Treasure Hunting in Thriftland

Hey there Seedlings! Megs here again :)  Today my wonderful, sweet mother in law watched my little bug while I went out to run some errands. On the way home, I stopped by two local thrift stores (Humane Society and Value Village). I stumbled upon a "double tag sale" where both yellow and orange tags were half off, and there were an abundance of items in my daughter's size!  The best part? I spent about $20 for EVERYTHING you see here (including that great mustard yellow shirt for me).  Just ONE DRESS from Hanna Andersson would set you back $25!  Score!

Today's finds! Brands are in the center. Not bad for thrifting!

 Believe it or not, you can find some sweet brands at super steep discounts not only at your local consignment stores, but also at Goodwill/Value Village/etc...if you don't mind taking some time to go through the racks. I consistently find high quality labels such as Hanna Andersson, Levi Strauss, Baby Lulu, Zutano, and other great durable brands such as GAP/Children's Place/Old Navy. The keys to great savings are as follows:

• Take time to flip through all the racks in your child's size and surrounding sizes.  Sometimes you will find a gem stashed in the wrong size category!
• Make sure to go on a day where a certain tag color is 50% off, then look for that tag.  
• Decide ahead of time what your limits are.  It can be exciting to find a great brand at the thrift store...just keep in mind the value.  A good question to ask yourself is, "How much would this cost at the consignment store?" Sometimes it is actually OVER the price you would find at consignment, so you should pass when that happens or you will overspend!
• Don't get stuck in your child's gender! There are often great brands and gender neutral clothing to be found "on the other side."  This is especially true for jeans.
• If you find a great brand, with a small stain, evaluate whether or not you will be able to get the stain out.  If you can't, pass. Chances are it will sit in the closet unworn, and then you are out the $$ you spent to get it.
• Sign up for store loyalty cards.  You can choose whether to get emails for upcoming sales and often will get an extra discount when you go on sale days!

As much as I love "treasure hunting" at thrift stores, you should always keep in mind your local children's consignment stores, too.  Take in the clothing your child is no longer using, and you can earn store credit (or sometimes a cash back reward) for things you bring in.  It's win-win!  Good for the environment AND your pocket book.  Here are a few tips for consigning:

• Before sending stuff to the consignment store you MUST do two things.  The first is carefully wash and, if necessary, iron the clothing you are going to send in to consign.  Clothing that looks fresh and almost new is much more likely to be purchased!  The second thing is, for each item you are going to consign, ask yourself "Would I buy this in a consignment store?" If the answer is no, then it is probably a better idea to donate to charity.  
• Choose a consignment store carefully!  The best stores are the ones that are picky about what they accept.  Keep in mind that even if you end up with  a $50 credit, it is worthless if there is nothing in the store you actually want to buy!
• Consignment stores are also a great place to pick up toys, books, and even baby/kid equipment. You can get major discounts by shopping second hand!  

That's all for today..happy thrifting and see you next time! ;)