8
May

Who Needs New? Second Hand Rocks!

— by Tiffany in Eco Fashion

Laughing

Only a few days till mother’s day and I am a bit sad because my mom is out of the country and has been for a few weeks. But I speak with her every day and I have been sharing all my great second hand finds with her. I sure am missing my best yard sale buddy though.

After I scored so much good summer stuff at my local thrift store I decided to go back and get a bunch of the long pants I saw for my two oldest since they would be perfect for school in the fall. I ended up getting about 6 pairs of jeans and khackis for my son and 2 pairs of pants and 3 gorgeous skirts and some blouses for my daughter. My youngest got some summer polo shirts. Each piece was between one and two dollars and it is good stuff! I think that is why I am getting so hooked on second hands clothes. Not only can I get an entire seasonal wardrobe for less than $50… the clothes are high quality. They have withstood heavy use and washing by another family and they still look good when I get them off the rack.

At a yard sale last weekend I picked up a children’s art book, a pair of pants for the toddler, and a Care Bear (my daughter loves them). But the real gem was a metal desk made of lockers with a wood surface on top. It came with a matching metal book case too.  It is the perfect set for my two boys, who will be sharing a room in the new house.

Yesterday was my fave day, even though the deals were small. I got a mission style, wooden TV bench for $8. I also got a lovely full size quilt for .25 cents!! I am already imagining how lovely it will be to cozy up with it on a rainy day. My daughter got a wooden baby doll crib.

Now my husband apparently has much different priorities…ahem. I sent him to an auction to look at a washer and dryer set. He came home with a workout bench and two TVs… a large flat screen and a gigantic big screen TV. Now admittedly we could use a replacement TV since ours is super old and the picture will go out if you bump into it but I really do not like the the idea of a big screen TV…especially after I got that beautiful, mission style TV bench that we would know have no use for…grrr. If I end up having a huge TV in my family room I am going to be honked off…majorly. I am hoping he will let me turn around and sell it.

Anyway, I am hoping to spend next weekend (not this one, hubby works) at yard sales galore, without the kids, so I can start getting Christmas and birthday gifts. Won’t it be nice if I have all my shopping done before Fall?

The picture above and below was taken this morning as my daughter played outside before school. She is wearing a blouse and skort that we got at a thrift store. You will never convince her that she isn’t completely stylish in her used threads.

Yoga girl

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Friday, May 8th, 2009

16 Comments

  • http://andiscandis.blogspot.com andiscandis

    One word: Craigslist.

    I just got a toddler bed for $20 and a Step 2 clubhouse/climber/slide for $50. I won’t purchase the big plastic things (Step 2, Little Tikes) new, but I sure will get them used (and resell them when my kid is done!).

    And don’t forget… Used things have already given off most of their VOC’s (from plastics, wood glue, varnishes, etc.).

  • http://www.crunchythriftycool.blogspot.com Brandis

    Yeah for secondhand! I, too, love craigslist. Personally I find garage sales frustrating- I either am looking for something specific and can’t find it, or I impluse buy a bunch of junk we don’t need, further junking up my house:) But I LOVE thrift stores and consignment sales- my area has a great kids consignment sale twice a year and they have so much ridiculously wonderful stuff- one could honestly get everything they needed for their kids there. Breast pumps, bottles, bedding, toys, books, strollers (I got a double stroller for $35!), cribs, shoes… and sooooooo much clothing, mostly brand name and all in good shape (they’re picky about what they accept). I got all my kids summer clothes at the last one and plan to do the same in the fall. Plus I made $92 (well, I spent more than that, but still…). Maybe I should look for Christmas presents that way, too- I was planning on making most of mine and buying the rest from Etsy or other handmade stuff.

  • http://www.naturemoms.com Tiffany

    LOVE Craigslist!!

  • http://www.mamaknj.blogspot.com Mama K

    Men and TVs. Don’t know what is up with that, but mine is into them too. :)

    I love thrift shops and yard sales, though they are much easier to navigate without a toddler.

  • http://steepingtea.blogspot.com Katharyn

    that top picture I so precious!

  • http://saveecodestinations.wordpress.com/ Save Eco Destinations

    Buying new is usually unnecessary and often means getting ripped off. Besides, buying used is reusing!!

    I love used clothes and books and CDs when I used to buy them. New things can be so…impersonal, plastic, artificial. Knowing an item used to belong to someone else adds a charming nuance to things.

    I just picked up a scarf off the sidewalk a few weeks ago a block from my house. I subsequently washed it and wore it. Pretty warm!

    Keep on inspiring people to reuse! Rock on!

  • val

    I love second hand stores as well.

  • Erica Gagnon

    Gosh your daughter is adorable! And you’re right, rummage sales rock. Just try and watch for mostly name brands, I’ve found they don’t come as shrinked as some of the off brands do. I wish I could get my 2 year old to pose like your little girl does. :) Have a great Mother’s Day, I love all your stories!!!

  • Erica Gagnon

    Maybe you should have a for sale section on your website where people post what they have? I have a practically brand new Toddler Mattress. But I guess shipping would get crazy with that! :)

  • Kitty

    One thing I put together for my friends is a clothing swap party. Basically, we all go through our clothes and our kids clothes, and anything we would have sent to Goodwill we hang on to and trade it with each other instead. So everyone is bringing all thier clothes to my house today and we’ll all go through them and pick what we want. What I love love love about this event is that it is all free! Between all of us, we have sizes from 18 months to juniors 15, and the clothing from 20 children to swap around. I am thinking of an idea for the fall where we go through our toys, you know the pre-Christmas clean out, and do a swap. I know my kids have plenty of things they don’t play with anymore that are in great condition that another child could get for a Christmas gift.

    Free is the operative word here :)

  • Jenn

    Thanks for inspiring me… I got 2 tops and 3 pairs of pants for my toddler at the thrify shop this morning for $5!!!

  • http://www.dirtydiaperlaundry.com Kim

    I am in love with second hand things. I am a craigslist junkie. I also like that buying secondhand is a bot more eco friendly. Great post!

  • Meg

    I have a 9 month old baby boy and have become a second hand shopper fanatic. I wish I could go back and return all the new things I bought him when he was first born. Oh well lets just say on number 2 i will do things alot different.

  • http://sassybirdmummy.blogspot.com/ Kimberly

    What good finds, Tiffany! I see a “professional/personal shopper” career in you future – ha, ha, ha!

    I have been so neglectful in buying used. Guess I had the stereotype that items were not durable, etc. I recently went to a consignment sale in my town and boy, were my eyes opened! I am a late comer in this area but doing my best to catch up!

    Oh, and if I haven’t told you lately – I really do LOVE your blog!

    Have a great week – Kimberly

  • http://www.GreenIrene.com/LindaMaumelle Linda

    I LOVE garage sales! I just started buying things for gifts as well. Hey, there’s a lot of stuff that’s not even opened yet at garage sales. My son doesn’t know the difference or even care. He thinks it’s cool to get used stuff too (my little environmentalist knows all about reducing and reusing). All the clothes are so cheap, and anything that could possibly be bad in them (formaldehyde, etc) are already washed out. Me likey second-hand.

  • http://www.affordablemedicaldental.com Sarah

    What a beautiful picture of your daughter. You are a wonderful writer and photographer. I love this blog. I get so many great tips, ideas and advice. Keep up the good work. As for organic clothing. I buy organic as much as possible, but I find that I end up buying organic clothes on line more than in the stores due to availablity.