These Boots are Made for Splashin'

Boots are fairly essential foot ware for kids in the Northwest. There is really no stopping a preschooler from stomping in puddles when they are as plentiful as they are in Seattle, so you might as well embrace it and put those little feet in rain boots. Hannah has never had a great deal of coordination (that may come from her mother) so its only recently that she has really figured out how to walk in boots. Having these lady bug boots helps because she enjoys wearing them.

We got these free from a lost and found clean out at our friend's preschool several months ago. Basically they were going to throw out (like into the dumpster!) any lost and found stuff that didn't get taken. When he saw all the stuff being tossed he thought of me and I scored these boots as well as a yellow pair of bee boots in the next size up.

Next Generation of Savers

Hannah has a very positive association with the thrift store. For her its a place where you can dig and touch stuff without mom constantly saying "no, put that down please." While I am glad she enjoys our little trips I also find that she always wants to bring something home. I rarely say yes, but sometimes cave. (I remember from one of my psych classes in college that intermittent rewards create the strongest conditioning, so I am not doing myself any favors here.) Here she is with a pink bunny bank. I really have no idea why I would have said yes to this request and not others. It was only $1, but I think beyond that I had some fantasy that she would start saving money because of this bank. Predictably she sort of forgot about it the next day, but at least I got a cute picture out of it. (I can't remember why we were in the laundry room for this? )

Back in the Game

Its been awhile since I posted. This has been caused by several factors - 1. laziness (sorry about that) 2. cold and wet weather (less freebies on the street) 3. a lack of trips to the thrift store (I am not sure what caused this actually). Since its been awhile since I have been to the thrift store I had lots of energy to dig the last time I went and found some great stuff. Some of which I will pass off as Christmas gifts and some stuff which was just good stuff for myself. Here you see a new package of Huggies brand diapers in H's size. It was $3, which is a pretty good deal on disposable diapers. I never really know why these things end up in the thrift store, but for whatever reason it is a good bargain for us.

I'm a big fan

So I neglected my blog for so long some of my finds are no longer very timely. In the middle of a heat wave this summer (that one hot week we had between the months of cold and rain) Dan and I were walking home and found this fan on the side of the road. There was a sign on it that said "Free, Works" and we decided to trust it. It was a little tricky to carry home the remaining three blocks, but we made it and installed it in our bedroom. The style left a little bit to be desired, but Dan managed to remove the offending light fixture portion, which helps a lot. It seems like a quality fan- it doesn't rattle when on high and is quiet. It worked like a charm while it was hot. Now we just need to find a space heater with a pre-paid electricity bill and we'll be all set for winter.

Money Maker part 2

Awhile ago I had a good run of luck at the Goodwill. In my previous post you saw the Stokke high chair I got for $5. About a week before that truly amazing find I found this BOB jogging stroller. (This of course is a picture stolen off the web, but I sold mine so I have no picture for you. It looked exactly like this though, in brand new condition.) It was in new shape (in fact it had the REI tag on it still - $265). I got it for $30. I knew I could easily sell it on Craigslist, but when I got it home I somehow deluded myself into thinking now that I had this product I would morph into the kind of woman who goes jogging early in the morning with her child. I jogged once then posted it on craigslist. It sold pretty fast for $200, making a good profit which nicely off set the shame I felt in admitting I was not going to be a jogger.

Money Maker

If there is one thing I have come to know well its used baby stuff. For some reason it is even more fun to shop for my baby then for myself. Since I read baby magazines/blogs/attend baby-centered events I have picked up a good sense of what the cool baby stuff is (its a lot like high school out there at times). Add to this the fact that thrift stores are overflowing with used baby stuff and you see how I can often find great stuff to sell at the thrift store. One of my best finds is this high chair. Looks pretty average right? Its a Stokke (European brand) high chair with a washable chair covering. Retail the high chair costs over $200 and the cover is an additional $30. I actually have used one these things and was not impressed, but that is beside the point. The point is that I got it at Goodwill for $5 and sold it on craigslist for $135 within 1 hour of posting it. It was a pretty impressive turn around for me. Definitely the best I have done yet. My real question is who gave this to the thrift store without even trying to sell it on craigslist first? I had a dozen people email me immediately when I posted it. It easier to have someone else come and get it from you then to take it to Goodwill yourself. Whatever the reason their loss is my gain.

Free things do grow on trees

DH recently found this perfectly good bag of printer paper sitting on the sidewalk. Two things were unclear to me about this - 1. (the obvious) why do people throw away perfectly good stuff? and 2. how did this avoid the rain and wind of seattle and remain relatively intact? What ever the case it turned out well for us.