Eric, Samuel, and I spend almost every Saturday morning scouring local yard sales! Since we are a one income family, sticking to a tight budget has it's downfalls, but it definitely has it's perks! One downfall is that I have to stay out of the toy section when I go out to Walmart or Target! And we keep things simple at Christmas time. However, the perks to a limited income are beyond describing and totally worth the downfalls...I am soooooooooooooooooooo thankful I can stay at home with Samuel (and soon to be Baby Girl!) to me, it is worth so much more to stay home then to get Samuel new toys all the time.
However, you would be REALLY surprised at what you find at yard sales! I keep a running list of items we "need" and I can almost ALWAYS find them at yard sales! Recently I've been on the prowl for 3T and 4T shirts and adjustable waist pants for Samuel. This kid grows SUPER fast! He won't be 3 for months and wears a lot of 3T! First yard sale we went to this past weekend I got Samuel 96 pieces of super nice clothes in great shape (Kohls, Old Navy, Gap for just $20!) Including 18 pairs of jeans (8 in 3T and 10 in 4T...I figured if I didn't stock up now I would never find jeans again in a 4T!). I felt a little bit like a hoarder, but Eric kept assuring me that it was first come/first serve AND it was 11am...so everyone would be cleaning up soon! So I got them all!
While at the same yard sale, there was a giant table of train toys! Samuel loves his wooden train set! So I bought all the wooden train tracks she had left (about 40 pieces which makes a HUGE train!) for $5 and several wooden Thomas the Tank engine trains and tenders for $5! Samuel has been in HEAVEN since we brought those home!!! I felt bad spending $31 at a yard sale...but then I realized, I got Samuel a wooden train set and 2 years worth of clothes for $31!
So now, my house is a complete disaster because a certain little boy thinks his train set need to be out ALL THE TIME ! But he is so happy and plays so contently with them, we decide the living room can be a train depot!
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Sigh, I need to be better at yardsaling. I keep heading to the toy department at the stores and look at the prices and think, "no way". The other day I looked around and noticed that the only toys that Lydia has are literally the ones that you've given her. You are my inspiration, I need to try harder and get this poor girl some toys.
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