tricycle here. Again, items need to be clean and stain-free. The price the items sells for is split 50/50 with the shop. I don't make as much money from this source, but every dollar from this source goes directly into an envelope to buy Jon's next season clothing and shoes.

I also have several garage sales each year. This is where I will sell clothing items with small stains or other imperfections which still make great play clothes. I can also sell socks, etc, which I place in bags according to size and price the entire bag. We also sell Jonathan's toys that have been too well loved to make it to the consignment shop. Jonathan & I have an agreement about the toys. He chooses what to sell and he gets to keep any money made from toy sales, which is a big incentive for him to weed out things he no longer enjoys playing with.

This is how I maximize the amount of money I can get for Jonathan's outgrown clothing items. It really goes a long way toward buying the next season's wardrobe!

Goodwill Hunting

As someone in the resell business, with eBay and an antique mall booth, I am always scouring thrift stores, Goodwill and yard sales. Occasionally, I score something for myself. Often I will see very nice designer clothing in smaller sizes, up to about a size 10. If you happen to be a larger size, quality used clothing is much more difficult to find.
While visiting my sister this past week-end, we went shopping at "her" Goodwill, where she has found some amazing stuff! I found six tops for myself, all of which look as though they were never worn or worn only a couple of times. I got a Lands' End blue long sleeve polo, Lands' End 3/4 sleeve white cotton shirt, Ralph Lauren blue stripe long sleeve shirt, and three Talbots summer tops, all in the same style but different patterns/colors. At $2.50 per top, the total was $15.00 for these wardrobe stretchers for all seasons. They have now been laundered and ironed and are ready to wear!
How do you feel about wearing gently used clothing? I think it is a great way to stretch a clothing budget and buy brands I might not otherwise be able to afford.

Crazy like a fox, or just crazy?

This is the guest room closet, hung with a row of boy's coats and jackets. Yesterday I went to Gymboree to return a shirt, only to discover that the highest price on any clearance item was $10.99, including coats! I ended up buying four or five coats and a puffy vest in a variety of sizes. I'm thinking boy's coats aren't going to go out of style, so he is good to go for two--or maybe even three--winters. I also had a 20% off coupon, which lowered the price even more! Also hanging in this closet are yard sale and thrift store finds I think are worth saving until he grows into them, like this $2.00 Gap down-filled vest:

and this $3.00 L.L. Bean raincoat:

Also hanging are a couple of outgrown coats, waiting for eBay next season.

So, am I crazy, or crazy smart, to buy this far ahead?

Do You Have a Gift Shelf?

Do you look for things on sale and keep a gift shelf or closet at home? If you see something at a great price you think would make a nice little gift for someone, do you buy it? Where are your favorite places to shop?

I have a bin on a shelf in my closet where I store little goodies I find on sale, at yard sales, etc. It came in handy this week when the letter came from school concerning the spring basket auction. Jonathan's class is assigned the "Boys Will Be Boys" theme. I was so happy to have a Toy Story puzzle and a Buzz Lightyear toy in the basket, purchased on clearance. That will help the budget this month!

My little gift supply is almost depleted, I haven't found very much lately. Time to pay some attention to the clearance corner!