Consignment sale season is upon us. I missed the first one this past weekend because I’m simply not ready. I grew up yard sale-ing with my mom. She taught us how to be frugal and make every dollar stretch. I vividly remember one time my mom lost a $20 bill out of her back pocket and we went home early with her sick to her stomach. I was probably about eight. I thought, “What’s the big deal? It’s just 20 bucks.” Now, I’m 32 and realize just how far $20 will go early on a Saturday morning and how much money it saves when you have seven kids to feed and clothe.
I started yard sale-ing again when I had Natalie because babies grow so fast and I couldn’t justify spending tons on her clothes just to pack them up in three short months. Now I’m addicted to the thrill of a bargain. Usually I shop for the year I’m in and the next year. Last year at a yard sale, I saw these dresses in size 7 and 8 – two sizes too big for Natalie, but at $3 a piece, I couldn’t leave them. They are worth storing in the back of her closet until she’s ready.
Same with these coats… the winter coat is size 6. I can’t remember how much I paid for it. It has some dirt on the sleeves and I remember hesitating before the woman told me it was clean until it fell on her garage floor while she was moving it out to the yard. I could almost swear I talked her down to a dollar because of the dirt. The rain jacket (with hood) is a size seven and was marked $2. At that price, it’s rude to haggle. I snatched it up before anyone else could see the tag. Again, it’s ‘older’ than I would normally buy, but I couldn’t let a $2 raincoat go when it looks and smells brand new.
And here is an outfit I scored for Ryan which sadly he will never get to wear. Both items are Gymboree and cost me $1 each. I had really looked forward to seeing him in them this fall…. oh well, I think I know the perfect person to give it to.
All those clothes added up to $18, less than my mom’s lost $20. My biggest tip is to do a detailed inventory at the beginning of sale season (both the spring and fall) with each item you have, each item you need, and shoe sizes. I used to only say what I needed, e.g., shorts, but then I would get to the sale and think do I need jean shorts or pink shorts and how many pair of shorts. With a detailed list I can quickly scan to make sure I’m not buying duplicates. Do you go to consignment sales and yard sales?
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (13)
LOVE yard sales!
I do a good bit of my Christmas shopping…When I can get out without my girls! We have so many good friends with children bigger than mine, that I rarely have to buy much for them. At our Homeschool cooperative, we all bring things to get rid of & “shop” the “free” table…it is like a free yard sale! The girls LOVE it! Have a great time as spring rolls around and the “sale-ing season” begins!
Yes we do! Lately I have been finding really good sales at stores. $1 for sweatshirts new at Walmart! I could not pass that up. I shop for the year I am in as well as the next year. Finding good deals is great. It is one of my favorite things to do. Happy Shopping!
Looks like you got some great deals Leighann. Lynnette loves garage sales and she finds great stuff to keep and to sell. I like to ride along with she and the kids when they go…and she keeps her eyes peeled for me too when I sometimes sit in the van with the little ones.
Your momma is adorable. I had no idea you came from such a large family. That’s so cool. You learned a lot from her I’m sure.
I hope you will have a great garage sale-ing season.
Love ya,
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
I love yard sale-ing. The adrenaline has sometimes forced me to get up early and meet my sister and 5:45 at a HUGE sale. Of course, it is always fun to tell the parking attendant “shopper”. Can’t wait for the season to start.
Consignment stores and yard sales help to clothe my 5 children.
i do yard sales.
but i also noticed that if you go alot to stores like walmart/target etc every now and then they have clothes marked down to 1$in the sale area…yesterday I got 3 pairs of pants for my 6 year old and 3 outfits for my 2 year old all 1 dollar each.
WHoot whoot – oh yes, you KNOW I love reading about all these fun finds. And I can SO relate to your mom about the lost $20. That has happened to me and during a yard sale it does feel like $100. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
LOVE yard and consignment sales! let me know if you ever want company! and did i already say i love your new template?? i do!
Literally just came back from the consignement store, dropping off a load and picking out some things for the boys. I love yard saling and consginment shopping. I grew up doing this as well but have foudnit trickier to do in the south. The sales are best in the north! We have some great church consignments here but yard sales are very hard to come by.
Your deals looked awesome!
love a good deal and can barely resist one even if i don’t actually need the item myself. i think sometimes i am more excited about the price than what i bought. maybe i need professional help….
I’m a huge consignment sale fan! I have been going to several large sales in our area since I first found out I was expecting our son. Like you said, I wasn’t about to start spending a fortune on brand new clothes we would grow out of in a few months. I cannot being to add up the money I have saved in not only clothes, but shoes, toys, and equipment!
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Would love to go to a genuine yard sale sometime in my life! In South Africa that is something that you very rarely see EVER! Most clothing that has been outgrown is given (yes – given!)away to our domestic workers or to child welfare organisations (if you dont have family members to pass it on to). If you do see a small table out on the pavement the only people who would buy anything from it is other domestic workers. Some domestics take the clothing back to the squatter camps and sell it really cheaply (R5 an item which is less than 50 US cents) to supplement their income as they are usually supporting more than one family. (This is what my domestic does – although she will bring the earnings and offer to give me half which I always refuse) Our school has an Early Act club (which is like a junior Rotary club) and usually before winter they will have a clothing drive where they encourage all the students to donate some old clothing that is then distributed to needy children (usually to a childrens home). They also collect used bedding, and just before Easter they collect as many easter eggs as possible and go to the childrens homes or Aids Orphans Homes and give the kids easter eggs as that is the only way these kids will ever see an easter egg! Sounds like a yard sale could be an exciting morning out! But what is a consignment sale?
Lynda Lawson
Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
Lynda of South Africa:
Love how you guys pass the clothes around. We do a lot of that here too and donating to charity thrift shops. I’m not sure how and why yard sales started, but they sure do help out!
Consignment sales and shops are basically organized yard sales where the organizer takes a cut of the profit. The prices tend to be higher because of the profit sharing. So if you consign something a typical breakdown is 50% to the shop and 50% the individual. I’ve also seen 60% to the shop and 40% to the individual. The sales are usually put on by a club of some sort and held in a gym once or twice a year and follow the same rules of splitting the profit. So a Mother of Multiples Club or a Mother of Preschoolers Or Catholic Charities group will put on a sale. Hope this explanation helps.