Consignment Sale

So this last Wednesday evening Angie and I went to Independence MO to the Just Between Friends consignment sale. It is all children's clothing, maternity clothes, and other baby gear (similar to Mommy and Me, Animal Crackers, etc.), for sale for a few days, twice a year (this time they were selling spring/summer clothes and next time it will be fall/winter stuff). I wanted to go the last time there was a sale but it didn't work into my schedule, so I was excited to finally be able to go.

Since I'm pretty well stocked up on toys, books, cribs, high chairs, etc, and since I'm not pregnant, I was mostly in the market for children's' clothes! Before I went, I got all the kids future clothes out of storage to see what I already had, and what they still needed. So I went with a list! Oh, and we went the night before the sale was open to the public (it's really a sneak preview for pregnant / first-time moms) because I won a pass from a BeCentsable giveaway!

I must admit, I was surprised at the size of the event -- I thought it was going to be a huge area (like the Expocentre), but it was really the size of about 1/2 the Expocentre. Anyway...technicalities! My only other observation was that the clothes weren't as high-quality as I thought they were going to be. It looked like some mothers had owned the clothes and reused them on all 4 (for example) of their children, and then decided to still sell them at the consignment sale! Needless to say, some of the clothes were out of style and others were just kind of plain. I guess since we were going to a sneak preview, I thought there would be a bunch of good stuff, you know?! If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were there on the last day or so!

Anyway, you wouldn't know I was somewhat disappointed by the fact I had a $235 bill, would you?! No, I don't think I picked up crumby stuff. ;) But I don't think there was much left after I was done either! And I stuck to my list. :) In total, I got 54 pieces of clothing...that's an average of $4.35/piece. While these weren't garage sale prices (obviously), compared to paying full price, I still feel like I got a good deal. PLUS I really like the idea of reusing clothes instead of buying new. In fact, I'm not sure which makes me more excited -- being "green" or saving money! As usual, it was easier to buy clothes for the girl than it was for the boy... Plus, I bought clothes for Sadie in 2 sizes (18-24 months and 2T) and just needed one size for Ashton (4T). So while Ashton only needs 4T clothes to get him through this summer, Sadie will need 24 months and then 2T as well. (And since she'll quit growing as fast, the 2T clothes will again fit her for a while next summer. Yay!)

I bought Sadie 4 dresses, a jean skirt with a matching top, 1 pair of jeans, 3 other pants, 1 swimming suit, 1 button-up sweater, 1 zip-up jacket, 10 shorts/capris, and 16 spring/summer tops. I bought Ashton a pair of dress shoes, swimming trunks, a pair of pajamas, a KU mesh tank top with matching shorts, 3 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, and 4 shirts.

My analysis: My eyes did bug out when the cashier read "$235 dollars please". I wasn't planning to spend that much! I still am not sure if I would have spent that much over the next few months (you know, in like several individual shopping trips) if I hadn't gone. But I stuck to my list so I feel justified....who knows. Garage sales have been slim pickin' for me the last two years, so I wanted to give this a try. Besides, the 6 hours of girl-time, without kids, SHOPPING! was worth at least that much! ;)